#Stephen king shawshank book serial#

At the hospital, Dussander happens to share a room with Morris Heisel, an elderly Jewish man and Holocaust survivor who recognizes 'Mr. He summons Todd, who buries the body and cleans up the crime scene before finally calling an ambulance. One night when Dussander is digging a grave for his latest victim, he has a heart attack. Despite the link between them, Dussander and Todd are not immediately aware of each other's exploits. Dussander, suffering from his own nightmares, has also taken to killing the homeless for essentially the same reason as Todd, burying the bodies in his basement.

#Stephen king shawshank book serial#

When circumstances do not allow him to continue his serial killings, he picks a concealed spot overlooking the freeway and aims at people in passing cars with his hunting rifle. He rationalizes that his failure at sex is because his girlfriend is Jewish. He loses his virginity, but finds sex unsatisfying compared to the thrill of committing murder. As years pass, his visits to Dussander become less frequent. Over the next few months, Todd murders several homeless vagrants he finds that committing murder somehow helps with his nightmares. However, it is revealed that Dussander, like Todd, is also bluffing. However, before Todd can kill Dussander, the old man realizes Todd's intentions and claims to have written about Todd's involvement with him, and put his statement into a safe deposit box that will be found upon his death. Todd had earlier claimed to have given a letter about Dussander to a friend if anything should happen to Todd, the letter will be sent to the authorities.

Since he no longer has any use for Dussander, Todd resolves to kill him and make it look like an accident. With great effort, Todd is able to sufficiently improve his schoolwork. Knowing that Todd has been doctoring his report cards and knowingly socialized with a war criminal, Dussander blackmails him into spending his visits studying. Dussander falsely claims that Todd's grades are the result of problems at home, and promises to make sure his grades improve French believes Dussander's story, but notices that Todd's 'grandfather' does not mention him by name. Todd and Dussander concoct a ruse, having Dussander go to French's appointment while posing as Todd's grandfather, Victor. Ed French, Todd's guidance counselor, requests an appointment with the Bowdens. Eventually, Todd finds himself in danger of failing several courses. After being confronted by his father about his grades, he forges his report cards before giving them to his parents. Todd soon gives Dussander a replica SS Oberleutnants uniform, forcing him to wear it and march on command.Īs his relationship with Dussander continues, Todd also begins to have nightmares and sees his grades slip. Over the next several months, Todd visits Dussander daily under the pretext of reading to him, all the while badgering him into revealing more details of his atrocities.

However, Todd still threatens Dussander with exposure should he refuse his demands. Rather than turning Dussander over to the proper authorities, Todd asks to hear highly detailed stories about his crimes, having recently become interested in the Holocaust.

The old man initially denies the allegation, but eventually acknowledges his true identity. In 1974, Los Angeles teenager Todd Bowden arrives at the doorstep of elderly German immigrant Arthur Denker, accusing him of being a wanted Nazi war criminal named Kurt Dussander. It is the only novella in Different Seasons to be narrated in the third person. Set in a fictional suburb of Southern California called 'Santo Donato,' the story unfolds over a period of about four years, with most of the action taking place during the first year and the last months. ( May 2023)Īpt Pupil (1982) is a novella by Stephen King, originally published in the 1982 novella collection Different Seasons, subtitled 'Summer of Corruption'.Īpt Pupil consists of 30 chapters, many of which are headed by a month. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points.