A Very Tight Place
Encyclopedia
A Very Tight Place is a novella
by Stephen King
, originally published in the May 2008 issue of McSweeney's
, and collected in King's 2008 collection Just After Sunset
.
, tips it over and leaves him trapped there in the heat of a Florida summer day to die. With no way to get help, Curtis must figure out how to escape or die. Eventually, after a long night asleep in the Port-O-San, Curtis discovers he can crawl through the toilet and into the tank where he can unscrew the bolts using Betsy's old dog tag. After a brief struggle, he gets out and makes his way to Tim's house, who is lounging in his hot tub. Curtis then surprises Tim by throwing an old, unplugged hair dryer into the tub. He then jumps in the hot tub with him, letting him know that, not only is he alive, but if Tim ever tells anyone, Curtis will simply tell them Tim tried to kill him first. A week later Curtis hears a gunshot from Tim's house and figures Tim killed himself, but he continues to work. He then tells his maid he is thinking of getting a new dog.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
by Stephen King
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 May 2008 issue of McSweeney's
Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern
Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern is a literary journal, first published in 1998, edited by Dave Eggers. The first issue featured only works rejected by other magazines, but thereafter the journal began to include pieces written with McSweeney's in mind. McSweeney’s has since published works by...
, and collected in King's 2008 collection Just After Sunset
Just After Sunset
Just After Sunset is the fifth collection of short stories by Stephen King. It was released in hardcover by Scribner on November 11, 2008, and features a holographic dust jacket. On February 6, 2008, the author's official website revealed the title of the collection to be Just Past Sunset. About a...
.
Plot summary
Curtis Johnson, a middle-aged gay gentleman, is lured to a deserted construction site by his neighbor, Tim Grunwald, with whom he's been having a legal dispute involving Curtis's beloved dog, Betsy, who was killed by Tim's electric fences. He is confronted by Tim who forces him into a Port-O-SanPortable toilet
Portable toilet are simple portable enclosures containing a chemical toilet which are typically used as a temporary toilet for construction sites and large gatherings and events. Most of the portable toilets have black open-front-U-shaped toilet seat with cover...
, tips it over and leaves him trapped there in the heat of a Florida summer day to die. With no way to get help, Curtis must figure out how to escape or die. Eventually, after a long night asleep in the Port-O-San, Curtis discovers he can crawl through the toilet and into the tank where he can unscrew the bolts using Betsy's old dog tag. After a brief struggle, he gets out and makes his way to Tim's house, who is lounging in his hot tub. Curtis then surprises Tim by throwing an old, unplugged hair dryer into the tub. He then jumps in the hot tub with him, letting him know that, not only is he alive, but if Tim ever tells anyone, Curtis will simply tell them Tim tried to kill him first. A week later Curtis hears a gunshot from Tim's house and figures Tim killed himself, but he continues to work. He then tells his maid he is thinking of getting a new dog.