"Rush Call" is a short story 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 his brother's
self-published
Self-publishing is an author-driven publication of any media without the involvement of a third-party publisher. Since the advent of the internet, self-published usually depends upon digital platforms and print-on-demand technology, ranging fr ...
newspaper ''Dave's Rag'' in 1960, it was later collected in the 2000 work ''
Secret Windows''.
Plot summary
The story takes place on
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...
. The "
Scrooge-like" character Dr. Thorpe volunteers to attend the scene of a
traffic collision
A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. Tr ...
, where a boy with
acute appendicitis
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications o ...
is trapped in a car. After successfully
removing the boy's appendix in a four-hour operation, Thorpe gains an understanding of the "true meaning of Christmas".
Publication
King wrote "Rush Call" at the age of 12.
It was originally published in ''Dave's Rag'', a weekly neighborhood newspaper
self-published
Self-publishing is an author-driven publication of any media without the involvement of a third-party publisher. Since the advent of the internet, self-published usually depends upon digital platforms and print-on-demand technology, ranging fr ...
by King's older brother David King in
Durham, Maine
Durham is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,173 at the 2020 census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New Eng ...
using a
hectograph
The hectograph, gelatin duplicator or jellygraph is a printing process that involves transfer of an original, prepared with special inks, to a pan of gelatin or a gelatin pad pulled tight on a metal frame.
While the original use of the technol ...
, in 1960. In 2000, it was collected in ''
Secret Windows'', unchanged other than spelling corrections.
Reception
Rocky Wood describes "Rush Call" as "clearly juvenilia" but with "some sentences that are stunning when one considers a 12-year-old boy wrote them", noting "sophisticated thinking is evident".
See also
* "
The Breathing Method
''The Breathing Method'' is a novella by American writer Stephen King, originally released as part of his ''Different Seasons'' collection in 1982. It is placed in the section entitled "A Winter's Tale". It is the only one of the four stories in ...
"
*
Stephen King short fiction bibliography
This is a list of short fiction works by Stephen King (b. 1947). This includes short stories, novelettes, and novellas, as well as poem
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary ...
References
External links
"Rush Call" at StephenKing.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rush Call
1960 short stories
Christmas short stories
Literature first published in serial form
Short stories by Stephen King
Works originally published in American newspapers