Apocrypha: the fly

The fly buzzed noisily around the room under the watchful gaze of the educator. He eyed it intently and then with his net at the ready used charm and skill to lure it into the net.  Taking out his journal, flipping to a fresh page he annotated, “Test 1.  Fly with four wings flies for a long time.”  Placing his pencil on the table, he grasped the hapless fly removing it from its unwelcome shroud, and with a quick smiling motion, he nimbly plucked off one of its wings and placed the fly on the table.

He then commanded, “Take flight, fly!”  The dazed fly flew about 20 feet, falling to the floor where it was retrieved by the nodding educator who then annotated his journal, “Test 2.  Fly with 3 wings flies 20 feet.”

Quick as a wink, he tore off another wing, again placing the fly on the table and commanding, “Take flight, fly,” whereupon the fly flew just 6 feet.  Another annotation: “Test 3.  Fly with 2 wings flies 6 feet.”  Repeating this ritual again, he rips off one of the two remaining wings, sets the mono-winged insect on the counter. Then the command, “Take flight, fly!”  The fly awkwardly flies just 7 inches before tumbling to the tabletop.  Precisely noted in the journal, “Test  4.  Fly with 1 wing flies 7 inches.”

Setting the fly again upon the table and with little effort he ripped off the remaining wing.  Then the command, “Take flight, fly!”  The fly remained on the table washing its front legs one to the other.  Again, more demanding, “Take flight, fly!”  The fly continued its rub its own parts.  Louder now, “Take flight, fly!”  No response.

Frowning with smug satisfaction, the educator retrieves his pencil and adds to the journal, “Test 5.  Fly with no wings is deaf.”

-- eeSmith, February, 2009

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