Jerusalem's Lot
Encyclopedia
"Jerusalem's Lot" is a short story by Stephen King
, first published in King's 1978 collection Night Shift
.
, in 1850. It is told through a series of letters and diary entries, mainly those of its main character, the aristocrat Charles Boone, though his manservant, Calvin McCann, also occasionally assumes the role of narrator. The plot, like many of King's works, draws heavily from the Cthulhu mythos
, in particular the H.P. Lovecraft short story "The Rats in the Walls
".
, Calvin McCann, at Chapelwaite, the neglected ancestral home of Charles's estranged late cousin, Stephen. While running errands, Calvin finds that many people in the nearby town of Preacher's Corners think them mad living in the mansion. The house is said to be "a bad house," with a history of sad events, disappearances, and mysterious noises which Charles attributes to "rats in the walls". Not long after their arrival, Calvin finds a hidden compartment in the library. It contains an old map of a nearby deserted village called Jerusalem's Lot, a mysterious area the townsfolk avoid. Their curiosity piqued, Charles and Calvin set out to explore the village the next day.
The two men find a quaint-yet-severely decayed Puritan
settlement; the village, in Charles' words, is "sour". It is clear that no one has set foot in the town since its abandonment; not looters, collectors, children, nor animals. As Charles and Calvin explore a church described on the map, they discover an unspeakably obscene parody of the Madonna and Child, as well as an inverted cross
. At the pulpit
, they find a book filled with Latin
and Druid
ic runes entitled De Vermis Mysteriis
, or "The Mysteries of the Worm". When Charles touches the book, the church shakes and the two men sense something gigantic moving in the ground beneath them. The evil of the place overcomes both men, and they quickly leave the town.
Later, in Preacher's Corners, Charles becomes feared and cursed by all, to the point of being chased away from one house with rocks and guns. Charles turns to the Chapelwaite's former maid, who gives him information about its connection with Jerusalem's Lot. She reveals that a long-standing rift in Charles' family was caused when his grandfather, Robert Boone, attempted to steal De Vermis Mysteriis from his brother Philip, presumably to destroy it. She explains that Philip was a minister who was heavily involved in the occult
. On October 31, 1789, Philip vanished along with the entire populace of Jerusalem's Lot. Charles attempts to dismiss it all as superstition, but he is unable to forget what he saw in the church.
Calvin discovers a diary in the library, encrypted with a Rail Fence Cipher
. Before he can translate it, Charles has him venture into the cellar to check for rats, due to the continuing noise in the walls. Two days pass before Charles has recovered enough to describe what they found hidden behind the walls: the ancient, undead corpses of two of his relatives, Marcella and Randolph Boone, whom Charles recognizes as "nosferatu." The two men fled the cellar, and Calvin immediately barred the door to prevent any pursuit from the creatures.
As Charles recovers from the encounter, Calvin cracks the cipher. He is able to translate the diary, which contains a history of Jerusalems's Lot and a record of the events leading up to its abandonment in 1789. It is revealed that the town was founded by one of Charles' distant ancestors, James Boon, who was the leader of a cult
of witchcraft
and inbreeding
that had split from the Puritans. The journal explains how Philip and Robert Boone took up residence in Chapelwaite, how Philip was taken in by Boon's cult, and how he acquired De Vermis Mysteriis at Boon's behest. Philip descended into madness. Philip and Boon are said to have used the book to call forth a supernatural force referred to by Philip as "The Worm". In his final entry, Robert curses the Whip-poor-will
birds that have descended upon Chapelwaite.
Charles feels compelled to return to Jerusalem's Lot. Calvin does his best to prevent it, but he eventually gives in and accompanies his master to the village. Returning to the church, they discover a horribly butchered lamb on the altar, lying on top of De Vermis Mysteriis. Charles moves the lamb and takes the book, intending to destroy it, but a congregation of evil undead entities begins to emerge, including those of James Boon and Charles' great-uncle, Philip. Charles becomes possessed and begins to chant, summoning forth The Worm with an ancient spell. Calvin knocks down Charles, which snaps him out of his possessed stupor. Charles then manages to set fire to the book. The gigantic Worm, heavily hinted to be a form or incarnation of the Cthulhu Mythos
deity Shudde M'ell
, lashes out from below, killing Calvin, and then disappears. Before Charles can recover Calvin's body, the undead James Boon emerges from the Worm's hole, forcing Charles to flee the Church once more. In his final letter to Bones, Charles announces his intention to commit suicide, thereby ending the Boone family line and its connection to the evil of Jerusalem's Lot.
The book concludes with an "editor's note" that attributes Charles' letters (as well as the death of Calvin McCann) to insanity, dismissing his claims of supernatural occurrences in Jerusalem's Lot. Finally, the editor notes that Charles was not, in fact, the last of his line; that a bastard relative still exists—the editor himself, James Robert Boone. He has moved to Chapelwaite, hoping to clear the family name, and notes that Charles was right about one thing: "This place badly needs the services of an exterminator. There are some huge rats in the walls
, by the sound." The note is dated October 2, the same date as Charles's first letter.
. Both stories were later collected in the 2005 Salem's Lot Illustrated Edition. "Children of the Corn
" recapitulates the image of the ghost town, the corrupted church, and the worship of an evil being. Jerusalem's Lot was also used in Wolves of the Calla
, the fifth book in the Dark Tower series. It is used as the place where the Old Fella finds what he later thinks Roland wants upon his coming to the Calla. Charles Boone's manservant in the story, Calvin McCann, shares the last name of Jimmy McCann, a character from another short story by King, Quitters, Inc., also collected in Night Shift. There is no further correlation. The title was also mentioned in Stephen King's novel, Pet Semetary, when Rachel sees a road sign listing hotels and motels, and among them is Jerusalem's Lot.
for the book The Secretary of Dreams
, a collection of comics based on King's short fiction released by Cemetery Dance
in December 2006.
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, first published in King's 1978 collection Night Shift
Night Shift (book)
Night Shift is the first collection of short stories by Stephen King, first published in 1978. Many of King's most famous short stories were included in this collection.-Stories collected:-Details:...
.
Setting and style
"Jerusalem's Lot" is an epistolary short story set in the fictional town of Preacher's Corners, MaineMaine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, in 1850. It is told through a series of letters and diary entries, mainly those of its main character, the aristocrat Charles Boone, though his manservant, Calvin McCann, also occasionally assumes the role of narrator. The plot, like many of King's works, draws heavily from the Cthulhu mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
, in particular the H.P. Lovecraft short story "The Rats in the Walls
The Rats in the Walls
"The Rats in the Walls" is a short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft. Written in August–September 1923, it was first published in Weird Tales, March 1924.-Plot summary:...
".
Plot
Charles Boone, in a series of letters addressed to an acquaintance nicknamed "Bones", describes the arrival of himself and his manservantDomestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
, Calvin McCann, at Chapelwaite, the neglected ancestral home of Charles's estranged late cousin, Stephen. While running errands, Calvin finds that many people in the nearby town of Preacher's Corners think them mad living in the mansion. The house is said to be "a bad house," with a history of sad events, disappearances, and mysterious noises which Charles attributes to "rats in the walls". Not long after their arrival, Calvin finds a hidden compartment in the library. It contains an old map of a nearby deserted village called Jerusalem's Lot, a mysterious area the townsfolk avoid. Their curiosity piqued, Charles and Calvin set out to explore the village the next day.
The two men find a quaint-yet-severely decayed Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
settlement; the village, in Charles' words, is "sour". It is clear that no one has set foot in the town since its abandonment; not looters, collectors, children, nor animals. As Charles and Calvin explore a church described on the map, they discover an unspeakably obscene parody of the Madonna and Child, as well as an inverted cross
Cross of St. Peter
The Cross of St. Peter or Petrine Cross is an inverted Latin cross traditionally used as a Christian symbol, but in recent times also used widely as an anti-Christ symbol .-In Christianity:The origin of this symbol comes from the Catholic tradition that Simon Peter was crucified upside...
. At the pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, they find a book filled with Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Druid
Druid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
ic runes entitled De Vermis Mysteriis
De Vermis Mysteriis
De Vermis Mysteriis, or Mysteries of the Worm, is a fictional grimoire created by Robert Bloch and incorporated by H. P. Lovecraft into the lore of the Cthulhu Mythos.-Creation:...
, or "The Mysteries of the Worm". When Charles touches the book, the church shakes and the two men sense something gigantic moving in the ground beneath them. The evil of the place overcomes both men, and they quickly leave the town.
Later, in Preacher's Corners, Charles becomes feared and cursed by all, to the point of being chased away from one house with rocks and guns. Charles turns to the Chapelwaite's former maid, who gives him information about its connection with Jerusalem's Lot. She reveals that a long-standing rift in Charles' family was caused when his grandfather, Robert Boone, attempted to steal De Vermis Mysteriis from his brother Philip, presumably to destroy it. She explains that Philip was a minister who was heavily involved in the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
. On October 31, 1789, Philip vanished along with the entire populace of Jerusalem's Lot. Charles attempts to dismiss it all as superstition, but he is unable to forget what he saw in the church.
Calvin discovers a diary in the library, encrypted with a Rail Fence Cipher
Rail Fence Cipher
Rail Fence Cipher generally refers to a form of transposition cipher. It derives its name from the way in which it is encoded.-Method:...
. Before he can translate it, Charles has him venture into the cellar to check for rats, due to the continuing noise in the walls. Two days pass before Charles has recovered enough to describe what they found hidden behind the walls: the ancient, undead corpses of two of his relatives, Marcella and Randolph Boone, whom Charles recognizes as "nosferatu." The two men fled the cellar, and Calvin immediately barred the door to prevent any pursuit from the creatures.
As Charles recovers from the encounter, Calvin cracks the cipher. He is able to translate the diary, which contains a history of Jerusalems's Lot and a record of the events leading up to its abandonment in 1789. It is revealed that the town was founded by one of Charles' distant ancestors, James Boon, who was the leader of a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
of witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
and inbreeding
Inbreeding
Inbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...
that had split from the Puritans. The journal explains how Philip and Robert Boone took up residence in Chapelwaite, how Philip was taken in by Boon's cult, and how he acquired De Vermis Mysteriis at Boon's behest. Philip descended into madness. Philip and Boon are said to have used the book to call forth a supernatural force referred to by Philip as "The Worm". In his final entry, Robert curses the Whip-poor-will
Whip-poor-will
The Eastern Whip-poor-will, Caprimulgus vociferus, is a medium-sized nightjar from North and Central America. The whip-poor-will is commonly heard within its range, but less often seen because of its superior camouflage...
birds that have descended upon Chapelwaite.
Charles feels compelled to return to Jerusalem's Lot. Calvin does his best to prevent it, but he eventually gives in and accompanies his master to the village. Returning to the church, they discover a horribly butchered lamb on the altar, lying on top of De Vermis Mysteriis. Charles moves the lamb and takes the book, intending to destroy it, but a congregation of evil undead entities begins to emerge, including those of James Boon and Charles' great-uncle, Philip. Charles becomes possessed and begins to chant, summoning forth The Worm with an ancient spell. Calvin knocks down Charles, which snaps him out of his possessed stupor. Charles then manages to set fire to the book. The gigantic Worm, heavily hinted to be a form or incarnation of the Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
deity Shudde M'ell
Brian Lumley deities
The Brian Lumley deities are supernatural entities created for the Cthulhu Mythos universe of shared fiction by British horror writer Brian Lumley.-Bugg-Shash:...
, lashes out from below, killing Calvin, and then disappears. Before Charles can recover Calvin's body, the undead James Boon emerges from the Worm's hole, forcing Charles to flee the Church once more. In his final letter to Bones, Charles announces his intention to commit suicide, thereby ending the Boone family line and its connection to the evil of Jerusalem's Lot.
The book concludes with an "editor's note" that attributes Charles' letters (as well as the death of Calvin McCann) to insanity, dismissing his claims of supernatural occurrences in Jerusalem's Lot. Finally, the editor notes that Charles was not, in fact, the last of his line; that a bastard relative still exists—the editor himself, James Robert Boone. He has moved to Chapelwaite, hoping to clear the family name, and notes that Charles was right about one thing: "This place badly needs the services of an exterminator. There are some huge rats in the walls
The Rats in the Walls
"The Rats in the Walls" is a short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft. Written in August–September 1923, it was first published in Weird Tales, March 1924.-Plot summary:...
, by the sound." The note is dated October 2, the same date as Charles's first letter.
Connection to King's other works
This story acts as a prequel to ’Salem’s Lot, and is also connected to the story of "One for the Road" which is a sequel to both, and also appears in Night ShiftNight Shift (book)
Night Shift is the first collection of short stories by Stephen King, first published in 1978. Many of King's most famous short stories were included in this collection.-Stories collected:-Details:...
. Both stories were later collected in the 2005 Salem's Lot Illustrated Edition. "Children of the Corn
Children of the Corn
"Children of the Corn" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the March 1977 issue of Penthouse, and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift.- Plot summary :...
" recapitulates the image of the ghost town, the corrupted church, and the worship of an evil being. Jerusalem's Lot was also used in Wolves of the Calla
Wolves of the Calla
Wolves of the Calla is the fifth book in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. This book continues the story of Roland Deschain, Eddie Dean, Susannah Dean, Jake Chambers, and Oy as they make their way toward the Dark Tower...
, the fifth book in the Dark Tower series. It is used as the place where the Old Fella finds what he later thinks Roland wants upon his coming to the Calla. Charles Boone's manservant in the story, Calvin McCann, shares the last name of Jimmy McCann, a character from another short story by King, Quitters, Inc., also collected in Night Shift. There is no further correlation. The title was also mentioned in Stephen King's novel, Pet Semetary, when Rachel sees a road sign listing hotels and motels, and among them is Jerusalem's Lot.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
"Jerusalem's Lot" has been adapted by artist Glenn ChadbourneGlenn Chadbourne
Glenn Chadbourne is an American artist. He lives in Newcastle, Maine. He is best known for his work in the horror and fantasy genres, having created covers and illustrated books and magazines for publishers such as Cemetery Dance Publications, Subterranean Press, and Earthling Publications. Mr...
for the book The Secretary of Dreams
The Secretary of Dreams
The Secretary of Dreams is a series of graphic short story collections authored by Stephen King and illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne. Cemetery Dance Publications released the first volume in December 2006.-Volume 1:...
, a collection of comics based on King's short fiction released by Cemetery Dance
Cemetery Dance Publications
Cemetery Dance Publications is a specialty press publisher of horror and dark suspense. Cemetery Dance was founded by Richard Chizmar, a horror author, while he was in college. It is associated with Cemetery Dance magazine, which was founded in 1988. They began to publish books in 1992.Cemetery...
in December 2006.