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Help - locating a story
Posted by: robcraine (---.137.0.227.manx.net)
Date: May 24, 2007 03:17PM
Ok, I'm sure I read this story somewhere, but I can't think where. Can anyone help?
A guy is afraid of [either dying or being buried alive.] He makes a pact with [probably the devil] ensuring that he will live [forever/for 100 years.] He goes out to make the most of his imortality, doing risky things, going on trips... until he has an accident. He wakes up buried in a grave. The [probably devil] appears and the man asks 'what am I doing in a grave? I'm meant to live for[ever/100 years]!' the [devil] replies "the doctors only thought you were dead, so you got buried... but you will continue to live for [100 years/eternity."]
Now... I'm drawn towards EA Poe... but google doesn't agree with me - Poe did write a few 'premature burial' stories (including "Premature Burial") but I can't find this one in his collected works.
Any suggestions anyone?
Rob
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That statement is either so deep it would take a lifetime to fully comprehend every particle of its meaning, or it is a load of absolute tosh. Which is it, I wonder?
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather
A guy is afraid of [either dying or being buried alive.] He makes a pact with [probably the devil] ensuring that he will live [forever/for 100 years.] He goes out to make the most of his imortality, doing risky things, going on trips... until he has an accident. He wakes up buried in a grave. The [probably devil] appears and the man asks 'what am I doing in a grave? I'm meant to live for[ever/100 years]!' the [devil] replies "the doctors only thought you were dead, so you got buried... but you will continue to live for [100 years/eternity."]
Now... I'm drawn towards EA Poe... but google doesn't agree with me - Poe did write a few 'premature burial' stories (including "Premature Burial") but I can't find this one in his collected works.
Any suggestions anyone?
Rob
------
That statement is either so deep it would take a lifetime to fully comprehend every particle of its meaning, or it is a load of absolute tosh. Which is it, I wonder?
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather
Re: Help - locating a story
Posted by: splat21 (195.33.121.---)
Date: May 24, 2007 03:27PM
Sorry Rob, dunno. But I expect someone else will...
Re: Help - locating a story
Posted by: Bonzai Kitten (---.static.dsl.dodo.com.au)
Date: May 25, 2007 09:20AM
You know, I'm almost certain I've read that too...
Re: Help - locating a story
Posted by: aria (---.allegromicro.com)
Date: May 25, 2007 05:06PM
... thinking.... Googling... thinking...
Re: Help - locating a story
Posted by: Holly Daze (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: May 25, 2007 06:00PM
not one of Roald Dahl's tales of the unexpected then?
Re: Help - locating a story
Posted by: annie.leader-biblio (---.lutn.cable.ntl.com)
Date: May 25, 2007 10:02PM
Can't help insofar as I don't know BUT have you tried booksleuth?
Re: Help - locating a story
Posted by: mrs SkidMarks (---.manc.cable.ntl.com)
Date: May 26, 2007 11:52AM
reminds me of a story I read in the EC horror comics, they did a whole run with avoiding death stories, might be worth checking their site as most of their stories came from a printed source first.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
Tremain's Theorum - Impossible Things Usually Don't Happen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
Tremain's Theorum - Impossible Things Usually Don't Happen
Re: Help - locating a story
Posted by: robcraine (---.mcb.net)
Date: May 27, 2007 07:16PM
Well... Roald Dahl was an inspired suggestion... and flicking through his collected short stories reminded me of a few tales I'd forgotten... but not this one...
Rob
Rob
Re: Help - locating a story
Posted by: MuseSusan (---.union.edu)
Date: May 28, 2007 06:25PM
I feel like Mark Twain wrote at least one or two stories of the ironic-outcome-of-dealing-with-the-devil type. Can't think which ones exactly, though.
Re: Help - locating a story
Posted by: MartinB (155.232.128.---)
Date: May 29, 2007 01:55PM
No bells ringing. Sorry.
__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland
__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland
Re: Help - locating a story
Posted by: DisturbinglyAvidFfordeWorshipper (---.kpunet.net)
Date: May 31, 2007 02:30AM
Write it and send it to Asimov's or something, then see who sues them!
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