Helix the Cat

"Helix the Cat" is a science fiction-fantasy short story by Theodore Sturgeon. The story was written in 1939 or 1940 and submitted to John W Campbell. The editor rejected it, as he felt it didn't fit into either fantasy or science fiction categories.

The manuscript was placed in storage, thought lost by the author, and returned to him about thirty years later. It was published, without any alterations, in Astounding: The John W Campbell Memorial Anthology, in 1973.

Plot summary

The story is narrated by Pete Tronti, a struggling inventor. Whilst experimenting with a new form of glass he is trying to perfect, Pete is astonished to hear a disembodied voice from within the bottle he is working with. The voice announces itself to be the soul of Wallace Gregory, who has just died in a road accident. He is hiding from Them, who search out and eat souls.

Gregory persuades Tronti to create a body for him and eventually he takes possession of the body of Helix, Tronti's pet cat. Between them, they modify Helix's body and increase his intelligence. But when Helix/Gregory start to take over Tronti's life, he decides he has no option but to kill the cat. Helix escapes and goes into business as a cat burglar.

Theodore Sturgeon

Novels	The Dreaming Jewels More Than Human The Cosmic Rape Venus Plus X Some of Your Blood Godbody

Novelizations	The King and Four Queens Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea The Rare Breed

Pseudonymous novels	I, Libertine

Short story collections	Without Sorcery E Pluribus Unicorn

Short stories	"Baby Is Three" "Helix the Cat" "If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister?" "It!" "Killdozer!" "The Man Who Lost the Sea" "Microcosmic God" "The Pod in the Barrier" "A Saucer of Loneliness" "Shottle Bop" "Slow Sculpture" "The World Well Lost"

Star Trek screenplays	"Shore Leave" "Amok Time"

Other subjects	Theodore Sturgeon Award Sturgeon's law Kilgore Trout

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/29/2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.