The Things They Left Behind
Encyclopedia
"The Things They Left Behind" is short story by Stephen King
, originally published in the compilation Terror's Echo edited by Ed McBain and published by Forge Books. It is one of three stories in this compilation that are also available on audiobook
, read by John Bedford Lloyd.
Scott Staley, who—at the time of the attacks—is 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 that told him to take a day off to enjoy the sun), but things belonging to his late colleagues start to appear in his apartment. A pair of sunglasses, a baseball bat, a farting cushion – Scott can easily identify them all. After convincing himself that they are no delusion and that others can see them, he tries throwing them away, yet they reappear after his return home.
He confides in Paula, a neighbor, who offers to stow away one of the things. It triggers the most horrible nightmare of Paula's life, recreating in her mind the last minutes of its proprietor. Paula immediately returns the object, but makes Scott understand his mission: he must give the things to the victims' immediate family – and on seeing the joy on their faces, he feels his guilt slowly fade away.
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, originally published in the compilation Terror's Echo edited by Ed McBain and published by Forge Books. It is one of three stories in this compilation that are also available on audiobook
Audio book
An audiobook or audio book is a recording of a text being read. It is not necessarily an exact audio version of a book or magazine.Spoken audio has been available in schools and public libraries and to a lesser extent in music shops since the 1930s. Many spoken word albums were made prior to the...
, read by John Bedford Lloyd.
Plot summary
Almost a year after 9/11, strange things start happening to narratorNarrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
Scott Staley, who—at the time of the attacks—is employed at 'Light and Bell Insurance' on the 110th floor of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. Not only is Scott unable to get rid of his survivor's guilt
Survivor guilt
Survivor, survivor's, or survivors guilt or syndrome is a mental condition that occurs when a person perceives themselves to have done wrong by surviving a traumatic event when others did not...
(on 9/11 he followed an inner voice that told him to take a day off to enjoy the sun), but things belonging to his late colleagues start to appear in his apartment. A pair of sunglasses, a baseball bat, a farting cushion – Scott can easily identify them all. After convincing himself that they are no delusion and that others can see them, he tries throwing them away, yet they reappear after his return home.
He confides in Paula, a neighbor, who offers to stow away one of the things. It triggers the most horrible nightmare of Paula's life, recreating in her mind the last minutes of its proprietor. Paula immediately returns the object, but makes Scott understand his mission: he must give the things to the victims' immediate family – and on seeing the joy on their faces, he feels his guilt slowly fade away.