The Fly: A Tale of Science, Obsession, and Tragedy

Francois is awoken in the middle of the night by his sister, who calls him to the factory. There, he finds her husband dead, and she confesses to killing him. It is discovered that Helene had operated a machine that smashed down upon Andre's head and arm. Commissioner Charas, who is investigating the case, attempts to get an answer from her about what happened, but her only response to "why" is that she cannot say. Her actions land her in an insane asylum as the case is sorted out, where she spends her time catching flies and examining them closely. Regular visits from Francois and the Commissioner ensue, but to no progress. One day, Francois is talking to Helene's son, who explains about a fly Helene was obsessed with finding that had a white head. The son had found it a while back but let it go, and she had wanted to find it ever since. With this knowledge, Francois confronts Helene, who finally gives in and provides a written confessional.

The Confession Unveiled

The confessional travels back several months, as Andre has learned how to transmit physical matter. Though it has some imperfections, he tweaks his work until it can perfectly transmit inanimate matter. He next tries to transmit animate objects. He tries their cat, and it disappears, but he eventually has success with other animals. Along this time, he stops talking too much about his experiment until one day when Helene comes to the lab in the house to bring lunch, and Andre answers by providing a type-written letter slipped under the door. Helene becomes increasingly scared as this becomes the sole means of communication, and Andre refuses to let her see him. He sends her on a quest to find a fly with a white head, but to no avail. He eventually explains that he used the transmitter on himself, and a fly must have gotten into the transporter. He continues to transmit himself, but to no avail and with increasingly worse results. She eventually sees him and is utterly horrified by his appearance. It's at this point that she agrees to help him to end his life.

The Aftermath

A few days later, Francois shares this account with the Commissioner at dinner. Helene had committed suicide the day after giving Francois the account, and so the two are left to ponder the account. The Commissioner chalks it up to pure insanity, but Francois reveals that earlier, he had swatted and killed a fly whose head was white.