''A Very Tight Place'' is a
novella
A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...
by
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
, originally published in the May 2008 issue of ''
McSweeney's
McSweeney's Publishing is an American nonprofit publishing house founded by Dave Eggers in 1998 and headquartered in San Francisco. The executive director is Amanda Uhle.
McSweeney's first publication was the literary journal'' Timothy McSw ...
'', and collected in King's 2008 collection ''
Just After Sunset''.
Plot summary
Curtis Johnson, a middle-aged gay gentleman, is lured to a deserted construction site by his neighbor, Tim Grunwald, with whom he has been having legal disputes involving property rights and Curtis's beloved
Löwchen, Betsy, who was killed by Tim's electric fence. He is confronted by Tim who forces him into a
portable toilet
A portable or mobile toilet (colloquial terms: thunderbox, porta-john, porta-potty or porta-loo) is any type of toilet that can be moved around, some by one person, some by mechanical equipment such as a truck and crane. Most types do not require ...
, locks him in, and tips it down an embankment, leaving 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 the house of Tim, who is lounging in his hot tub. Curtis surprises Tim by throwing an old, unplugged hair dryer into the tub. He then jumps into the hot tub with him and gives him a “baptismal dunk,” almost drowning him. Then, he lets him know that not only is he alive, but if Tim ever tells the police about the attempted drowning, Curtis will simply tell them Tim tried to kill him first.
Two days later Curtis tells his maid he's thinking of getting a puppy. He hears a gunshot from Tim's house and suggests that they go next door to see if Tim is okay –– "after all, what are neighbors for?"
See also
*
Short fiction by Stephen King
References
External links
''A Very Tight Place'' at StephenKing.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Very Tight Place
2000s novellas
Novellas by Stephen King
Works originally published in Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern