"Helen O'Loy" is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

by American writer Lester del Rey (1915–1993), originally published in 1938 in ''

Astounding Science Fiction ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...

''. It was subsequently published many times in various collections or anthologies. The latest publication was in 2021, in the anthology ''We, Robots''.

Plot summary

Two young men, a mechanic, Dave, and a medical student, Phil, collaborate on modifying a household

robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...

, originally meant only to cook and clean. They are more successful than they intended; despite the robot's household programming, it develops emotions. The robot, named "Helen O'Loy" (a play on

Helen of Troy Helen (), also known as Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, and in Latin as Helena, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda (mythology), ...

and "

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which in most cases at least one is a metal, metallic element, although it is also sometimes used for mixtures of elements; herein only metallic alloys are described. Metallic alloys often have prop ...

"), falls in love with Dave. Dave initially avoids her and rejects her advances, but after some time he marries her and they live together on his farm. Over the years Phil assists her in artificially aging her features to match the changes that occur in her human husband. When Dave inevitably dies, she sends a letter to Phil saying that she intends to drink a powerful acid which will destroy her internal metallic structure and will appear to be suicide by poisoning. She asks that Phil bury her remains with her husband. She begs him not to let anyone discover their secret. In the final line it is revealed that Phil, who has been narrating the story, had secretly been in love with her the whole time.

Reception

"Helen O'Loy" was among the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the best science fiction short stories published before the creation of the Nebula Awards. As such, it was published in '' The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929–1964''. It was also a nominee for the 1939 Retro Hugo award for best short story. The story is compiled in an anthology of science fiction stories, '' Assignment in Tomorrow'' (1954, reprinted 1972), edited by Frederik Pohl, as well as in many other anthologies.

References

External links

*
"Helen O'Loy"
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

1938 short stories Oloy, Helen Short stories by Lester del Rey Fiction about suicide Works originally published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact {{1930s-sf-story-stub