George Mendoza* does it again! I first stumbled upon Mr. Mendoza’s works through one of his collaborations, The Good Luck Spider: And Other Bad Luck Stories (1970, Doubleday), which was illustrated by the avuncular Gahan Wilson. Since I also happen to be a Mercer Meyer (last mentioned on this blog by ds in 2018!) fan, I did not tarry nor hesitate when I learned, a few years ago, of a dusty tome entitled The Crack in the Wall & Other Terribly Weird Tales (1968, The Dial Press).
Here’s a look at the book’s first yarn, The Devil’s Pocket, a sort of cautionary folk tale/urban legend.
« It was an old, abandoned Vermont quarry, and the two brothers were forbidden to ever climb down into it or even go near it. » « … their father would look up under his glasses, and in his deepest voice he would say, “It’s the devil’s pocket — don’t ever throw a penny into it!” »« But the more stories the boys heard about the quarry, the more fascinated they became with the devil’s pocket. »Mercer Meyer’s uncanny ability to invest the inanimate with animist animosity is on virtuosic display here.« “I’m not afraid,” said Marty, looking down into the bottom of the quarry. “I’m going to throw a penny into it!” »« But it was too late. Marty was already running down the side of the quarry. » « I’m scared,” Marty whimpered, stuffing the penny into his pocket. “Let’s go home.” »« That night both boys had the same dream. They dreamed that the devil’s pocket was calling them, calling them to give back the penny. »« Perhaps it was only a dream, but when morning came, the two brothers found themselves huddled together in one bed, and the penny was gone! »And here’s the front cover of this delightful tome. It’s not cheap, but not entirely unaffordable, either.
-RG
*kudos to fellow blogger Antmusic for digging up as much as could be reasonably dug up about the elusive Mr. Mendoza.
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