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The Old Dude's Ticker
The Old Dude's Ticker" is a short story by American writer Stephen King. It is a homage to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", adapted to take place in the Vietnam War era.
Richard Drogan, a veteran of the Vietnam War, lives with an elderly man referred to only as "The Old Dude". The Old Dude has a cataract in one eye that frightens the narrator, so much so that he plans to murder the old man. After several nights of watching the Old Dude sleep by shining a pen-light through his door, he illuminates the old man's diseased eye, which is open. The Old Dude had been awake for some time, and the narrator speculates that he was very afraid and trying to calm himself down. Seeing the eye, however, drives Drogan into a rage.
Richard Drogan, a veteran of the Vietnam War, lives with an elderly man referred to only as "The Old Dude". The Old Dude has a cataract in one eye that frightens the narrator, so much so that he plans to murder the old man. After several nights of watching the Old Dude sleep by shining a pen-light through his door, he illuminates the old man's diseased eye, which is open. The Old Dude had been awake for some time, and the narrator speculates that he was very afraid and trying to calm himself down. Seeing the eye, however, drives Drogan into a rage.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1971
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About the author
Stephen King
2,401 books889k followersStephen 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 22, 2023
Read in Dark Screams Volume Six
Written in 1971-1972
First published in the Necon XX 2000: Twentieth Anniversary Commemorative Volume (2000)
Later reprinted in:
The Big Book of Necon (2009)
Dark Screams: Volume Six (2017)
Written in 1971-1972
First published in the Necon XX 2000: Twentieth Anniversary Commemorative Volume (2000)
Later reprinted in:
The Big Book of Necon (2009)
Dark Screams: Volume Six (2017)
December 30, 2021
Not one of Stephen King’s better books but still it’s good. First of all, it was only 13 pages. When I borrowed it from a library I did not know that. All I knew was that I’d never read this book as far as I could remember. And then I got a notice that it would be returned in a short while unless I renewed it. Well, I opened it, saw how short it is and read it right away.
This is a retelling of one of the most famous books ever written, “The Tell Tale Heart.” There was nothing new about it except that the main character was a Vietnam vet who probably had PTSD. It was okay. Just okay.
This is a retelling of one of the most famous books ever written, “The Tell Tale Heart.” There was nothing new about it except that the main character was a Vietnam vet who probably had PTSD. It was okay. Just okay.
November 15, 2018
a solid 3 stars... neat to see Baby King tales, and this one isn't too bad... a bit rough, and heavy on the jargon-ized writing... not quite sure Poe would be reaching back/up/forward from the aether to congratulate SK for the effort, but he'd probably send a spirit-lackey with a teeny gold star for King to pin on his lapel... a bit too close to "The Tell-Tale Heart" to be an homage, if you were to ask me...
November 4, 2018
Short, sharp re-imagining of Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" ....Bachman Perhaps?!
March 6, 2019
This rare and hard-to-find Stephen King short story can be found in the horror anthology Dark Screams (Volume 6). This short story was originally published in the early 1970s. It's not very good.
August 18, 2025
I dig it. Carries pieces of history
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews