Weird Tales, Vol. 6 No. 4

"The Wicked Flea" by J.U. Giesy This 1925 Weird Tales issue features the beginning of "The Wicked Flea" by J.U. Giesy. The story follows Professor Xenophon Xerxes Zapt, an eccentric investigator of the unknown, who theorizes that life is vibration and that increasing the vibratory ratio could exponentially enlarge organisms. Inspired by fleas' remarkable proportionate strength, he determines to enlarge one indefinitely. After acquiring fleas from a neighbor's dog, Zapt confines them in his laboratory, where he feeds them increasing quantities of raw beef—progressing from one to four pounds daily. His daughter Nellie and her fiancé Bob Sargent observe the professor's mounting excitement and sleep deprivation over ten days. Meanwhile, Nellie's Persian Angora cat exhibits disturbing symptoms—twitching and apparent distress—suggesting the enlarged fleas may be escaping.