The Little Sisters of Eluria
Encyclopedia
"The Little Sisters of Eluria" is a novella by Stephen King
. It was originally published in 1998 in the collection Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy
. In 2002, it was collected in King's collection Everything's Eventual
.
, whose quest for the Dark Tower is in its infancy; its events precede those of the body of the Dark Tower
cycle, but occur after Roland's experiences in Mejis as chronicled in The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass. At the time of telling he is accompanied by a horse and is already following Walter o'Dim, the Man in Black. He plans to eventually buy another horse, or perhaps a mule; which ties in with the events at the beginning of The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger.
Roland and his horse arrive at a deserted village, Eluria, where he encounters a feral dog bearing a cross-shaped spot in its fur attempting to eat a dead body. Roland scares it off, and while looking over the corpse, finds a rectangle-shaped medallion. Roland takes it, and is immediately attacked and rendered unconscious by a group of slow mutant
s, but later awakens in a hospital marquee run by a strange group of nuns. Calling themselves The Little Sisters, they use tiny bug
-like creatures they call "doctors" to heal his severe injuries. At first, they seem benign, but Roland slowly discovers that they are actually vampire
s, who bring stray survivors back to their "hospital" only to feed on them once they've recovered.
The medallion Roland took from the dead body in the village proves to be a sort of holy protection from them. He notices another "patient" next to him who bears a matching medallion, and Roland comes to learn that the dead man that he removed his medallion from is the brother of his fellow patient. Roland's wounds are eventually healed, but he is powerless to escape from his malevolent benefactors, who keep him weakened with potions. One of the Sisters, Sister Jenna, reveals to Roland that she had involuntarily joined the others, and longs to leave them. She sneaks a dose of a powerful herb
to Roland, which counteracts the weakening potions, and he slowly regains his strength until they are ready to escape. The Sisters bring one of the mutants to the hospital to remove the medallions from Roland and the patient next to him, since the Sisters are unable to touch the medallions themselves. The mutant realizes that the Sisters will most likely kill him after he has removed the medallions, so he removes the medallion from the patient next to Roland and slashes his neck open. The sight of gushing blood incites a feeding frenzy in the Sisters, allowing the mutant to escape, and for Roland to retain his medallion. The next night, Roland and Sister Jenna initiate their escape, but the other Sisters try to intercede. Sister Jenna reveals an ability to command the "doctors", who provide a diversion. Their leader, Great Sister Mary, soon catches up with them, but is attacked and killed by the same cross-bearing dog Roland first encountered. Roland and Sister Jenna declare love for each other, but alas, Jenna disintegrates into what may have been her natural state, the tiny doctors, while Roland is asleep.
Roland allows himself a moment of sorrow before his quest for Walter (and ultimately the Tower) continues, once again "quite alone".
In Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower, the "doctor" bugs make another appearance in the Dixie Pig restaurant with the vampires and Low Men
to receive Mia/Susannah
, and shortly after in the Arc 16 Experimental Station to where Sayre threatens Dr. Scowther. It is indicated in The Dark Tower that the Mid-World creatures known as "throcken" or "billy-bumblers
" are natural predators of these insects, specifically stating that "ever had [billy-bumblers'] kind stood enemy to theirs"
In the novel Black House there is a mention of the "Little Sisters" after Jack Sawyer flips to the territories with Judy's twinner.
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...
. It was originally published in 1998 in the collection Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy
Legends (book)
Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy is a collection of 11 novellas by a number of noteworthy fantasy authors, edited by Robert Silverberg. All the stories were original to the collection, and set in the authors' established fictional worlds...
. In 2002, it was collected in King's collection Everything's Eventual
Everything's Eventual
"Everything's Eventual" is a novella by Stephen King. It was originally published in the October/November 1997 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. In 2000, it was included in the game Stephen King's F13...
.
Plot summary
The tale features Roland of GileadRoland Deschain
Roland Deschain of Gilead is a fictional character, the protagonist and antihero of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. He is the son of Steven and Gabrielle Deschain and is descended from a long line of "gunslingers", peacekeepers and diplomats of Roland's society...
, whose quest for the Dark Tower is in its infancy; its events precede those of the body of the Dark Tower
The Dark Tower (series)
The Dark Tower is a series of books written by American author Stephen King, which incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. It describes a "Gunslinger" and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. King...
cycle, but occur after Roland's experiences in Mejis as chronicled in The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass. At the time of telling he is accompanied by a horse and is already following Walter o'Dim, the Man in Black. He plans to eventually buy another horse, or perhaps a mule; which ties in with the events at the beginning of The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger.
Roland and his horse arrive at a deserted village, Eluria, where he encounters a feral dog bearing a cross-shaped spot in its fur attempting to eat a dead body. Roland scares it off, and while looking over the corpse, finds a rectangle-shaped medallion. Roland takes it, and is immediately attacked and rendered unconscious by a group of slow mutant
Slow mutant
Slow Mutants are a fictional offshoot of humanity in the post-apocalyptic world of Stephen King's Dark Tower series.Slow Mutants are the result of a long-passed nuclear war. They have luminous green skin, and a variety of twisted faces....
s, but later awakens in a hospital marquee run by a strange group of nuns. Calling themselves The Little Sisters, they use tiny bug
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
-like creatures they call "doctors" to heal his severe injuries. At first, they seem benign, but Roland slowly discovers that they are actually vampire
Vampire (Stephen King)
Vampires appear throughout Stephen King's fictional multiverse. They appear in the novels Salem's Lot, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower; the short stories "One for the Road", "The Night Flier", "Popsy", and "The Little Sisters of Eluria"; and are mentioned in a number of...
s, who bring stray survivors back to their "hospital" only to feed on them once they've recovered.
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
to Roland, which counteracts the weakening potions, and he slowly regains his strength until they are ready to escape. The Sisters bring one of the mutants to the hospital to remove the medallions from Roland and the patient next to him, since the Sisters are unable to touch the medallions themselves. The mutant realizes that the Sisters will most likely kill him after he has removed the medallions, so he removes the medallion from the patient next to Roland and slashes his neck open. The sight of gushing blood incites a feeding frenzy in the Sisters, allowing the mutant to escape, and for Roland to retain his medallion. The next night, Roland and Sister Jenna initiate their escape, but the other Sisters try to intercede. Sister Jenna reveals an ability to command the "doctors", who provide a diversion. Their leader, Great Sister Mary, soon catches up with them, but is attacked and killed by the same cross-bearing dog Roland first encountered. Roland and Sister Jenna declare love for each other, but alas, Jenna disintegrates into what may have been her natural state, the tiny doctors, while Roland is asleep.
Roland allows himself a moment of sorrow before his quest for Walter (and ultimately the Tower) continues, once again "quite alone".
The Dark Tower
In Wolves of the Calla, Roland mentions Sister Jenna, noting that after Susan Delgado there was only one woman of note.In Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower, the "doctor" bugs make another appearance in the Dixie Pig restaurant with the vampires and Low Men
Can-toi
The Can-Toi are fictional creatures from Stephen King's Dark Tower series and related works. They are unofficially but more commonly known as low men, as in Low Men in Yellow Coats due to their often garish yellow clothing...
to receive Mia/Susannah
Susannah Dean
Susannah Odetta Holmes Dean is a fictional character from Stephen King's The Dark Tower series...
, and shortly after in the Arc 16 Experimental Station to where Sayre threatens Dr. Scowther. It is indicated in The Dark Tower that the Mid-World creatures known as "throcken" or "billy-bumblers
Oy (Dark Tower)
Oy of Mid-World is a primary character in Stephen King's The Dark Tower. He was introduced in the third book, The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands, and became a member of the ka-tet for the rest of the series....
" are natural predators of these insects, specifically stating that "ever had [billy-bumblers'] kind stood enemy to theirs"
In the novel Black House there is a mention of the "Little Sisters" after Jack Sawyer flips to the territories with Judy's twinner.
External links
- The Little Sisters of Eluria on Stephen King's Official Website
- Stephen King Short Movies
- Little Sisters of Eluria Website for a Dollar Baby Short Film (Spanish)