Strawberry Spring

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Strawberry Spring
by Stephen King
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s)Horror, Short story
Published inNight Shift
PublisherDoubleday
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Publication date1978

"Strawberry Spring" is a horror short story by Stephen King. It was originally published in the Fall 1968 issue of Ubris magazine,[1] and collected in King's Night Shift in 1978.[2] It employs a twist ending.[3]

Setting[]

"Strawberry Spring" takes place at a fictional New England college, New Sharon College. The main setting for the story is March 1968, specifically starting on March 16, 1968.

An unnamed narrator sees the words "Springheel Jack" in a newspaper. It rekindles memories of a time about eight years previously when he was at New Sharon College. His recollections are nostalgic, almost melancholy.

It was March 16, 1968 when the strawberry spring, a "false" spring much like an Indian summer, arrived. It brought a thick fog that covered the campus at nighttime, providing perfect cover for a serial killer called "Springheel Jack". The body of a girl was found in a parking lot, the first murder in a series. Several more female students were murdered during the strawberry spring. The narrator describes the reactions of the college community throughout this time, and the contradicting rumors that spread about the victims. The police arrested Gale Cerman's boyfriend, Carl Amalara, for the crimes. Another murder was committed while Amalara was in custody, and the police were forced to release him. The investigation was made more difficult by the fearful panic of police officers, security guards (an incident is recounted in which an unconscious student is misidentified as a corpse by a terrified security guard), and the students. No legitimate suspects were found.

Eight years later, a new strawberry spring arrives, and so does "Springheel Jack", who has taken another victim at New Sharon College, with some body parts missing. The narrator can’t remember where he was the night of the murder; the last thing he remembers is that he was on his way home from work, turning on his headlights to find his way through the fog. The narrator's wife is upset, believing he was with another woman that night. The narrator believes that he was, his anxiety made all the worse by the irrational fear he feels about opening the trunk of his car.

Adaptation[]

In 2021 Audio Up Media and iHeart Media released a podcast adaptation of the short story. Lee Metzger served as the producer for the series,[4] which ran for eight episodes starting in September 2021.[5] The series marked the first time that one of King's works was officially adapted in podcast form.[6][7] The podcast starred Garrett Hedlund as the protagonist and narrator for the series, as well as Milo Ventimiglia, Herizen F. Gaurdiola, Sydney Sweeney, Ken Marino, Al Madrigal, and Brec Bassinger.[8][9]

The podcast retains the setting and time period of the original story while expanding it to include information about the narrator, additional characters, and backstory to the narrator's life. The story follows Henry through the 60s, while he was a student, and in the 70s, after he became a professor. It follows him as he investigates the murders in both time periods while also reflecting on his time in an orphanage, after the death of his mother and brother in a car accident while they were driving through a similar strawberry spring. It is eventually revealed that Henry is the murderer, killing while in a dissociative state caused by the car accident, which he finds was caused by his abusive father chasing after his mother while she tried fleeing for their safety. It is heavily implied that Henry murdered his mother by breaking her neck as an act of mercy, as she was severely injured by the accident. The series ends with Henry murdering one of the people who were aware that he is the killer and him vowing to kill another who he suspects already knows, while also celebrating the birth of his new daughter.[5]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "First Appearances - King's Short Stories [Archive] - Palaver - A forum for Stephen King fans & Book Collectors". www.thedarktower.org.
  2. ^ King, Stephen (July 26, 2011). Night Shift. USA: Turtleback Books. p. 544. ISBN 0606351809.
  3. ^ Heldreth, Leonard G. (1989). "Rising Like Old Corpses: Stephen King and the Horrors of Time-Past". Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts. 2 (1 (5)): 5–13. ISSN 0897-0521.
  4. ^ "After conquering TV and film, Stephen King moves to podcasts with 'Strawberry Spring' adaptation". SYFY Official Site. 2021-07-20. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  5. ^ a b "Strawberry Spring: Stephen King podcast releases first 2 episodes". JoBlo. 2021-09-01. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  6. ^ "Listen To The Trailer For Stephen King's STRAWBERRY SPRING Podcast". Fangoria. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  7. ^ Burnham, Emily (2021-08-26). "The 1st podcast based on a Stephen King story debuts next month". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2021-12-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (2021-08-25). "Garrett Hedlund Talks Starring in Stephen King's 'Strawberry Spring' Podcast". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-12-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Gardner, Chris (2021-09-01). "Garrett Hedlund Talks Genre Fare, Podcast Debut in Adaptation of Stephen King's 'Strawberry Spring'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-12-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links[]


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