The Attic Kitty: ⭐ ⭐ Winterjoy: ⭐
Welcome to the second story in the humor section of the first Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark book. This one is called The Attic. It is told from the recollection of Alvin Schwartz.
The Attic
A man named Rupert lived with his dog in a house deep in the woods. Rupert was a hunter and a trapper. The dog was a big German shepherd named Sam. Rupert had raised Sam from a pup.
Almost every morning Rupert went hunting, and Sam stayed behind and guarded the house. One morning , as Rupert was checking his traps, he got the feeling that something was wrong at home.
He hurried back as fast as he could, but when he got there he found that Sam was missing. He searched the house and the woods nearby, but Sam was nowhere to be seen. He called and he called, but the dog did not answer. For days Rupert looked for Sam, but he could find no trace of him.
Finally he gave up and went back to his work. But one morning he heard something moving in the attic. He picked up his gun. Then he thought, “I’d better be quiet about this.”
So he took off his boots. And in his bare feet he began to climb the attic stairs. He slowly took one step — then another — then another, until at last he reached the attic door.
He stood outside listening, but he didn’t hear a thing. Then he opened the door, and — “AAAAAAAAAAAH!”
(At this point, the storyteller stops, as if he has finished. Then usually someone will ask, “Why did Rupert scream?”
The story teller replies, “You’d scream too if you stepped on a nail in your bare feet.”)
*****
Since the source of the above story is from Schwartz’s own recollection, he cites a parallel. This is of Leach, Rainbow p. 218-219.
I found the book, which is The Rainbow Book of American Folk Tales and Legends (1958) by Maria Leach. (1) Here, the story is entitled You’d Scream Too. This is the entry:
There is another, very different, kind of scream story told on dark nights around campfires. It is about a man who lied in an isolated cabin in the woods with his little girl and little boy. The man’s wife was dead. Every day the man went fishing in the lake or hunting in the woods to provide food for his children. He hated to leave the children alone, but there was no help for it.
One day while he was hunting in the woods he felt a sudden fear that all was not well at home, so he hurried back. When he arrived the little girl ran into his arms, sobbing, and the little boy could not be found. He looked everywhere but never found him. And the little girl, when questioned, only wept and wept.
Time went by and, of course, the man had to go on with his fishing and hunting. About a year later one day in the woods, he felt this same sudden fear that all was not well at home, so he hurried back. When he arrived the little girl was gone. He searched high and low, far and wide, but he could not find her. Night came and the child was still lost, and the man did not know what to do.
While he was sitting alone in the room, he suddenly thought, “Why, I haven’t looked in the attic!” So he decided to look in the attic. Then he thought if there was anything up there, he’d better be very quiet, so he took off his shoes.
Barefoot, he crept up the stairs in the dark — very carefully so as not to make a sound. Softly he opened the attic door at the top of the stairs and —
(SCREAM)
Here the storyteller gives a terrible scream — and says no more. Silence falls. Finally some timid voice in the circle of listeners will usually say, “Why did he scream?”
The answer is “You’d scream too if you stepped barefoot on broken glass.”
Oral Americana collected by Jerome Fried.
*****
Kitty
- In what environment did you read the story? In my cozy little Scary Story Treasuries bubble, whatever that means.
- Do you remember having read this story as a kid? Sort of, but it wasn’t a go-to.
- Analyze the actions of the characters in the story. Did they make sense? Would you have done anything differently? I don’t think I would have been worried about it being an intruder, to be honest. My first thought would be squirrel (if I’d already checked the attic for my dog) and if I hadn’t already checked the attic for my dog, I’d be rushing to see if he was stuck in there somehow.
- Which was your favorite and least favorite character and why? My favorite character was the dog, who knew the best thing to do was to run away. My least favorite character, of course, was the man. I mean, who goes hunting and doesn’t even take his dog? He seems pretty paranoid about his house being invaded. First he leaves his dog there all day to guard it while he hunts (weird move) and then he is worried that an intruder is in the attic. Doesn’t even enter his mind that it could have been the dog stuck in there for presumably days. It’s probably just a squirrel, though.
- What did you think of the storytelling style? The storytelling style was pretty straightforward. My beef was in the idiotic actions of the man.
- Examine the art for the story. What are your thoughts on it? I used to think this was a picture of the attic, but I think it’s actually the hallway in front of the attic door. Maybe the chair is for the man, just in case an intruder came out of it, since he’s so stressed that someone could be in there.
- Your overall rating and why: ⭐ ⭐ I think the guy’s an idiot and the story is below average. Perhaps Schwartz should have included something closer to the alternate story rather than relying on his own recollection, which seems to be missing logic.
Winterjoy
- In what environment did you read the story? Still in my room..lol. Dreading work tomorrow in 20 degree weather.
- Do you remember having read this story as a kid? No
- Analyze the actions of the characters in the story. Did they make sense? Would you have done anything differently? I would have looked for my dog if I also got some magical inspiration that he was in danger. I wouldn’t have taken my shoes off just to go up the stairs?? I’m a shoes loving person. I don’t understand these people that walk around without them. He absolutely could have been quiet with shoes on. Weird!
- Which was your favorite and least favorite character and why? My favorite character was the dog because he was just doing dog things. However, I hope that he is ok as we didn’t find out. My least favorite character is the bare feet because why.
- What did you think of the storytelling style? It’s a style, just not my style.
- Examine the art for the story. What are your thoughts on it? It’s ok. I feel like it lacks something else to make it creepier.
- Your overall rating and why: ⭐ I hated it.
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