Strawberry Spring

by Stephen King, Garrett Hedlund, (Narrator), Milo Ventimiglia (Narrator)

Based on the short story by Stephen King, Strawberry Spring is a scripted podcast set against the backdrop of the sixties revolution on the campus of New Sharon College. We follow a generation of students who don't trust authority, the futile efforts of the local police, and a young, determined reporter as he chases the bloody trail of Springheel Jack, an unrelenting, modern-day Jack the Ripper. After vanishing and leaving his murders unsolved, Jack is back - along with a new Strawberry Spring, a weather pattern with an unusual fog bank that rolls in every eight years. Using the fog to hide his tracks, he taunts New Sharon with fresh kills, each murder more violent than the last. The 8-episode season stars Garrett Hedlund, Milo Ventimiglia, Sydney Sweeney, Herizen Guardiola, Al Madrigal, Ken Marino, and Brec Bassinger.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Audiobook, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Crime

15 pages, Audiobook

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Stephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.

Reviews

[Janete on hiatus due health issues]

4,5 stars. An audiobook in Portuguese. I guessed the end, but I loved it very much. Wikipedia: "Strawberry Spring is a horror short story by Stephen King. It was originally published in the Fall 1968 issue of Ubris magazine, and collected in King's Night Shift in 1978. It employs a twist ending.

An unnamed narrator sees the words "Springheel Jack" in a newspaper. It rekindles memories of a time about eight years previously when he was at New Sharon College. His recollections are nostalgic, almost melancholy.

It was March 16, 1968 when the strawberry spring, a "false" spring much like an Indian summer, arrived. It brought a thick fog that covered the campus at nighttime, providing perfect cover for a serial killer called "Springheel Jack". The body of a girl was found in a parking lot, the first murder in a series. Several more students were murdered during the strawberry spring. The narrator describes the reactions of the college community throughout this time, and the contradicting rumors that spread about the victims. The police arrested Gale Cerman's boyfriend, Carl Amalara, for the crimes. Another murder was committed while Amalara was in custody, and the police were forced to release him. The investigation was made more difficult by the fearful panic of police officers, security guards (an incident is recounted in which an unconscious student is misidentified as a corpse, and sent to the morgue by a terrified security guard), and the students. No legitimate suspects were found."

[Eloy Cryptkeeper]

"Ésa fue para mí una de las noches más bellas que recuerdo. Las personas con las que me cruzaba bajo los faroles aureolados eran sombras susurrantes, y todas parecían estar enamoradas y caminar cogiéndose con las manos y los ojos. La nieve derretida goteaba y corría, goteaba y corría, y de todas las bocas de alcantarillas brotaba el rumor del mar, de un oscuro mar invernal que ahora refluía vigorosamente....
Estuve caminando casi hasta la medianoche, hasta que me empapó el rocío, y me crucé con muchas sombras, oí muchas pisadas que repicaban como en sueños por los senderos sinuosos. ¿Quién podría decir que una de esas sombras no pertenecía al hombre o el ente que se hizo famoso con el apodo de Jack Piesligeros? Yo no, porque me crucé con muchas sombras pero en medio de la niebla no vi ninguna cara"

Un hombre adulto leyendo el el periódico, ve algo que lo hace retrotraerse a su época de universitario y comienza a recordar sucesos que tuvieron lugar en su campus, en Nueva Inglaterra. Varias mujeres brutalmente asesinadas, por alguien a quien denominaron "JACK PIESLIGEROS", por jack el destripador y porque no deja huellas. Todos estos acontecimientos sucedieron durante la denominada "primavera de fresa". Un extraño fenómeno meteorológico, que envuelve alguna leyenda, y que solo sucede cada 8/10 años .

Un relato con muchas sutilezas y a la vez escabroso. Con una gran prosa y un final sin desperdicio.
Es un relato muy antiguo y primerizo(1968)

[BookHunter M ُH َM َD]

ليس كل غموض عميقًا. أحيانًا يكون مجرد نقص في البناء.

يعتمد ستيفن كينج هنا على أن يُبقي القارئ تائهًا حتى الصفحة الأخيرة، ثم يكشف الحقيقة دفعة واحدة. المشكلة أن المفاجأة لا تبدو نتيجة طبيعية لما سبقها، بل تبدو وكأنها أُلصقت في النهاية. وبعد أن أغلقت الكتاب، لم أجد نفسي أرغب في العودة للبحث عن الخيوط التي فاتتني. لأنني ببساطة لم أشعر أنها كانت موجودة أصلًا.

رمزية الضباب جميلة. فهو يحجب الرؤية ويشوّش الذاكرة ويخلق جوًا مناسبًا للرعب. لكن الجهد المبذول في صناعة هذا الجو أكبر بكثير من الجهد المبذول في بناء الحبكة نفسها. وكأن كينج كان يراهن على الضباب ليغطي فراغًا في القصة، لا ليخدمها.

ربما أعاد كينج استخدام فكرة الضباب لاحقًا بصورة أكثر نضجًا في ذا ميست. أما هنا، فقد بدت مجرد مسودة لفكرة ستتطور فيما بعد

رابط مجموعة وردية ليل التي وردت فيه القصة

[Hope]

A weird seasonal story from Night Shift

[Karla]

Story 3.5 stars
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator John Glover**

[Nicole D.]

an audiobook narrated by garrett hedlund with milo ventimiglia and sydney sweeney? what else could you ask for?
so so good!!! the best audiobook i’ve ever listened to. highly recommend it 🎀

[makenzie ⊹ ₊ (inactive)]

I don’t have much to say because this was literally 10 pages😭
It was nothing special, but it did what I needed it to do.





╔══════════════════════════╗
💖✨ 𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 ✨💖
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📚 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓣𝓲𝓽𝓵𝓮: Strawberry Spring
📖 𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻: Stephen King
💫 𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮: Horror

╔══════════════════════════╗
✨ 𝓦𝓱𝔂 𝓘'𝓶 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰
╚══════════════════════════╝
> Of course once I find a book I vibe with, it’s an e-book and my phone needs to charge. I’m just picking up this because I actually cannot stand ACOMAF right now.🌷

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💭 𝓔𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼
╚══════════════════════════╝
> I’ve heard this is one of his better short stories.✨

╔══════════════════════════╗
🌸 𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓜𝓸𝓸𝓭
╚══════════════════════════╝
> I’m actually very excited!! 💖💫

📅 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓓𝓪𝓽𝓮: [March 28, 2026] ✨🌸💌

[Rana]

القصة الحادية عشرة من وردية الليـل،

في الستينيات ، حل شتاء لم يأتِ منذ عشرين عاماً ، وكان كلما جاء الليل جاء معه الضباب وفي الوقت نفسه بدأت سلسلة من جرائم القتل الغامضة

القصة عموماً عن قاتل متسلسل ،

أول فتاة قُتلت اتُهم حبيبها بقتلها بسبب خلاف وقع بينهما لكن جرائم القتل استمرت ، وأصبحت الشرطة تشتبه في أكثر من شخص ، دون أن تتمكن من الوصول إلى القاتل الحقيقي وكانت الجرائم تحدث في الحرم الجامعي،

أكثر ما أعجبني فيها أجواؤها الضبابية
استطعت أن أتخيل المشاهد بوضوح ، وعلى قدر ما كانت الأجواء هادئة ولطيفة ، كانت مخيفة ..

والنهاية كانت غير متوقعه ..

[Nicole C]

i wasn’t a big fan of the narrators voice, but the twist was so obvious to me

spoiler:
even the memory was obvious to me
but it was obvious he was the killer since he was “recalling” every specific detail from 8 years prior ranging from (smell, dates, environment etc)
especially him talking about how he was enchanted by the killings (i believe that’s what made it more obvious)
also when the narrator said he felt relieved to find out that the bf did it… it could’ve been his subconscious mind putting him at ease that he won’t be caught

[Gillyz]

Somehow I rightly guessed who the serial killer was, maybe I'm reading too many King's stories lately?

It all started with The Shining and now I'm addict to stories of people who slowly lose their minds leading them to horrible paths. Of course it isn't new, this "idea" is also present in many of Edgar Allan Poe's, H. P. Lovecraft's, and other masters' stories, but I still find Kings' books original and special in their own way.

[Jason Pierce]

A mystery thriller thing about a killer who strikes only when it's foggy outside. I was tempted to give it two stars, but the ending earns it another star. It wasn't super great, or anything, but I didn't see it coming, and I like surprises so long as they're fair, and this was fair. No cheating involved.

[Anita Morrow]

Wow!! Took me awhile to get through this. Didn’t think this was the killer total surprise…..

[Asheley T.]

I agree that this is one of the more atmospheric stories from this collection. The description of the fog and the mist really make a nice picture in my head while I was reading. The narrator tells about how someone is murdering young females during these foggy nights. There is speculation about the killer and an arrest or two, but the police are having trouble figuring out who is doing these crimes. There is a great, great, great twist at the end. I really loved it. I loved experiencing the confusion and fear from the narrator as he is recounting his experience on campus during these murders.

Very short story, quite fun. Included in the Night Shift collection.

[Michael Sorbello]

It’s the coldest winter in twenty years and a mysterious fog brings out the bloodlust of an unknown killer who brutally murders five girls whenever this strange weather phenomena occurs. The perpetrator might just be closer to home than anyone realizes, including the narrator.

Pretty good story with an ending I saw coming but still enjoyed it.

[Marc-Antoine]

Playlist

Love Is Blue - Paul Mauriat
Hey, Jude - The Beatles
Scarborough Fair - Simon & Garfunkel
Hey, Look Me Over - Louis Armstrong

[Joy]

This is a podcast based on a short story. I really should not be adding it to my 2022 list. Unless a podcast is super long and time consuming, I normally do not add them. But, since I endured this thing to the end, it's going on here. I endured it while I was pulling weeds and weed whacking. I hate whacking weeds.

Why do I make myself finish Stephen King stuff? Why? Someday my eyes are going to get stuck in the back of my head from the rolling. This was no different. From the cardboard cut, idiotic characters (including the always present pre-Carrie King in the story) to the screeching anachronisms (is this the 70s or the 50s?). I gritted my teeth and endured.

Then came the last episode and reveal. WTF. I should have taken out the ear buds much, much sooner.

As an aside, there was nothing wrong with the voice actors or the sound production. They were good, in fact. I wish I could rate this higher, but this is GoodReads, not a podcast site. The story and script was just bad, bad, bad.

I pulled out a piece of whacking string from my pants yesterday. I have a scratch and bruise that will leave a scar. Maybe I'll look at it when I am tempted to read or listen to another King piece.

[IvyInThePages]

Rating: 4.13 leaves out of 5
Characters:4.5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 3.5/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Genre: Horror/Short Story/Thriller
Type: Podcast
Worth?: Yes

This has crossed my path a few times on Spotify but I always skipped over it. Today was the day that I decided to give it a go since Scribd wasn't able to play Firestarter by Stephen King. I am really glad I got to listen to it in a podcast because I think if this was just a regular reading I might have rated it lower. The cast was great and the story was pretty good for a Stephen King story. I did call the ending in a way which would have sucked if it had gone any other way.

So if you are looking for a quick listen or read I really suggest giving the podcast a chance!

[Barbara Senteney]

A short story about a killer who strikes in the strawberry spring, we call it Indian summer in Ohio. The killer is dubbed Spring Hill Jack is killing beautiful young co=eds at the local small town college. There were a few arrest but proved to be wrong. The victims were not only murdered but mutilated. Told from the perspective from someone who may be the killer, who has no memory of his whereabouts during the murders. Amazing

[Ben]

Short story eleven in King's Night Shift.

King's stories seem to work best, in my opinion, when he gives himself over to a very heavy brooding atmosphere. I can feel the fog, smell the air, when he talks about taking a walk at night during that strawberry spring. The tension of the story also becomes as palpable as the weather as he wastes no time weaving the story. Add the very satisying conclusion, and you get a simple yet strong showing from this collection.

[Elaine]

Found this on Spotify. It's a good short story about a killer called springheel jack who after 8 years is back killing people on a college campus while a fog blankets everything. The mist annoying thing was when the story did flashbacks it didn't say so I found myself confused about the story, also been on Spotify each episode was 35 minutes long with 2 sets of annoying adverts.
I slso guessed who the killer was going to be early on. This is a 8 episode dramatisation.

[Amanda]

Too good. I liked picturing the fog and the fairy haloes around the street lamps.

[Lance Lasalle]

Spooky and atmospheric, with a savage twist at the end.

[Lama]

Anything created by Stephen King is my favorite. I’m his only big fan , lol 😹!!!

[Sarah Rider]

First Stephen King story I have ever read; genuinely surprised I didn't find it too terrible as far as horror goes. When my Creative Writing professor, Dr. Guinn recommended it to me, I asked if if it would keep me up at night or scare me. "Not too bad," he replied, and it's the truth. I've slept great, but I haven't stopped thinking, and lowkey, I wish I could.

[ناني ماكفي لا أملك حساب ثاني]

Two and half stars
2.5🌟

[Nienke Tangelder]

geeft scream vibe

[#StopFascism2025]

Fairly classic King short story with a classic plot twist the reader can probably spot from a mile away

[Alexyss]

I read this with my English class. I'm not fond of horror or creepy stories but this one kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. just don't read it at night

[Christina]

A really underrated short story, with one of the most haunting last lines I've ever read. Still gives me chills.

[Noura Khalid (theperksofbeingnoura)]

Looooved this as a podcast 😍