Home Remedies

A report of biofuel’s theft for medicinal uses, according to popular belief and knowledge.

José opened the tank lid, inhaled the alcoholic vapours, and the gesture helped him stop the shivering from the cold. Those from the fear remained. He untangled the hose he had brought wrapped around his trunk, inserted one end into the tank, and clamped his mouth around the other end. Huddled behind a car, the night cold and every noise making him jump, he struggled to get enough breath for the fuel to rise.

Behind him, the barking of a dog made José inhale sharply, and both his mouth and nose were filled with the smell of port wine. He abandoned the hose to deal with the gastric juices that were rising to keep the fuel company, as it was taking a long time to reach his stomach. The hose was spilling the precious liquid onto the floor. When he realised it, the man still managed to squeeze the hose into the bottle and get a litre or two out of it.

On his way home, he found tranquillity in the sound of the wine sloshing against the sides of the container.

Chlap, chlap.

If the night went well, the next day would be the best in a long time.

When he entered the house, José placed the pot over the flames that were still burning in the fireplace. He filled it with half the wine and added an onion, cut into quarters.

Only then did he go to see if she was all right.

Salomé was in bed, as expected. She coughed rhythmically. The phlegm gurgling in her lungs was audible, but she didn’t have the strength to cough it up.

José went back to the kitchen, where the alcoholic vapours were already spreading throughout the room. He dragged the pot over to Salomé’s bed. He dragged her, too, to the floor and placed her head over the wine with onions, covered by the sheet.

‘Don’t let anything out. It will do you good.’

He left her to prepare the rest. He mixed what was left of the wine with warm water and coffee. As he did so, he marvelled at hearing the coughing become less frequent.

José filled the syringe and the small rubber hose.

When he returned to the room, Salomé was already overcome with laughter. She laughed like a child, still with the sheet over her head and the wine healing her.

José smiled. After the enema, his sister would surely be cured.