Here There Be Tygers (1968 short story)

the story by Stephen King

"Here There Be Tygers" is a short horror story by Stephen King. It was originally published in the Spring 1968 issue of Ubris magazine, and collected in King's Skeleton Crew in 1985. This story follows a third grader who discovers a tiger lurking in his school bathroom. Written by King when he was in high school, the story is one of his first published works. Literary critics noted the presence of social determinism and hints of surrealism in the story, while others saw neither deep meaning nor symbolism in the work. In 2010, the story was adapted into a short film.

During class, third grader Charles needs to use the bathroom. His teacher, Miss Bird, humiliates him by publicly clarifying whether he needs to urinate, and allows him to leave. Entering the bathroom and looking around the corner, Charles sees a tiger lying on the floor. He stands at the door, too afraid to enter. Eventually, a child named Kenny Griffen approaches him. Charles warns him about the danger, but he does not believe him and goes into the toilet. Charles expects screams, but hears nothing. Entering the room again, he discovers Kenny’s torn shirt. Charles decides to relieve himself in the sink, which Miss Bird finds him doing. Charles tells the teacher not to enter the bathroom, but Miss Bird does not listen to him and goes around the corner to find Kenny. Charles returns to class, leaving Miss Bird with the tiger.

As Stephen King noted in the foreword to Skeleton Crew, this is one of the first stories King ever wrote. It was written when King was a high school student. The title references the phrases used by medieval cartographers when they put warnings on unexplored portions of their maps. The phrase was also used in King's later story "The Reploids." In the film version of King's novel The Dark Half, the story Thad's mother looks at is a copy of this story.