Yes, I wondered why would King write such a story. I kept expecting something horrible was going to happen when they were children playing on the ladder, although what happened to her was awful enough. I was kind of reading w/one eye open because I didn't know what to expect! But this is a real life horror for those who have gone through it, something that will stay w/you forever. The guilt over should haves & could haves that never leave a person when their loved one commits this horrible act. So I guess King was right on in leaving an impression w/this one.