I recently had the enviable task of reading nearly every story Richard Matheson ever wrote and selecting 33 tales to be included in Penguin Classics’ The Best of Richard Matheson. This turned out to be like stepping into a time machine, transported back to the age when I started reading him. I was fourteen. The year was 1986. My introduction to his fiction, his short novel I Am Legend, was one of the first books that made me run up to my friends and tackle them so they’d all check it out, too.
If you haven’t read it (what the hell is wrong with you?), it manages to be a work of science fiction, a vampire story, a progenitor of the “biological plague” apocalyptic novel, and also an excellent thriller. All that in about 160 pages. I had to find out more. I dove into The Shrinking Man (the film added “Incredible”) and Hell House and wow. I wish I had a more sophisticated way to describe my reaction to the seismic effect of Richard Matheson on my young mind, but “wow” gets at the raw, awestruck nature of thing. And then I came to find out the man had written short stories. I tracked them down with gusto, with glee. And with time I began to relate to the man’s writing in a way that seemed damn near mystical.

I want to explain exactly what I mean by that.
There’s a lot I need to say about Matheson, and the importance of his fiction, the reasons why this collection is so vital and worthwhile, but I can’t get to that directly. I will go there eventually. But first I have to tell you about my Matheson moment. I don’t mean that I met the man. I mean I stepped into a story he could’ve written. I have to tell you about Cedric and his mother.
My mother made good when I turned fourteen.
At least that’s how she saw it when she moved us out of an apartment in one part of Queens and took us to a house she’d bought in another. The woman emigrated from Uganda in her twenties and now, in her forties, she’d worked like a machine to stop renting and start owning. From a two-bedroom to a two-story home, damn right my mother felt proud. Me, my sister, and my grandmother were the grateful tagalongs.

We moved in over the summer and when September rolled around I started going to school. The local public school was Springfield Gardens High, and just before I arrived the place had been outfitted with the newest, latest technology: metal detectors. And with good reason. This was 1986, the Crack Era, and as old news reports will tell you some people had a propensity to shoot guns wildly in places where teens gathered. My mother took one look at the school where she was meant to send her child and she made changes posthaste. This woman was not about to have her kid ushered through those contraptions every morning before heading to homeroom. More to the point, she didn’t want to get some phone call about how I’d been caught by Stray Bullet Syndrome while standing around outside. She found a private school out on Long Island and before I could say “where the hell is Nassau County” she’d gotten me enrolled on a scholarship. My mom was no joke.
My mom also wasn’t a car owner.
She got to work and back by taking a bus to the Long Island Rail Road and the train into Manhattan. Suffice to say there weren’t any such choices at Woodmere Academy. People either got dropped off by their parents (Mercedes, BMW, Audi) or they took a school bus. Mom enrolled me in the pickup service and every morning, around 7:45, I’d go out and stand on the corner of 229th Street and 145th Avenue and there I’d wait for one of those long yellow buses to pick me up.
I waited in front of a single-family home with yellow aluminum siding. One morning, maybe around November or December, when the chill weather set in heavy, the front window of that house slipped up and a kid my age stuck his head out the window and called to me.
[quotes quotes_style= »bpull » quotes_pos= »left »]“Aye,” he called. “Cheese bus.”[/quotes]
I turned, baffled. He had an enormous round head and close haircut. This gave him a kind of Charlie Brown look. A brown Charlie Brown. He wore a white tank top. He was, by no definition, a skinny kid.

“Cheese Bus,” he said again, and I realized he’d given me a nickname. Before I could speak he reached one meaty hand out of the window and waved me away.
“Go stand down the block,” he said. “Your bus is fucking up my vibe.”
“You don’t own the sidewalk,” I said. Citing basic property law was the best I could do.
“You sound like a herb,” he said. “Cheese, are you a herb?”
“Well how come you’re not getting ready for school?” I said. What kind of kid treats cutting school like an insult? This one. And with that I cemented my herb status.
“I would try to help you,” he said. “But I can’t even guess where I’d start.”
I walked up to the chain link fencing at the edge of his parents’ property and leaned my elbows on it so that I was posed just like him.
Seriously though,” I said. “You’re skipping ?
He thought about this a little bit. He sighed and said, “I’ve got company coming over.”
“Like, you’re having a party?”
“Party for two,” he said, then he looked to his left and pointed, discreetly, with one finger.
When I looked up I saw two things: my bus — the cheese bus — chugging toward me; and a girl, fourteen, moving down the block with much more grace. This would turn out to be Lianne, Cedric’s sweetheart since seventh grade. They kissed sweetly when she reached him. He led her inside without even saying good-bye.
After that me and Cedric talked each morning. He’d lean out the window and gab with me before the bus showed up. I made nice, but not because I found him so charming. I’ll admit I had ulterior motives. New in the neighborhood and being bused to a school miles away. How was I going to meet anyone? I wanted to girlfriend, too. Couldn’t Lianne call in a friend for me?

It turned out to be surprisingly easy to cut school.
Just don’t be on the corner when the bus shows up. After two minutes the driver simply drove on. Meanwhile I’d been tucked inside Cedric’s house, peeking out through the blinds like some secret agent at risk of having his cover blown. The bus left, then Cedric tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Stop hiding.”

Easy to do when two young women knocked at the front door. Cedric went to let them in and I stood there in the living room feeling quite sure I’d ascended to some higher plane of existence. Or was about to. He opened the door and kissed Lianne, then stepped aside so she and her friend Tasha could slip in. The front door fed right into the living room where I stood. The living room fed right into the kitchen. Apparently there were two bedrooms elsewhere — Cedric’s and his mom’s. When I’d asked him if I could use hers — in case things went well with Tasha — he patted me on the arm and said, “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
Anyway, I’m standing there and Tasha and Lianne are coming through the doorway and then I heard it, a sound in the kitchen. Knocking. Not all that loud, but I was close to the kitchen and getting closer. By that I mean that Tasha and Lianne were taking off their coats and I ran away. Later I told Cedric I went to “get them water,” but there’s no other way to say it: I fled.
As soon as I entered the kitchen the knocking stopped.
I figured it might be their boiler kicking in. It was winter after all. I knew I’d run away though so I came up with the water idea and went scrounging for cups. This led me on a chase through the cupboards as, in the other room, Cedric called for me. And then I reached their pantry door. This style of one-family home had a separate little pantry, about the size of a small walk-in closet. I found the door there and, still hunting for glasses, I tried the handle and found it locked. Then Cedric walked into the kitchen.
“Cheese,” he said. “You making me look bad.”
When he said it he didn’t sound playful. He’d convinced his girlfriend to bring someone with her and then his boy had gone and run into the kitchen. But I also wondered if that was really the reason he seemed unhappy with me. He peeked at the pantry door then back to me.
“Cups is over here,” he said, taking four down from a cupboard by the sink. Then he rushed me out of the kitchen.

He put on a movie. I definitely don’t remember what it was. He closed the blinds so the living room went dim. Lianne leaned into him. Tasha and I hardly spoke. She was as nervous as me.
At some point Cedric went to the bathroom and left us alone in the living room. Lianne patted the cushion beside her and Tasha hopped over, the pair whispering and I sat there alone. Hadn’t even sipped my water once. And then I heard it — that knocking — coming from the kitchen again. I didn’t hesitate. Maybe I felt stupid sitting alone. I walked in there and went quiet.
The knocking, low and insistent, came from the other side of that pantry door. I checked for Cedric but he wasn’t around. I tried the door but found it locked. Meanwhile the knocking kept on, regular if weak. It damn sure wasn’t the boiler.
I whispered, “Who is it?”
When I spoke the knocking stopped. I mean instantly. What followed next was a scratching sound. Claws on the floor. I even thought I heard something panting softly.
A dog.
Cedric had a dog and he locked it up when company came over.
[quotes quotes_style= »bpull » quotes_pos= »center »]
The knocking, low and insistent, came from the other side of that pantry door. I checked for Cedric but he wasn’t around. I tried the door but found it locked.
[/quotes]
I got to my feet and laughed at myself and now thought only of how I would not fuck things up with Tasha, who — it turned out — was exactly as geeky as me. All I had to do was finally speak to her and find out. We finished the movie together in the living room, all four of us. By the time it was over even me and Tasha were kissing. At some point she mentioned a smell in the room. I almost laughed because I knew it was just the funk of four teenagers fucking around. But she persisted. It was worse than that. Could there be something going rotten in the fridge? In the walls? Maybe there was a mutt somewhere in the house, an animal that had had an accident.

Obviously I’ve turned this history into a story, my homage to Richard Matheson, to my old friend Cedric, and even to his mom. While some of this tale is indeed fiction, there really was a monster living in that house.
This is a great tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Short but very accurate informationÖ Many thanks for sharing this one. A must read article!
Thank you great post. Hello Administ. Karaca Cami Halisi cami halısı
Thank you for great content. Hello Administ . ofis taşıma
Thank you for great information. Hello Administ . child porn 現場兒童色情片 活婴儿色情片 儿童色情 児童ポルノ 兒童色情 国产线播放免费人成视频播放 国产线播放免费人成视频播放
https://prednisonepills.site/# 2.5 mg prednisone daily
Thank you great posting about essential oil. Hello Administ . ofis taşıma
What¦s Taking place i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It positively helpful and it has aided me out loads. I hope to contribute & help other users like its helped me. Good job.
You cant do everything at once.
After exploring a number of the blog posts on your web page, I truly appreciate your way of writing a blog. I added it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back in the near future. Please visit my website as well and let me know how you feel.
F*ckin’ tremendous things here. I’m very happy to see your post. Thanks a lot and i’m looking ahead to contact you. Will you please drop me a mail?
I could not resist commenting. Very well written!
Fantastic blog. Really Great.
Never tell tales out of school.
Hello there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it is really informative. I am going to watch out for brussels. I’ll be grateful if you continue this in future. Many people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Very informative article.
Yes! Finally something about accessing medical cannabis.Feel free to visit my blog :: tsc-saarlorlux.de
apartments for rent in berkeley ca rentberry scam ico 30m$ raised apartments in brookhaven ga
buy stromectol pills ivermectin 80 mg
Hello my loved one! I wish to say that this post is awesome, great written and include approximately all significant infos. I’d like to see more posts like this .
maple grove apartments rentberry scam ico 30m$ raised highland apartments
Enjoyed every bit of your blog. Great.
There’s definately a lot to learn about this issue. I love all ofthe points you made. Minecraft
Greetings! Very helpful advice within this post! It’s the little changes that make the most important changes. Many thanks for sharing!
Really appreciate you sharing this blog article. Will read on
Thank you for your article.Thanks Again. Awesome.
Appreciate you sharing, great blog post.Thanks Again.
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit mycomment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that overagain. Anyhow, just wanted to say great blog!
Thanks a lot for the blog. Great.
Hi there, all is going nicely here and ofcourse every one is sharing data, that’s in fact good, keep up writing.
Great post. I’m experiencing a few of these issues as well..
Keep functioning ,great job!my blog; GrownMD CBD Gummies
F*ckin’ remarkable things here. I’m very satisfied to look your article. Thanks so much and i am taking a look forward to touch you. Will you kindly drop me a mail?
Looking forward to reading more. Great article post. Will read on…
Major thanks for the article.Much thanks again. Fantastic.
Hi, just wanted to tell you, I liked this blog post.It was funny. Keep on posting!
https://zithromaxpills.store/# zithromax capsules australia
I’ll right away clutch your rss feed asI can not to find your email subscription hyperlink or newsletterservice. Do you’ve any? Please allow me realize so that Imay subscribe. Thanks.
Aw, this was a really nice post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to make a great article… but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and don’t seem to get nearly anything done.
I dugg some of you post as I cerebrated they were handy invaluable
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. I believe that you need to publish more about this subject matter, it might not be a taboo matter but usually folks don’t speak about such topics. To the next! Kind regards!!
Everyone loves it when individuals get togetherand share ideas. Great blog, continue the good work!
Really no matter if someone doesn’t understand after that its up to other people thatthey will assist, so here it takes place.
Excellent post. I am experiencing many of these issues aswell..
ivermectin brand – stromectol pills for humans ivermectin for humans for sale
Thanks for finally writing about > Kasaï oriental: Deux ans après, les ETD vont recevoir leur argentdès cette semaine ( J. Longa) – Coulisses.net
I like the valuable information you provide in your articles. I?ll bookmark your blog and check again here frequently. I am quite sure I will learn many new stuff right here! Good luck for the next!
You are so awesome! I don’t suppose I’ve read through a single thing like that before. So wonderful to discover someone with a few original thoughts on this subject matter. Seriously.. thanks for starting this up. This web site is something that is needed on the internet, someone with a little originality.
A big thank you for your blog article.Thanks Again. Great.Loading…
I like it when folks get together and share thoughts. Great site, stick with it!
Wonderful article! We are linking to this particularly great content on our website. Keep up the good writing.
Hello my friend! I wish to say that this post is awesome, great written and come with almost all important infos. I would like to look extra posts like this.
Why users still make use of to read news papers when in thistechnological world all is existing on net?
Good day! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in thesame niche. Your blog provided us beneficialinformation to work on. You have done a outstandingjob!
Hello there! I just want to offer you a huge thumbs up for your excellent information you’ve got right here on this post. I’ll be coming back to your web site for more soon.
Right here is the right site for everyone who wants to find out about this topic. You realize so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually would want to…HaHa). You definitely put a fresh spin on a topic which has been written about for many years. Excellent stuff, just wonderful.
I blog often and I genuinely appreciate your information. Your article has truly peaked my interest. I will bookmark your blog and keep checking for new information about once per week. I opted in for your RSS feed as well.
Can I just say what a relief to find a person that actually understands what they are discussing over the internet. You actually realize how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More people should read this and understand this side of your story. I can’t believe you aren’t more popular because you most certainly have the gift.
Aw, this was a very nice post. Taking the time and actual effort to create a superb articleÖ but what can I sayÖ I hesitate a lot and don’t manage to get anything done.
You said that exceptionally well.personal essay college application college essay online custom writing services
An intriguing discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this subject matter, it may not be a taboo matter but generally people don’t speak about these topics. To the next! Many thanks.
sildenafil 20 mg cost order sildenafil online without prescription
Remarkable! Its actually remarkable article, I have got much clear idea about from this paragraph.
Very descriptive article, I enjoyed that a lot. Will there be a part 2? tiodo.munhea.se/map7.php nike väst dam
Really appreciate you sharing this article post.Really thank you! Great.
Awesome post.Really looking forward to read more. Keep writing.
ท่านสามารถเล่นสล็อตออนไลน์ได้ผ่านมือถือ ไม่ว่าจะอยู่ในสถานที่ใดๆเพียงแค่หยิบมือถือขึ้นมาแล้วเข้าหน้าเว็บของเรา
What’s Happening i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It absolutely helpful and it has helped me out loads. I hope to contribute & help other users like its aided me. Great job.
Very informative blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Awesome.
Awesome! Its genuinely remarkable piece of writing, I havegot much clear idea concerning from this article.
I am so grateful for your article post.Really looking forward to read more. Want more.
There is certainly a lot to know about this issue. I love all the points you have made.
writing essays in collegewrite a college essayhigh school essay writing
amlodipine dosage amlodipine besylate benazepril
https://canadiandrugpharmacy.best/# canadadrugpharmacy com
Major thankies for the blog.Thanks Again. Much obliged.
Hi! I just want to give you a big thumbs up for the excellent information you have got here on this post. I am returning to your site for more soon.
Nice article inspiring thanks. Hello Administ .Casibom
Hello I am so excited I found your webpage, I really found you by mistake, while I was researching on Bing for something else, Regardless I am here now and would just like to say thank you for a tremendous post and a all round entertaining blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go through it all at the minute but I have bookmarked it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read much more, Please do keep up the great work.
no prescription rx medicine non prescription on line pharmacies
Wohh precisely what I was searching for, thankyou for posting.
Money makes a man.
Remarkable! Its actually awesome paragraph, I have got much clear idea on the topic of from this article.
Pretty! This was a really wonderful article. Thank you for providing these details.
off to the public that this troubles and we recommend leaving
F*ckin’ tremendous things here. I’m very happy to look your post. Thank you so much and i am looking ahead to contact you. Will you kindly drop me a e-mail?
A colt is worth little if it does not break its halter.
I get pleasure from, cause I discovered just what I was looking for. You’ve ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
I value the post.Thanks Again. Awesome.
I love it when folks get together and share ideas. Great blog, continue the good work!
I really liked your article.Thanks Again. Really Great.
https://tadalafil20mg.fun/# generic cialis tadalafil 20mg
https://datingonlinehot.online/# local single women near me
Having read this I believed it was really enlightening. I appreciate you finding the time and energy to put this content together. I once again find myself spending way too much time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile.
これは非常に有益な記事でした。さらに詳しい情報が必要な場合は、次のサイトにもアクセスしてください。sbobet
F*ckin’ remarkable issues here. I am very happy to see your article. Thank you a lot and i am looking forward to touch you. Will you please drop me a mail?
An interesting discussion is worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you should publish more about this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people do not talk about such issues. To the next! Kind regards!!
It was a good article, thank you for taking the time to write this article
Good web site you have here.. Itís hard to find high quality writing like yours nowadays. I honestly appreciate people like you! Take care!!
You explained that well!writing a argumentative essay help with assignments doctoral dissertation writing service
Yes! Finally someone writes about situs judi.
Thank you for writing this article!
Thank you for writing the article. I like the topic too.
Nice article inspiring thanks. Hello Administ . Cami Halısı ve Cami Halıları Firmasi. saricahali.com.tr
https://datingonlinehot.com/# online dating personals
Say, you got a nice blog article.Much thanks again. Fantastic.
Thank you for writing such an excellent article. It helped me a lot and I love the topic.
I would like to know more about this subject if you don’t mind.
Thanks for posting such an excellent article. It helped me a lot and I love the subject matter.
Thanks for writing this article. I enjoy the topic too.
Thank you for writing about this topic. It helped me a lot and I hope it can help others too.
ed meds online can ed be reversed – injections for ed
You should write more articles like this, you really helped me and I love the subject.
Thank you for your help and this post. It’s been great.
Im obliged for the article. Keep writing.
You’ve been really helpful to me. Thank you!
Nice article inspiring thanks. Hello Administ . Cami Halısı ve Cami Halıları Firmasi. saricahali.com.tr
Great post thank you. Hello Administ . Cami Halısı ve Cami Halıları Firmasi. cami halısı
Thank you great posting about essential oil. Hello Administ . Cami Halısı ve Cami Halıları Firasıyız. Website.. cami halıları
Thank you for great article. Hello Administ . Cami Halısı ve Cami Halıları Firmasi. cami halısı
Thank you for great content. Hello Administ. Cami Halısı ve Cami Halıları Firmasi. cami halısı
Nice article inspiring thanks. Hello Administ . Mng Nakliyat , Mng Evden Eve Nakliyat , mng evden eve nakliyat
Thank you for content. Area rugs and online home decor store. Hello Administ . Mng Nakliyat , Mng Evden Eve Nakliyat , mng evden eve nakliyat
Thank you for great article. Hello Administ . Hacklink , Hacklink panel , Hacklink al , Seo Paketleleri , Hacklink