A Very Tight Place

Curtis Johnson, a middle-aged gay gentleman, is lured to a deserted construction site by his neighbor, Tim Grunwald, with whom he's been having legal disputes involving property rights and Curtis's beloved dog, Betsy, who was killed by Tim's electric fence. He is confronted by Tim who forces him into a portable toilet, locks him in, and tips it over, leaving him trapped there in the heat of a Florida summer day to die. With no way to get help, Curtis must figure out how to escape or die. Eventually, after a long night asleep in the Port-O-San, Curtis discovers he can crawl through the toilet and into the tank where he can unscrew the bolts using Betsy's old dog tag. After a brief struggle, he gets out and makes his way to the house of Tim, who is lounging in his hot tub. Curtis surprises Tim by throwing an old, unplugged hair dryer into the tub. He then jumps into the hot tub with him and gives him a “baptismal dunk,” almost drowning him. Then, he lets him know that not only is he alive, but if Tim ever tells anyone, Curtis will simply tell them Tim tried to kill him first. Two days later Curtis hears a gunshot from Tim's house and figures Tim killed himself, but he continues to work. He then tells his maid he's thinking of getting a new dog.

• Short fiction by Stephen King

The numbers which appear on the main character's dog's collar all add up to 19, a significant number which appears across King's universe of books, most notably within the Dark Tower series.

• A Very Tight Place at Stephen King's official site