The Sun Dog Art
Works / Novellas

The Sun Dog

The Sun Dog Art

Released

September 24th, 1990

Available Format(s)

In Collection

A young boy receives a Polaroid camera for his birthday. There's something wrong with his gift, though. Every picture features a menacing dog that approaches the foreground in each subsequent photograph.

Available In

Name
Type
Date
Story Collection
September 1990

Inspiration

Every story has its own secret life, quite separate from its setting, and "The Sun Dog" is a story about cameras and photographs. My wife, Tabitha, became interested in photography, discovered she was good at it, and began to pursue it in a serious way, through study, experiment, and practice-practice-practice. In the course of her experiments, my wife got a Polaroid camera, a simple one accessible even to a doofus like me. I became fascinated with this camera. I had seen and used Polaroids before, of course, but I had never really thought about them much, nor had I ever looked closely at the images these cameras produce. The more I thought about them, the stranger they seemed. They are, after all, not just images but moments of time ... and there is something so peculiar about them.

This story came almost all at once one night in the summer of 1987, but the thinking which made it possible went on for almost a year.

Characters

Hide List Show List
Name
Description
Claudette
Cat at a seance that tore the ear of her owner
Cujo
Dog that went rabid
Paulette
Teddy bear named by Ellen, niece of Molly Durham
?, Ellen
Niece of Molly Durham
?, Hilda
Aunt of Kevin Delevan.
?, Joe
Worked for Cedric McCarty as a full time pilot
?, Randy
Uncle of Kevin Delevan
Baker, Mr.
Kevin Delevan's favorite teacher
Bannerman, George
Castle Rock Sheriff
Brady, Matthew
Photographer in the late 1800's
Bunyan, Paul
Folk hero mentioned by Pop Merrill
Cabot, ?
Name mentioned in passing
Camber, Joe
Owner of Cujo
Chaffee, Emory
Collected paranormal stuff.
Chalmers, Evelyn (Aunt Evvie)
Great-Grandmother of Polly Chalmers
Chalmers, Patricia (Polly)
Worked in You Sew and Sew. Great-Grandaughter of Evvie Chalmers
Clutterbuck, Andy
Policeman in Castle Rock
Constantine, Mr.
Pharmacist at LaVerdiere's Super Drug
Deere, Eleusippus
Sister of Meleusippus. Collected Paranormal stuff
Deere, Meleusippus
Maiden name of Meleusippus Verrill. Sister of Eleusippus. Collected Paranormal stuff
Deere, Mr.
Father of Meleusippus and Eleusippus. Named them after saints.
Delevan, John
Father of Kevin and Megan and husband of Mary.
Delevan, Kevin
Got a Sun 660 camera for his 15th birthday
Delevan, Mary
Mother of Kevin and Megan and wife of John
Delevan, Megan (Meg)
Sister of Kevin.
Donahue, ?
Antiques dealer
Doyon, Jane
Played bridge with Mary Delevan
Doyon, Mr.
Husband of Jane
Durham, Molly
Worked at LaVerdiere's Super Drug Store
Greer, Hal
Football player
Jackett, Sonny
Worked at Sonny's Texaco
Keeton, Danforth (Buster)
Castle Rock selectman.
Linden, Althea
Neighbor of Pop Merrill
Lowell, ?
Name mentioned in passing
McCarty, Cedric
Collected paranorman stuff.
Merrill, John (Ace)
Nephew of Pop Merrill.
Merrill, Mrs.
Mother of Pop.
Merrill, Reginald Marion (Pop)
Looked at Kevin Delevan's camera and decided he wanted it for himself.
Pangborn, Alan J.
Sheriff in Castle Rock
Pangborn, Annie
Wife of Alan
Pervier, Gary
Killed by Cujo
Reed, Brandon
Worked with John Delevan
Ridgewick, Norris
Police officer in Castle Rock
Roberson, Bill
Friend of John Delevan
Roberts, Nan
Owned Nan's Luncheonette
Simineaux, Colette
Had an eye damaged
Sun Dog, The
Creature that appears in pictures from Kevin's camera.
Tombauch, Clyde
Astronomer that found Pluto
Trenton, Donna
Held in a car by Cujo (Not mentioned by name). Mother of Tad
Trenton, Theodore (Tad)
Held in a car by Cujo (Not mentioned by name)
Untermeyer, Bill
Bet that John Delevan would pay a $400 bet that he lost the next day.
Verrill, Meleusippus
Married name of Meleusippus Deere.
Verrill, Mr.
Husband of Meleusippus.
Whittaker, Mrs.
Kevin Delevan's algebra teacher
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