Burning Question

[Neesy]

Hello fellow fans!I am working on my way to reading all of Kings novels, and I have just finished Needful Things. Spoiler to follow if you've never read Needful Things don't read on! (and go get the book because it's great)

I thought I could recognize all of the other stories mentioned in Needful Things, but there is one reference that I couldn't quite place or grasp. And I literally made this entire account in search of an answer to this question. So in chapter 18 when Polly is sent by Gaunt to the old Camber farm, where Cujo took place, to play a 'prank' on Ace, there are obviously several references to Cujo in this scene, but there was a small detail that is never explained and I can't seem to place it in any other king story. In the first can she digs up there are only a few worthless stamps but in the second she finds more stamps and "several fading photographs of a woman having sexual intercourse with a collie dog" which she has the direction to burn and promptly does, and is quickly on her way when she realizes she is hearing the ghostly growl of a dog and knowing the history of the place she quickly leaves. The pictures are never explained or elaborated on or given any type of origin and it had been driving me insane! It must come from some other King book or story, but I can't find it anywhere! I've read The Dead Zone and Cujo, which are the books directly related to Needful Things by the town they all take place in (Castle Rock) and I am pretty positive those pictures don't belong to either of those stories. Can anyone please please please explain the origin of the disturbing pictures, or point me in the direction of the story they belong to?? It's been haunting my mind and I am trying to move on to read The Tommyknockers, but I wont really feel like Needful Things is complete until I get an answer! Someone please help!

Max Von Sydow was supposed to be good in the movie version (have not seen the movie yet)

Spoiler

 

[GNTLGNT]

Hello fellow fans!I am working on my way to reading all of Kings novels, and I have just finished Needful Things. Spoiler to follow if you've never read Needful Things don't read on! (and go get the book because it's great)

I thought I could recognize all of the other stories mentioned in Needful Things, but there is one reference that I couldn't quite place or grasp. And I literally made this entire account in search of an answer to this question. So in chapter 18 when Polly is sent by Gaunt to the old Camber farm, where Cujo took place, to play a 'prank' on Ace, there are obviously several references to Cujo in this scene, but there was a small detail that is never explained and I can't seem to place it in any other king story. In the first can she digs up there are only a few worthless stamps but in the second she finds more stamps and "several fading photographs of a woman having sexual intercourse with a collie dog" which she has the direction to burn and promptly does, and is quickly on her way when she realizes she is hearing the ghostly growl of a dog and knowing the history of the place she quickly leaves. The pictures are never explained or elaborated on or given any type of origin and it had been driving me insane! It must come from some other King book or story, but I can't find it anywhere! I've read The Dead Zone and Cujo, which are the books directly related to Needful Things by the town they all take place in (Castle Rock) and I am pretty positive those pictures don't belong to either of those stories. Can anyone please please please explain the origin of the disturbing pictures, or point me in the direction of the story they belong to?? It's been haunting my mind and I am trying to move on to read The Tommyknockers, but I wont really feel like Needful Things is complete until I get an answer! Someone please help!

...Hiya young lady!...greetings & salivations from the Resident Village Idiot...in reference to your question, I submit that it's classic King in the sense that it is a beautifully twisted "throwaway" line and nothing more...one of the few times there isn't shading or allusion to other aspects of the King Universe...

 

[Debbie913]

Welcome, alanah!

 

[cat in a bag]

ooooooo!!!! You might be my hero!! I haven't read that one yet, but I think that would make the most sense, because the cans she finds the pictures in are supposedly buried by Ace's father himself (aka Pop Merrill) !! I'll have to read the story now, it must be connected to that! The dog, the camera, and Pop Merrill being a main character? Looks like it all adds up! Do you by any chance remember what breed the dog was supposed to be? I think you've solved it! Thank you thank you thank you!!

You're welcome, but general consensus is that I am wrong about this. The story popped into my head because of Pop and Ace, the camera and the dog. Hope you enjoy the story anyway, even if it doesn't explain the pictures!

 

[GNTLGNT]

You're welcome, but general consensus is that I am wrong about this. The story popped into my head because of Pop and Ace, the camera and the dog. Hope you enjoy the story anyway, even if it doesn't explain the pictures!

...you're not wrong...just opinion inferior...

 

[alanah]

You're welcome, but general consensus is that I am wrong about this. The story popped into my head because of Pop and Ace, the camera and the dog. Hope you enjoy the story anyway, even if it doesn't explain the pictures!

Well thank you for your help! just bought it, about to start reading either way!

 

[Alexandra M]

Hi Alanah and welcome to SK Land.

 

[Mykie1971]

Hello fellow fans!I am working on my way to reading all of Kings novels, and I have just finished Needful Things. Spoiler to follow if you've never read Needful Things don't read on! (and go get the book because it's great)

I thought I could recognize all of the other stories mentioned in Needful Things, but there is one reference that I couldn't quite place or grasp. And I literally made this entire account in search of an answer to this question. So in chapter 18 when Polly is sent by Gaunt to the old Camber farm, where Cujo took place, to play a 'prank' on Ace, there are obviously several references to Cujo in this scene, but there was a small detail that is never explained and I can't seem to place it in any other king story. In the first can she digs up there are only a few worthless stamps but in the second she finds more stamps and "several fading photographs of a woman having sexual intercourse with a collie dog" which she has the direction to burn and promptly does, and is quickly on her way when she realizes she is hearing the ghostly growl of a dog and knowing the history of the place she quickly leaves. The pictures are never explained or elaborated on or given any type of origin and it had been driving me insane! It must come from some other King book or story, but I can't find it anywhere! I've read The Dead Zone and Cujo, which are the books directly related to Needful Things by the town they all take place in (Castle Rock) and I am pretty positive those pictures don't belong to either of those stories. Can anyone please please please explain the origin of the disturbing pictures, or point me in the direction of the story they belong to?? It's been haunting my mind and I am trying to move on to read The Tommyknockers, but I wont really feel like Needful Things is complete until I get an answer! Someone please help!

I'm sure since you posted this 2 years ago you've since received the answer, but I wound up here searching for an answer to my own question and in reading through all the posts, it doesn't appear that anyone gave you a full answer.

The answer is it's all in The Sun Dog. The "Several fading photographs" are i Pop Merrills drawer on his tool table. I JUST finished reading 4 past midnight, of which The Sun Dog is the 4th story and this reference is in there.