"The Reach" by Stephen King
This
story has been published many times, originally in Yankee, under the
name "Do The Dead Sing", and then later in Skeleton Crew under the name
"The Reach." I read this story in the anthology "The Dark Descent"
edited by David G. Hartwell.
An old woman, Stella Flanders, contemplates her time living on an island for her entire life. She considers things she would say to her children and her grandchildren
and her great-grandchildren. She thinks about everything that has
happened on the island and all the things that she has seen. She thinks
about how the island is more of a family than just a community.
Stella
Flanders has seen her share of things and it all takes place around The
Reach. That space between the island and mainland. Mainland where
there is life outside of the small community. Stella never found a need
to go across the reach and was content to live right where she was on
the island.
Time is a funny thing. It can pass slow for some, but fast for others.
Stella's life was flashing before her eyes. She thought of all the
different times the island came together as a family and who did what
and when. That's around the time she started to see ghosts.
She
first started to see her dead husband. It scared her to death, but she
didn't let it get to her. She knew that it meant she was dying. She
figured that it was her time to go. She wasn't quite ready, but she accepted the fact that was how life went.
Eventually
after accepting her fate she decides to go follow the advice her dead
husband has been giving her. It's time to go to the mainland. So she
bundles up nice and warm and head out to The Reach. Following her dead husband she starts the trek across The Reach to mainland.
Stephen
King throws around a lot of character names in this story. He really
only keys in on a few of the characters and it's pretty easy to
distinguish who's who with King's writing style. He let's you know
who's important and who you need to keep an eye on. Take his cue.
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