Never Look Behind You

by Stephen King

"Never Look Behind You" is a one-page short-story included in the 1960 self-published magazine People, Places and Things.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

1 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Stephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Average story about an unpopular rich man dying an untimely death. What was the role of the old woman showing up at his place? Too short to be captivating. But I liked the title of the story!

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very early Stephen King story, made me scared to look behind me, just as the title tells me not to do. I still haven't dared to..

[Jaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

But back to our little story...

[Caitlin Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend helped me find some of the stories from the infamous People, Places and Things. I was hoping to find all of them, so I could log it in as one book but as some are missing I've resolved to cross them out of my list once they're found. I honestly wasn't disappointed at all when reading these. I had a conversation with my husband just last week about how kids make better writers. That though their spelling and grammar skills aren't up to par their imagination can run circles around adults. The stories felt lighter than his others, and I'm not talking about their short length. But the feel of them is younger. They allow the reader to use their imagination and fill in gaps which most adult authors feel the need to do for you. Though this form of writing is often far more engaging than the other, making it an overall more enjoyable read.
Thanks for the stories. I hope I'm able to find the other gems in this collection.

[Sakshi Pandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so i have no idea what this even is..

[Stephen Serio · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short from Stephen King doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.