suffer the little children

[brandon]

OK, this is my newest read. I'm only about 1/4 through the book, but this story speaks to me in a special way. I worked in a mental institution for 5 years. The thought often occured to me " what is reality?" (on a side note I did a lot of psychedelics as a younger man). Miss Sidley obviosly knew things nobody else did, yet was still considered crazier than a crackhouse rat. More than a few times I thought to myself "What if, in my comfortable sanity, I am really the one who is out of touch? What if these 'nutcases' are in the know about something that I was never meant to see and it is so profound that my 'sane' mind couldn't handle it?" I know this isn't a new thought (paranoia) but I would still like to hear any input!

[Bryan James]

You are insane. That's much better than being outsane (or exsanguinated).

For some reason I really want to watch "12 Monkeys" right now.

[futuramaguy07]

Those kind of thoughts are exactly what will keep me awake at night if i get to thinking too hard on them.

[wally wonder]

'bout a week or three ago, oprah had a little girl on. the girl was disturbed, maybe it was schizophrenia. clip of her at the pool, "24 is missing! where is 24!" "24 is in the pool!"
parents, diving into the pool, looking for "24". dunno if it was"24" but someone real to her was in the deep end, in a world of hurt. yeah, so you have to wonder, like, other dimensions? worlds next to ours? who can say? the good doctors?

whole crazy is probably better than, say, one-quarter crazy. one-quarter crazies are too common in the world and probably don't help a bit to be one. so, i'd say, whole crazy is the ticket. but once you arrive, what do you articulate to describe that zone of crazy so that the one-quarters are relieved of their suffering? or maybe you want their dime?

i think whole crazies that arrived there through no involvement of others is a mystery. someone who's whole crazy and arrived there cause another tried to stomp them to death is understandable, but whole crazy with no rhyme or reason for that destination...dunno. something to ponder.

and didn't we see buddy jenkins somewhere else?

[brandon]

Yeah Bluey, that whole "world next to ours" is kinda what I mean. I definitely feel that there are things out there we were never meant to know about!Fortunately(?) most of us are endowed with a certain blessed ignorance, know what I mean?

[DancingCorpse]

These are interesting ideas! I think about such things from time to time also. As for the story, i loved it! I really connected with this one, it was quite scary in a subtle way. One of those nightmarish like concepts.

[wally wonder]

i'm rereading crews's the knockout artist and there's a budd jenkins in that story. i wonder if that's where i thought there was another buddy jenkins? dunno. or maybe it was in the body? the short story. was he at the junkyard? no. that was someone else. just did a quick look at 'the body' and got sucked into the story...teddie and his old man, togus...you ought to check that story out if you haven't, as yet, brandon. i think that move, stand by me, was the 2nd sk movie i'd seen. but there's stuff kinda related to what your 1st post is about. has it ever bothered you, that title, the bible verse it comes from...suffer the little children...that, or drag them kicking and screaming.

[brandon]

i'm rereading crews's the knockout artist and there's a budd jenkins in that story. i wonder if that's where i thought there was another buddy jenkins? dunno. or maybe it was in the body? the short story. was he at the junkyard? no. that was someone else. just did a quick look at 'the body' and got sucked into the story...teddie and his old man, togus...you ought to check that story out if you haven't, as yet, brandon. i think that move, stand by me, was the 2nd sk movie i'd seen. but there's stuff kinda related to what your 1st post is about. has it ever bothered you, that title, the bible verse it comes from...suffer the little children...that, or drag them kicking and screaming.
No havent read the body but really liked the movie. N&D's is the only short story collection I have finished, though I just started 4 past midnight. There is a Robert Jenkins in Langoliers. Is that perchance who you are thinking of? I was aware that the title came from the bible but never really put that verse in context to the story until you mentioned it. Yeah pretty freaky, a little perverse and perhaps of a dual meaning

[Pucker]

I've often heard people say that theres' no such thing as a bad child . . . but I've seen groups of children do some pretty horrible things. Maybe what Miss Sidley sees is that "group monster" that exists in most of us -- that part that isn't really bad, but also isn't strong enough to stand against the mob mentality.

[mr.jingles120]

im in high scool and every time i read it it scares the crap outta me thinking a teacher might go mad :eek2:

[motocop]

I dont think she was crazy at all. Those kids were really just aliens body snatchin innocent children. You know, common everyday sort of stuff. The therapist monitoring Ms. Sibley at the end saw something to.

[king family fan]

actually things like this lay on my mind. Not too long ago we had a teacher have a nervous breakdown in his classroom after like 20 years.

[Silhouette86]

I thought that "Suffer The Little Children" was a great short read. I've yet to finish "Nightmares and Dreamscapes", though.

[aKINGreader4ever]

Hello All:cool2:,

I just read Suffer the Little Children the other night, it was a great story. I could connect with this story, I think any1 can who actually went 2 school on a regular basis. The way King described her was incredible; and yes when I read this story I look back and think maybe I had a couple of teachers like this. As I was reading this story, it seem like it had a Shutter Island vibe 2 it. The storys R simialr kinda in the end; but I just thought about the movie @ the end of Suffer the Little Children. Even though the plots R totally different, both stories touch on mental illness; and both R great reads. I also have 2 put my 2 cents in concering Shutter Island; didn't disappoint @ the theater. I thought Leonardo Dicaprio was great; who would have though he was a patient there. What do U all think?

-K-

[Lina]

I read this story just yesterday. I was very good, I really enjoyed it. Sure, I've been thinking a lot what really was the matter, was she insane or were that children taken by aliens? And you know what... My opinion is that it was Ms. Sibley who was insane, really. I just don't believe in aliens possessing all those children...I always believe that children are innocent. Well, maybe, I'm wrong on that. :)