The Things They Left Behind

Last updated
"The Things They Left Behind"
by Stephen King
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s) Suspense, horror
Published in Transgressions: Volume Two ,
Transgressions: Terror's Echo (audiobook),
Just After Sunset
Publication type Anthology
Media type Hardcover
Publication date2003

"The Things They Left Behind" is short story by American writer Stephen King, originally published in the compilation Transgressions: Volume Two edited by Ed McBain and published by Forge Books. It is one of three stories that is also available on audiobook compilation, in the "Transgressions" series, titled Terror's Echo and read by John Bedford Lloyd. It was later included in King's own 2008 collection Just After Sunset .

Contents

Plot summary

Almost a year after 9/11, strange things start happening to narrator Scott Staley, who—at the time of the attacks—had been employed at "Light and Bell Insurance" on the 110th floor of the World Trade Center. Not only is Scott unable to get rid of his survivor's guilt (on 9/11, he followed an inner voice which told him to take a day off and enjoy the sun), but items belonging to his late colleagues suddenly begin appearing in his apartment. A pair of sunglasses, a baseball bat, a whoopee cushion – Scott can identify them all. After convincing himself that they are no illusion and that others can see them, Scott tries disposing the items in a dumpster. However, they reappear after he returns home.

He explains this to Paula, a neighbor, who offers to stow away one of the things. Soon, Paula experiences the most horrible nightmare of her life. In her own mind, she recreates the last minutes of the item's owner. Paula immediately returns the object, but makes Scott understand his mission: he must give the things to the victims' family members– and on seeing the joy on their faces, he feels his guilt slowly fade away.

Adaptations in other media

The story has been adapted into an extended short film by filmmaker Pablo Macho Maysonet IV, produced by Shattered Dreams Productions. [1]

A new adaptation of the short story directed by Guillaume Heulard and Stéphane Valette is currently in film festivals.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen King</span> American writer (born 1947)

Stephen Edwin King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high standing in pop culture, his books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. King has published 64 novels, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and five non-fiction books. He has also written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in book collections.

<i>Hearts in Atlantis</i> 1999 short story collection by Stephen King

Hearts in Atlantis (1999) is a collection of two novellas and three short stories by Stephen King, all connected to one another by recurring characters and taking place in roughly chronological order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramsey Campbell</span> English author

Ramsey Campbell is an English horror fiction writer, editor and critic who has been writing for well over fifty years. He is the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, many of them winners of literary awards. Three of his novels have been adapted into films.

<i>Cujo</i> Novel by Stephen King

Cujo is a 1981 psychological horror novel by American writer Stephen King about a rabid Saint Bernard. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1982 and was made into a film in 1983.

<i>Salems Lot</i> 1975 novel by Stephen King

'Salem's Lot is a 1975 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It was his second published novel. The story involves a writer named Ben Mears who returns to the town of Jerusalem's Lot in Maine, where he lived from the age of five through nine, only to discover that the residents are becoming vampires. The town is revisited in the short stories "Jerusalem's Lot" and "One for the Road", both from King's story collection Night Shift (1978). The novel was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 1976 and the Locus Award for the All-Time Best Fantasy Novel in 1987.

<i>Pet Sematary</i> Novel by Stephen King

Pet Sematary is a 1983 horror novel by American writer Stephen King. The novel was nominated for a World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1984, and adapted into two films: one in 1989 and another in 2019. In November 2013, PS Publishing released Pet Sematary in a limited 30th-anniversary edition.

"Suffer the Little Children" is a horror short story by American writer Stephen King. It was first published by Cavalier in February 1972. The story was later published as part of the collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes in 1993. In the "Notes" section of Nightmares & Dreamscapes, King wrote that it was originally supposed to be published in his 1978 collection Night Shift, but editor Bill Thompson opted to have it cut. King had wanted to cut "Gray Matter", but deferred to Thompson's choice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Rock (Stephen King)</span> Part of Stephen King’s fictional Maine

Castle Rock is a fictional town appearing in Stephen King's fictional Maine topography, providing the setting for a number of his novels, novellas, and short stories. Castle Rock first appeared in King's 1979 novel The Dead Zone and has since been referred to or used as the primary setting in many other works by King.

<i>Needful Things</i> Novel by Stephen King

Needful Things is a 1991 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It is the first novel King wrote after his rehabilitation from drug and alcohol addiction. It was made into a film of the same name in 1993 which was directed by Fraser C. Heston. The story focuses on a shop that sells collectibles and antiques, managed by Leland Gaunt, a new arrival to the town of Castle Rock, Maine, the setting of many King stories. Gaunt often asks customers to perform a prank or mysterious deed in exchange for the item they are drawn to. As time goes by, the many deeds and pranks lead to increasing aggression among the townspeople, as well as chaos and death. A protagonist of the book is Alan Pangborn, previously seen in Stephen King's novel The Dark Half.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wong's Lost and Found Emporium</span> 9th episode of the 1st season of The Twilight Zone

"Wong's Lost and Found Emporium" is the second segment of the ninth episode from the first season (1985–86) of the television series The Twilight Zone. The segment is based on the short story "Wong's Lost and Found Emporium", by William F. Wu, first published in Amazing Stories in May 1983. It takes place in a mystical shop where ephemeral things such as lost integrity and lost time can be recovered.

"The Man in the Black Suit" is a horror short story by American writer Stephen King. It was originally published in the October 31, 1994 issue of The New Yorker magazine.

<i>Liseys Story</i> Novel by Stephen King

Lisey's Story is a novel by American writer Stephen King that combines elements of psychological horror and romance. The novel was released on October 24, 2006. It won the 2006 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel, and was nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 2007. An early excerpt from the novel, a short story titled "Lisey and the Madman", was published in McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories (2004), and was nominated for the 2004 Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction. King has stated that this is his favorite of the novels he has written.

<i>Dark Visions</i>

Dark Visions is a horror fiction compilation, with three short stories by Stephen King, three by Dan Simmons and a novella by George R. R. Martin. It was published by Orion on August 10, 1989. The collection was first published, with the same seven stories, under the title Night Visions 5, by Dark Harvest on July 1, 1988. The book was also issued under the titles Dark Love and The Skin Trade.

<i>Transgressions: Volume Two</i>

Trangressions: Volume Two contains short stories by two modern writers, John Farris and Stephen King, edited by Ed McBain. The audiobook version, in the "Transgressions" series, is titled Terror's Echo.

"Mimsy Were the Borogoves" is a science fiction short story by Lewis Padgett, originally published in the February 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction Magazine. It was judged by the Science Fiction Writers of America to be among the best science fiction stories written prior to 1965 and included in the anthology The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929–1964. In 2007, it was loosely adapted into a feature-length film titled The Last Mimzy. The title of the original short story was directly inspired by a verse from "Jabberwocky", a poem found in the classic novel Through the Looking-Glass by author Lewis Carroll.

"Willa" is a short story by American writer Stephen King, originally published in the December 2006 issue of Playboy magazine.

"Squad D" is the title of a short story by American writer Stephen King. Originally written in the late 1970s, the story was rejected by Harlan Ellison, who thought it needed work; the anthology The Last Dangerous Visions for which it was intended was never published.

According to books by Tyson Blue, Stephen J. Spignesi, and Rocky Wood et al., there are numerous unpublished works by Stephen King that have come to light throughout King's career. These allegedly include novels and short stories, most of which remain unfinished. Most are stored among Stephen King's papers in the special collections of the Raymond H. Fogler Library at the University of Maine, some of which are freely accessible to the library's visitors. However, others require King's permission to read. Additionally, there are a number of uncollected short stories, published throughout King's long career in various anthologies and periodicals, that have never been published in a King collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Good Marriage</span> Novella by Stephen King

A Good Marriage is a novella by American writer Stephen King, published in the collection Full Dark, No Stars (2010).

People, Places and Things is a short story collection by Chris Chesley and Stephen King, self-published in 1960.

References

[[Category: Things They Laid Down