Sneakers (short story)

"Sneakers" is a short story by American author Stephen King. It was published in the compilation book Dark Visions and in his collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes.

"Sneakers"
Short story by Stephen King
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Horror short story
Publication
Published in	Night Visions 5 (1st release), Nightmares & Dreamscapes
Publication type	Anthology
Publisher	Orion
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Publication date	August 10, 1989

Plot summary

Recording studio executive John Tell notices a pair of old dirty sneakers in an adjacent stall while using the restroom at work. He, at first, assumes that the shoes belong to a fellow employee or a delivery person. However, when he visits the bathroom again throughout the week, he notices that not only have the shoes not moved, they are now surrounded by the bodies of dead flies and other bugs. Eventually, Tell discovers that the shoes were the trademark of a dealer who supplied the local talent with cocaine, and who was killed in the bathroom stall during an apparent robbery. Tell finally confronts the man's ghost, who informs him that he was brutally killed by Jannings, Tell's boss, a drug addict who was heavily in debt to the dealer at the time. Jannings used the stolen cocaine to fund his rehabilitation and rise to executive management. This prompts Tell to quit his job, telling Jannings he is a "worthless bastard" before leaving. When he arrives home, he resolves to find other work, pulling out the want ads and reading them while doing his business on his own toilet.

Reception

Rocky Wood describes "Sneakers" as "unsatisfying".

See also

• Stephen King short fiction bibliography

External links

• "Sneakers" at StephenKing.com
• Sneakers title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database