yesterday

2ish: I am awakened from my Saturday afternoon nap by the telephone

3 rings later: 75% asleep I swing myself out of the hammock and shuffle over to answer the phone:
Me: Hola?
Ana: Hi Sarah, this is Ana (head of Human Resources at the school) I'm calling to tell you that we won't have water this weekend and you need to begin saving what you can.
Me: Ok, thanks.

1 minute later: As I'm pulling out pots and pans to fill with water I begin to wonder just what the hell is going on

20 minutes later: Every possible thing is filled with water and the taps are still running.

5 minutes later: I try calling Ana back, but she is not home. Every other Gringo I get ahold of was also asleep during Ana's call and no wiser than me.

30 minutes later: Brad and I decide to go get a late lunch. On the way I interrogate the taxi driver:
Me: What's the deal with the water?
Taxi driver: Some cianuro fell in the river.
Me: Oh.
Brad: What did he say?
Me: Something fell in the river.
Brad: What?
Me: I don't know.

after dinner: I decide to interrogate the doorman:
Me: What's the deal with the water?
Doorman: 5,000 gallons of cianuro fell into the river. So the city turned off the water.
Me: But there's still water coming from our taps.
Doorman: It's from the tank on the roof.
Me: And when that runs out?
Doorman: Wordlessly pulls down the corners of his mouth and runs his finger across his neck.

2 minutes later: I'm looking in my Spanish/English dictionary:
cianuro cyanide
Cyanide?! Shit.