Poison is a short story written by Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...

 that was originally published in June 1950 in Collier's. In 1950 it was adapted to the radio program Escape

Escape (radio program)

Escape was radio's leading anthology series of high-adventure radio dramas, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947 to September 25, 1954. Since the program did not have a regular sponsor like Suspense, it was subjected to frequent schedule shifts and lower production budgets, although Richfield Oil signed...

. In 1958 it was turned into an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...

, directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...

himself.

Plot summary

The story is set in India during the time of British rule. The main character is Harry Pope and the narrator of the story is Timber Woods. He goes over to he and his friend, Harry Pope's house. Harry is panicking and extremely nervous. He claims to have a snake (the krait) on his stomach. He asks Timber to go get a doctor. He calls Dr. Ganderbai, a local Indian doctor. Timber and Ganderbai frantically try to get the snake off of Harry and save his life. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that there is in fact no snake on Harry. It is unknown if Harry was imagining the snake or lying. After this becomes clear, Harry uses many racial slurs against Ganderbai. Ganderbai walks out of the room and tells Timber that Harry needs a vacation!