The Caterpillar - Recap

In the jungles of Borneo, young Englishman Stephen Macy is working under contract to John Warwick, a tobacco plantation owner. The 66-year-old Warwick is married to a young attractive woman, Rhona. Macy visits them at their home and insists he'll never get used to the constant rain. John leaves to check on the fields and Macy sits down near Rhona. He turns off the gramophone and asks Rhona how she can stand the constant music. Macy comments that she's easy to please, and notes that she's married to a much older man. Rhona takes offense and tells Macy never to bring up the age discrepancy again. He hastily apologizes and she accepts, and then advises him to stop counting the moments. Macy insists that young people like the two of them don't belong there, and says that he wouldn't force his wife to stay there. Rona insists that she's there by choice and by love, and goes to prepare dinner.



As Rhona starts to go, Macy says that he'll honor his one-year contract and apologizes, saying he doesn't want to lose her friendship. He offers his hand and asks if they're friends, and she takes it. The local kindling man, Tommy Robinson, barges in and sees them holding hands, and Rhona hastily withdraws her own. Rhona tells him to knock in the future and leaves. Tommy then introduces himself to Macy and offers any personal services desired. Macy is clearly unimpressed with him, particularly after Tommy explains that he had to choose between Borneo and an English prison. Tommy suggests that he join him at the tavern sometime for a drink and a chat, and then suggests he might have a way to deliver Rhona to Macy. When Macy says he doesn't understand, Tommy says that they'll discuss it in the future. He leaves, going past John who angrily tells him to go on his way. When John comes in, he explains that tommy is a local entrepreneur and scoundrel. Rhona comes in and Macy looks at her meaningfully. Once John goes to wash up, Rhona apologizes in advance and says she knows what abstinence can do for a man, and then tells him to take a cold bath before walking away.



Later, Macy arranges a meeting with Tommy at the village tavern. He asks what Tommy was insinuating earlier, and admits that he needs something to fight the loneliness and boredom. Tommy sympathizes, noting that it's criminal that Rhona is married to an older man, and figures that Macy knows exactly what to do. Macy insists he doesn't want an assassination and Tommy insists he shudders at the thought of killing. What he proposes is an act of destiny, and describes a native insect known as an earwig. The earwig likes the human ears, is so light as to be barely felt, and when it enters the ear, it can't turn around. It continues to burrow straight through, feeding as it goes. Macy draws back at the thought, and Tommy explains that it entails weeks of suffering but yields the result they want. When Macy starts to go, Tommy goes after him and says that he could send a stealthy friend over in the dead of night with instructions on what to do. Once Macy confirms how long the pain will last, he agrees to pay a hundred pounds. When Macy say she doesn't want to see Tommy again, Tommy says that the two of them are the same except for Macy's airs, and Macy will come back for him some day.



The next day, Macy sits down for breakfast with John and Rhona and studies John's ear. As he starts to eat, he feels a sharp pain in his ear and realizes that the earwig is in his ear, not John's. Macy yells that they put it in his ear and runs away, screaming, while Rhona realizes what he means.



Two weeks later, the doctor is leaving when Tommy arrives and confirms that Macy has an earwig. The doctor says that there's no hope for his patient, who has his hands bound so he won't rip his ears off. After the doctor rides off, Tommy goes to Macy's window. Macy is writhing in agony and Tommy offers his apologies, admitting his hired man made a mistake. He apologizes profusely and assures Macy that he'll soon die, and then goes on his way.



The next day, the doctor tells John and Rhona that the earwig traveled through the brain and, against all odds, came out the other ear. He's not sure how much damage, if any, was done to the brain. Macy comes out and the doctor congratulates him on his luck, and points out that the suffering he went through was the same that he intended for John. Rhona says that she wouldn't have come to him even if she was a widow, and Macy insists that he did it for love and paid the price for his actions. Macy asks John if he'll be arrested. When John tells him that he won't, Macy assumes that he wants to avoid the scandal. He says he'll be leaving on the next boat to London, and then describes for the doctor the agony that he suffered. John insists that he leave, and Macy realizes there's something they're not telling him. He wonders if John will have him arrested in England, but John says no one will touch him and he won't be brought to trial. The doctor tells Macy to sit down, and then explains that the earwig that came out was pregnant... and it had laid eggs.



Share this article with your friends