MORALITY by Stephen King

It has been a long time since I’ve seen fiction included between the pagers of Esquire, which used to publish a new short story, it seemed like every other issue. Now, it takes the biggest name in fiction, the King, if you will, for the magazine to spare the space. I know that times are tough for the printed word, but I started a subscription because of the great fiction. Now, I’m just waiting for it to expire. However, my angst about this short story market loose out to more vapid ads about male skincare doesn’t detract from my jubilation for the inclusion of a new story by King.

“Morality” is part “Indecent Proposal” and part [insert any story by Chuck Palahniuk]. King portrays a typical American couple trying to make ends meet in a down economy. Chad is a substitute teacher and a memoirist working on book about the struggles of being a substitute teacher, titled “Living with the Animals.” Chad is married to Nora who was laid off from the hospital where she was a nurse. She now works in Hospice for retired pastor who is recovering from a stroke.

Chad and Nora are typical in that they have a mountain of consumer debt. They fear the ring of their phone fearing a creditor’s long reach. Even with Chad’s long-term substitute post and Nora’s steady job, they are just treading water, and the woman who Chad is subbing for could return any day now.

There is hope for an advance on Chad’s book, but his agent has told him that he would need to finish it before he could take it to auction. Chad would need at lest eight months of considered effort to finish the book, which is not going to happen while he is teaching.

Chad and Nora have dreams. Dreams that take money. Dreams that they will never achieve without some modicum of a miracle. Dreams that they have all but given up on.

Enter Winnie. Winnie is Nora’s recovering stroke patient. He sits her down and offers her a sum of money equaling more than $200,000.00. All she has to do is help him experience sin. Winnie understands sin, he is a pastor and has talked many people through rough times, but he doesn’t know what it feels like first hand, an experience that he is loath to die without. He has committed sins, who hasn’t, and he knows his, but nothing like what he is asking Nora to do. Winnie wishes to sin by proxy, double-down.

I’m not going to tell you what that sin is or how the story turns out. You are going to need to read it, but what I will say is that King is a master writer and 12 pages of fiction just fly by. When reading a story, fiction you should notice that you are reading. You should be immersed in the experience. King’s writing is perfect, nothing in the writing pulls you out from the dream, or movie-in-your-head experience. The only distraction is that you have to skip from page 67 to 110 to finish, but that is only a small bump.

I hope that having included a short story in its pages, Esquire has recommitted to publishing fiction. Only time will tell.

Go pick up a copy of the July 2009 issue!

King, Stephen. “Morality.” Esquire. July 2009, vol 152, no 1. p. 57 – 67; 110 – 111