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Here There Be Tygers
Charles is a third grader. He really needs to go to the bathroom and his "mean" teacher Miss Bird asks him if he has to go before she allows him, embarrassing him. ("Very well Charles. You may go to the bathroom and urinate. Is that what you need to do? Urinate?") Arriving at the lavatory, he peeks around the corner, and sees a tiger lying on the bathroom floor. He stands at the door, too afraid to enter.
6 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1968
1 person is currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,392 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 - 30 of 105 reviews
June 29, 2020
This story was totally unnecessary.
February 6, 2019
odd short story.
A boy believes there is a tiger lurking in his school bathroom. Um, okay?
Left rather ambiguous. This story just feels pointless. Witty but as I said; pointless.
3/10
A boy believes there is a tiger lurking in his school bathroom. Um, okay?
Left rather ambiguous. This story just feels pointless. Witty but as I said; pointless.
3/10
October 17, 2017
Short and Wacky
September 5, 2023
Charles is a third-grader that really needs to use the bathroom, but he's terrified of the basement where it resides and he's even more terrified of his nasty teacher Miss Bird. When he gets down there, his irrational fears begin to act up. Around the corner bend of the bathroom, he believes a tiger is waiting to eat him.
This story is pretty underwhelming and ends abruptly with no satisfactory answers or conclusion, but I think it's meant as nothing more as a play on the irrational fears of children like expecting monsters to be hiding in dark basements or monsters hiding in the shower when you close your eyes. It's definitely very childish and lacking depth by King standards, but not absolutely horrible.
This might be one of the only things King has written that would actually be appropriate for elementary school students.
This story is pretty underwhelming and ends abruptly with no satisfactory answers or conclusion, but I think it's meant as nothing more as a play on the irrational fears of children like expecting monsters to be hiding in dark basements or monsters hiding in the shower when you close your eyes. It's definitely very childish and lacking depth by King standards, but not absolutely horrible.
This might be one of the only things King has written that would actually be appropriate for elementary school students.
February 3, 2021
I am confused....
July 16, 2021
2.5 stars
December 21, 2022
My favorite author! But this one I didn’t get. Maybe I should do a reread. But I didn’t get it. A kid has to go pee, gets a pass, sees a tiger (which could be his mind playing tricks on him as that happens to everyone), a classmate comes and the teacher comes and then their gone. 🤷🏽♂️
January 5, 2023
An honest waste of time.
January 31, 2021
Bardzo krótka historyjka, która mnie szczególnie nie porwała. Fabuła jest prosta - mamy chłopca, który chce skorzystać z toalety, ale z jakiegoś powodu boi się. Odwiedza łazienkę, widzi tygrysa i chyłkiem wycofuje się. Pojawia się kolega... a resztę doczytacie sami.
Główny problem z tą zwięzłą historyjką jest taki, że nie ma jakiejś ostatecznej konkluzji. Przez to, że fabuła jest zamknięta dosłownie na kilku stronach na krzyż to niemalże wszystko nie zostało rozbudowane. Ponadto miało to mieć charakter horroru, ale w sumie tutaj również niewiele tego było - jedynym elementem jest ten tygrys. Z własnego doświadczenia wiem, że King ma w swoim dorobku o wiele lepsze krótkie formy od "Zjawi się tygrys" i lepiej na nie skierować swój wzrok.
Główny problem z tą zwięzłą historyjką jest taki, że nie ma jakiejś ostatecznej konkluzji. Przez to, że fabuła jest zamknięta dosłownie na kilku stronach na krzyż to niemalże wszystko nie zostało rozbudowane. Ponadto miało to mieć charakter horroru, ale w sumie tutaj również niewiele tego było - jedynym elementem jest ten tygrys. Z własnego doświadczenia wiem, że King ma w swoim dorobku o wiele lepsze krótkie formy od "Zjawi się tygrys" i lepiej na nie skierować swój wzrok.
August 5, 2021
Not really sure what I just read... Really weird and I feel like it had no point?? I feel like it had no place being in the book, totally pointless...
February 26, 2025
Dookie. 💩 the story builds some tension then ends ambiguous so no closure - does remind me of child like fears though
February 25, 2021
This is one of King’s earliest works, published in 1968 by Ubris, the literary journal of the University of Maine. King wrote the story as a high school student and that’s probably where this one should have stayed. It’s interesting as a look into the writing life of a young King, but as a story it’s absolutely unmarkable. Kid has a mean teacher. Kid has to pee. Kid discovers a tiger in the bathroom. Teacher doesn’t believe kid. Teacher enters bathroom.
April 16, 2020
A very short tale in where Charles a third grader student suddenly he needed to use the bathroom. But there's a tiger sitting there and it was as if waiting for someone to attack. Nothing much to say but it's a kind of odd and weird story but at the same time creepy enough to read...
August 11, 2020
It's a very short story, and a very ridiculous one. It's literally about a boy too afraid to use a bathroom, believing a tiger is there. Was there a tiger? Read to find out.
Personally I didn't find it to be scary nor creepy, just plain weird.
Personally I didn't find it to be scary nor creepy, just plain weird.
August 31, 2017
Very quick and to the point. Great short story although the ending is very ambiguous.
August 27, 2021
Yeah, no.
October 19, 2021
Muy simple, no pasó nada
December 22, 2021
Cute and short little story.
February 27, 2022
Je zal maar nodig moeten en er.ligt een tijger. De juf lost (het) op. Nice.
September 2, 2022
I don't get it
November 16, 2022
the narrator sounded like Kermit the frog
The story is about needing to pee super bad but there’s a tiger in the school bathroom. Will not be sleeping tonight!! Master of horror!!!!!!!!
The story is about needing to pee super bad but there’s a tiger in the school bathroom. Will not be sleeping tonight!! Master of horror!!!!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2023
How is this even a story?
June 1, 2023
that was short. 6pages only. atleast not a cliff hanger
November 1, 2024
Cómo dijo mi amigo más personal, Joe Exotic: WELL, I SAW A TIGER. AND THE TIGER SAW MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN.
Acabo de terminar de ver la adaptación animada que tuvo este cuento para el programa Dark Corners Films, lo pueden encontrar cómo Lily con algunas pequeñas variaciones a las que se encuentran en el cuento.
Me gustó mucho la historia, ¿Quién nunca tuvo miedo de pedirle permiso a una maestra forra para ir al baño?, pero con el clásico toque de Stephen King que a todos sus fans nos encanta.
Acabo de terminar de ver la adaptación animada que tuvo este cuento para el programa Dark Corners Films, lo pueden encontrar cómo Lily con algunas pequeñas variaciones a las que se encuentran en el cuento.
Me gustó mucho la historia, ¿Quién nunca tuvo miedo de pedirle permiso a una maestra forra para ir al baño?, pero con el clásico toque de Stephen King que a todos sus fans nos encanta.
March 28, 2025
This was odd.
June 20, 2025
short good .
August 9, 2025
Sérieux quel est l'intérêt de cette nouvelle bizarre et sans réelle conclusion ?
Si King a pu inclure une telle histoire dans un recueil payant, il y a de l'espoir pour tous les auteurs en herbe.
Si King a pu inclure une telle histoire dans un recueil payant, il y a de l'espoir pour tous les auteurs en herbe.
October 18, 2025
Just because random shit happens doesn't mean it's surrealism…
December 6, 2025
Bad, real bad.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews