Originally posted by: Buzzed
Originally posted by: TX_Lord Skeletor
I just remembered this story that we had to read in junior high back in the early 80's (yeah, that old)---I think it was called "The Well" or something along those lines. Basically, the plot involved this guy who was staying at some hotel room studying a local abbey, finding a secret code in the stained class window of some monks holding up one, two, or three fingers...and finding a well---going down into it, uncovering a stone with a cross made of eyes---thus removing it, thinking he would find gold or some treasure; he grabs at what he thinks to be a bag of loot--but it's some sort of blobbish creature---he shakes it off into the water and manages to escape--only to find that the creature follows him back to his room and tries to get in every night---
Anyone recall this story or where I can find it!?? Man..it seemed good at the time and I'd like to re-read it.
I bet you one billion dollars that this short story was used as the foundation plot structure for The Ring. Instead of a cross made of eyes, it's a video tape. Instead of getting attacked every night by the creature in the well, the creature in the well comes to kill you after 7 days.
You know...I never thought of that. You could be absolutely right, there. The story itself kind of starts with a guy cowering in his hotel room asking the reader for help. There's like a thudding at the door and well-water is leaking under the door into the room. He keeps saying something about putting the "stone back"...the story then unfolds about him researching old manuscripts or something like that...finding a coded message (by a number of monks holding certain numbers of fingers up) in a stained glass window in this remote monastery. He follows the directions outside and uncovers and old well, he lowers himself down...finds an irregular stone chips away the surface and finds a "cross" made of illustrated eyes in the rock face.
Just then, he looks up and sees some sort of figure silhouetted by the moon and the figure laughs at him and disappears. He searches behind the rock facade and finds a sack (so he believes) of gold. The bag is actually alive and tries to engulf him...but he is able to escape and climb back up the rope...where this thing follows him, no matter where he goes...but only at night. At the end, I think that he pleads with the reader to cover the "eyes" back up and save him, but I think the beast ends up getting him. Really good story.