had written several pages of the story in longhand in a notebook
and then transcribed them. While on a trip to California, he wrote
about 30 more pages of the story in the same notebook, which was
lost off the back of his motorcycle (somewhere in coastal New
Hampshire) on a trip from Boston to Bangor. He mentioned that he
could reconstruct what was lost, but had not gotten around to it (as
of June, 1983). The only part that still exists today is the 5
typescript pages that had been transcribed. The 5 pages, plus a 3-
page cover letter to a senior editor at Viking are now owned by a
King collector.
Once upon a time--which is how all the best stories start-- a little
boy named Owen was playing outside his big red house. He was
pretty bored because his big brother and big sister, who could
always think of things to do, were in school. His daddy was
working, and his mom was sleeping upstairs. She asked him if he
would like a nap, but Owen didn't really like naps. He thought they
were boring.
He played with his G.I. Joe men for awhile, and then he went
around to the back and swung on the swing for awhile. He gave the
tetherball a big hit with his first--ka-bamp!--and watched the rope
wind up as the ball went around and around the pole. He saw his
big sister's softball bat lying in the grass and wished Chris, the big
boy who sometimes came to play with him, was there to throw him
a few pitches. But Chris was in school too. Owen walked around
the house again. He thought he would pick some flowers for his
mother. She liked flowers pretty well.
He got around to the front of the house and that was when he saw
Springsteen in the grass. Springsteen was his big sister's new cat.
Owen liked most cats, but he didn't like Springsteen much. Hie
was big and black, with deep green eyes that seemed to see
everything. Every day owen had to make sure that Springsteen
wasn't trying to eat Butler. Butler was Owen's guinea pig. When
Springsteen thought no one was around, he would jump up on the
shelf' where Butler's big glass cage was and stare in through the
screen on top with his hungry green eyes. Springsteen wuld sit
there, all crouched down, and hardly move at all. Springsteen's tail
would wag back and forth a little, and sometimes one of his ears
would flick a bit, but that was all. I'll get in there pretty soon, you
cruddy little guinea pig, Springsteen seemed to say. And when I
get you, I'll eat you! Better believe it! If guinea pigs say prayers,
you better say yours!
Whenever Owen saw Springsteen the cat up on Butler's shelf, he
would make him get down. Sometimes Springsteen put his claws
out (although he knew better than to try to put them in Owen) and
Owen imagined the black cat saying, You caught me this time, but
so what? Big deal! Someday you won't! And then, yum! yum!
dinner is served! Owen tried to tell people that Springsteen wanted
to eat Butler, but nobody believed him.
'Don't worry, Owen,' Daddy said, and went off to work on a
