Sunday, July 31, 2016

Human Fly

I'm a human fly and I don't know why… 

I watched an old movie on television the other day. It’s a horror film called “The Fly”. There’s been a remake, but this was the original, sometime in 1958. It’s about a scientist, who when conducting an experiment, mutates into a grotesque, part human part fly, after the insect accidentally gets into the transporting machine, mixing their atoms. The scientist’s wife ends up helping him destroy the creature he’d become and is charged with murder and declared ‘crazy’.
I’ve seen this film many times. In fact, the little fly at the end with the human head, crying in a squeaky voice, “Help meeee. Help meeeeee!” was the source of many giggles shared between my dad and I. Warped maybe, but funny, nonetheless.

Today, though, when I watched the movie I saw something different that I hadn’t thought of before. The wife explained, in detail, the reasons for her actions. It was a strange and incredible story, and it was the truth. But the police inspector, without benefit of doubt, proclaimed her guilty and insane, just the same.

Unfortunately this seems to be a common occurrence. A true story can sound unbelievable. If it is out of the ordinary and/or not what the listener wants to hear, the judge, jury and sentence occur, all without the benefit of a trial. It makes sense that people would not want to share the truth if the consequences are worse than if they make up an explanation to please the listener.

I don’t mean it’s right to lie. I detest liars and if there’s one thing I don’t do it’s lie. To be honest though, I do tell little lies, which I suppose makes me a hypocrite. But those are usually to spare someone’s feelings: “Does my butt make these pants look big?” “No, you look great!” That’s not to rationalize my behavior. Sometimes you just have to choose which ditch you want to die in.

The story in the movie had a somewhat happy ending. The scientist’s son rushes in to say he’s found the odd looking fly, the fly with a white head. The inspector and the scientist’s brother rush out to find the fly with the scientist’s head and arm, stuck in a web with a large spider quickly approaching. The terrified fly screams “Help meeeee! Help meeee!” (I’m laughing again here.) Just as the fly is about to be eaten by the spider, the inspector smashes them both with a rock. Thinking nobody would believe such a story, the inspector and the brother concoct a lie about the details and the wife isn’t convicted of murder.
Help meeeeee! Ha ha ha
Too bad we didn’t know about DNA. That could have saved the truth being covered by a lie. I suppose then they wouldn’t have had a plot for the movie. At the last scene the wife and the brother are explaining to the son why the scientist died. He died doing the most dangerous act for humanity, but also the most beneficial: "the search for the truth".

I don’t know why people choose to lie. The truth is best even when it’s not pleasant. Everyone has their own reasons for not telling the truth. And everyone has their own reasons for not believing the truth. And life goes on.

I say buzz, buzz, buzz and it's just becuzz 

We got new to us furniture for the place in Ruidoso. It looked nice but something was missing. I decided we needed pillows on the couches. So through Amazon, I found a bargain...or so I thought!

They had throw pillows for only $3.50 each! I glanced through the designs and picked some I wanted. When they got here I was disappointed. I read it wrong. They were pillow covers, not pillows!

I had an idea that I thought might work. I thought if I took an inexpensive bed pillow and cut it in half, then sewed up the side it would fit. My daughter in law, Jenn, had just the pillows I needed! She cut and sewed them and they were perfect for the new pillow covers!


I’m knitting a cover to recycle another pillow I had laying around. It’s gray, in a thick yarn, so should be finished soon.

Well I'm a human fly it's spelt F L Y

2 comments:

  1. Now I must see this movie if only to laugh at the "help me" part!

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  2. I remember laughing at that part too! and the remake with Jeff Goldblum was horrifying... shudder. We used to watch Creature Features on our local Channel 2 on Saturday night, best show with all those old grade B horror movies - or would they be grade D? Now go find Them - the one with the giant ants in the Mojave. When we camped there after watching this one I was always so worried...

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