MicroHorror

“Did you see that, Fred?”

“Did I see what?”

“He gave her two of those pills. He’s only supposed to be giving her one!”

“Are you sure, Flo? How d’you know how many she should have?”

“I was sitting on the wall right above the bedpost, and the doctor’s instructions were clear. He said to be careful to give her only one! I don’t know what they’re for, though. I’m going to fly down and take a peek.”

“Be careful, Flo.”

But she was gone already. Fred watched her hover around the bedside table for a few seconds, then fly back to join him on the wall, clearly agitated.

“There are two bottles down there. One contains tranquilizers and the other says something about ‘heart.’ I was afraid to land and so couldn’t see the label clearly. D’you think he’s trying to get rid of her?”

“I don’t know… Hey, there’s somebody coming. Let’s get out of here before we get swatted.”

They flew out the open window.

The next day Flo and Fred took up position on the wall a few feet above the bed. The doctor arrived to check on his patient. He admitted to the woman’s husband that he was at a loss as to how to diagnose her illness and suggested that she be taken to the hospital for tests. The husband was adamant in his refusal, saying that his wife would be miserable in the hospital and that he was more than capable of caring for her himself. The doctor shrugged and left.

Flo and Fred were discussing this latest development when all of a sudden there was a rush of air and something big and flat landed on the wall. Splat! The two flies barely dodged the blow. They decided to move to safer quarters before the man came at them with that can of really foul-smelling stuff that had overcome some of their friends last summer.

Once safely outside they resumed their conversation:

“What are we going to do, Fred? We can’t let him off her!”

“Don’t use that word around me, Flo!”

“Sorry… We can’t let him kill her.”

“What can we do? We’re just two flies. Nobody is going to listen to us. We’re just pests!”

Flo didn’t answer. She was deep in thought, her antennae jiggling. Then suddenly she took off, leaving Fred to follow.

A few hours later the patient was lying in a stupor. Her husband came into the bedroom to check on her. He was just reaching for the pill bottle when he looked up and noticed what looked like a black cloud approaching the open window. He replaced the bottle and went to take a closer look. Just as he was reaching to close the window, a thick swarm of bluebottles came at him, engulfing him with their iridescent blue-green bodies. They wandered over him with their black hairy legs, invaded his nostrils and gaping mouth.

A little later the man was found dead of a heart attack by his cleaning lady. There wasn’t a fly in sight. The patient had not yet regained consciousness and so hadn’t seen her husband’s demise. Relatives were called and it was decided that she should go into the hospital. Tests were run, and her heart and diabetes medications were adjusted. She was home again only days later, and at last report was managing well with a little daily help.

The cleaning lady was annoyed by two pesky flies that flew in through the bedroom window every time she opened it a crack. No matter what she did she couldn’t get rid of them.