"Autopsy Room Four" is a short story by American writer
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) 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 s ...
. It was first published in King's limited-edition collection ''
Six Stories'' in 1997 and appeared in the anthology ''
Robert Bloch's Psychos
''Robert Bloch's Psychos'' is a 1997 horror anthology that was being edited by American writer Robert Bloch until his death in 1994. Martin H. Greenberg completed the editorial work posthumously.
List of stories
The book featured the following ...
'' later the same year. In 2002, it was collected in King's collection ''
Everything's Eventual
''Everything's Eventual'' is a collection of 11 short stories and 3 novellas by American writer Stephen King, published in 2002.
Stories
"The Little Sisters of Eluria" is part of '' The Dark Tower'' series.
Story order
In the introduction ...
''. It was adapted into a short film in 2003. It was also part of TNT's ''
Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King'' series in the summer of 2006.
Sources
The plot is based on the set-up of the short story "Breakdown" by Louis Pollock, originally published in ''
Collier's Magazine
''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Colli ...
'' in 1947, in which the protagonist is paralyzed in an auto accident, and must prove that he is alive. At one point in King's story, the protagonist explicitly thinks about a television adaptation of "Breakdown" which aired on ''
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...
'' in 1955.
Plot
The story is set in King's fictional town of
Derry, Maine.
Howard Cottrell awakes from some form of unconsciousness to find himself laid out in an
autopsy
An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...
room. As the
doctor
Doctor or The Doctor may refer to:
Personal titles
* Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree
* A medical practitioner, including:
** Physician
** Surgeon
** Dentist
** Veterinary physician
** Optometrist
*Other roles
** ...
s prepare to begin, Howard struggles to come to grips with what is happening.
After realizing that he isn't dead, Howard deduces that he is in a
paralysed
Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...
state. Howard tries to somehow inform the doctors of this fact before they cut into him.
While prepping Cottrell's body, the doctor in charge, Katie Arlen, finds
shrapnel
Shrapnel may refer to:
Military
* Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use
* Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material
Popular culture
* ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics)
* ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam C ...
wounds around his nether regions. While she is absent-mindedly examining these, another doctor rushes into the room to inform them that Howard is still alive. Katie looks down – to find herself holding Howard's erect penis.
In a humorous afternote, Howard explains that he was possibly bitten by a very rare
snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
, causing the deathlike paralysis. Another one of the doctors discovered that same snake in his golf bag and was promptly bitten. It's presumed that he will recover. Howard adds that he and Katie dated for a while, but parted due to an embarrassing issue in the boudoir (he was
impotent
Erectile dysfunction (ED), also called impotence, is the type of sexual dysfunction in which the penis fails to become or stay erect during sexual activity. It is the most common sexual problem in men.Cunningham GR, Rosen RC. Overview of male ...
unless she was wearing rubber gloves).
See also
*
Stephen King short fiction bibliography
This is a list of short fiction by Stephen King (b. 1947). This includes short stories, novelettes, and novellas, as well as poems. It is arranged chronologically by first publication. Major revisions of previously published pieces are also noted ...
Notes
* Supposedly Howard was bitten by a snake called a Peruvian
Boomslang
The boomslang (, , or ; ''Dispholidus typus'') is a large, highly venomous snake in the family Colubridae.
Taxonomy and etymology
Its common name means "tree snake" in Afrikaans and Dutch – ''boom'' meaning "tree", and ''slang'' meaning "sna ...
. There are no boomslangs in the Americas; the species is native to South Africa and the word means "tree snake" in
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...
. In his notes at the end, King says he got the name from
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
: the snake was featured in one of her
Miss Marple
Miss Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Jane Marple lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterized as an elderly spinster, she is one of Chr ...
books. King said that
boomslang
The boomslang (, , or ; ''Dispholidus typus'') is a large, highly venomous snake in the family Colubridae.
Taxonomy and etymology
Its common name means "tree snake" in Afrikaans and Dutch – ''boom'' meaning "tree", and ''slang'' meaning "sna ...
was just a word he liked, and that he "doubt
dlike Hell" that a Peruvian one existed.
* A character named Howard Cottrell makes a brief appearance in
The Shining, another novel by King, wherein he lends
Dick Hallorann
Richard Hallorann is a fictional character created by Stephen King from his 1977 novel '' The Shining''. He has telepathic abilities he called "the shining" and is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel. He meets Danny Torrance, a young boy who is ...
a pair of mittens as he makes his way to
The Overlook Hotel
''The Shining'' is a 1977 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It is King's third published novel and first hardback bestseller; its success firmly established King as a preeminent author in the horror genre. The setting and characters ...
. It is explained that Cottrell has a small amount of "shine"; the supernatural ability that allows
Danny Torrance
Daniel Anthony Torrance, also known as Doc, Danny, Dan, and later Doctor Sleep, is a fictional character who first appears in the 1977 novel '' The Shining'' by Stephen King as a child with psychic powers called "the shining". His parents are fathe ...
and Dick Halloran to read peoples thoughts, among other things.
It is not clear if this character is the same person as the character in Autopsy Room Four.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
* The short story was adapted as an hour-long episode of the Turner Network Television mini-series Nightmares and Dreamscapes in 2006, along with "
The Road Virus Heads North
"The Road Virus Heads North" is a short story by Stephen King. The story first appeared in ''999'', an anthology published in 1999 and edited by Al Sarrantonio. In 2002, it was collected in King's ''Everything's Eventual''.
King wove the story a ...
".
* The music video of
Incubus
An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in t ...
's song "
Anna Molly
"Anna Molly" is the lead single from Incubus's sixth album, ''Light Grenades''. The single was released September 20, 2006, on the Sony Music Store almost a month before its scheduled release. However, it was soon withdrawn for unknown reasons.
...
" has a similar plot line.
Background
King writes: "At some point I think every writer of scary stories has to tackle the subject of
premature burial
Premature burial, also known as live burial, burial alive, or vivisepulture, means to be buried while still alive.
Animals or humans may be buried alive accidentally on the mistaken assumption that they are dead, or intentionally as a form of t ...
, if only because it seems to be such a pervasive fear."
References
External links
*
Stephen King Short Movies – Autopsy Room Four Trailer
{{Stephen King
1997 short stories
Short stories by Stephen King
Short stories set in Maine