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The Reach
The Reach
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"The Reach"
Short story by Stephen King
Original titleDo The Dead Sing?
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreSpeculative fiction
Publication
Published inYankee (1st release),
Skeleton Crew
Publication typeMagazine (1st release)
Media typePrint (Periodical & Paperback)
Publication dateNovember 1981

"The Reach" is a short story by American writer Stephen King. First published in Yankee in 1981 under the title "Do the Dead Sing?", it was later collected in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew.[1]

Plot summary

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Stella Flanders, the oldest resident of Goat Island, has just celebrated her 95th birthday. She has never crossed "the Reach", the body of water that separates the Island from the mainland, in her entire life. She tells her great-grandchildren when they ask, "I never saw any reason to go." Stella comes to the realization that the cancer that she's known she has, and kept to herself, is in its final stages when she starts seeing the deceased residents of Goat Island. Her visions start with her dead husband inviting her to "come across to the mainland."

As her impending death draws near, Stella encounters more apparitions of the dead of Goat Island, and she makes peace with the knowledge that it is her time to go. Dressed in her warmest clothes, plus her son's long johns and hat, Stella heads across the frozen reach toward the mainland.

As she starts her trek, it starts to snow - the blowing wind, along with the snow, makes it difficult for her to find her way and she becomes afraid of being lost in the storm. Along her walk, she meets up with the woman who was her best friend, Annabelle, as well as several others. When the wind whips the hat off of her head, her late husband, Bill, appears and gives her his hat. She is surrounded by her friends and family and they sing to her as she crosses over from this life.

Stella Flanders is found, dead, sitting upright on a rock on the mainland. Her son, Alden, recognizes his father's hat. He comes to believe that the dead sing and that they love those still living.

Inspiration

[edit]

Stephen King's inspiration for "The Reach" came about from the story his brother-in-law, Tommy, told him while in the Coast Guard.[1] The real-life alter-ego of Stella Flanders lived and died on a small Maine Island, never setting foot on the mainland. She remained on a small stretch of land with a community so close, they were more like family. She had everything she needed on this island and had no need to cross the Reach until the day she died. Being intrigued by the idea of the Reach, and flabbergasted with Flanders' counterpart, King came up with the idea for this short story.

"The Reach" was the original title, but King changed it to "Do the Dead Sing?" when it was published in Yankee. When it was published in Skeleton Crew, King changed it back to the original title.

Reception

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Upon introducing Stephen King to an audience at Princeton in 1997, Joyce Carol Oates lauds King as a Gothic storyteller with his "startling images and metaphors, which linger long in the memory". Oates continues to praise King's New England saturated atmospheres as "a poetic evocation of that landscape, its history and its inhabitants". Oates mentions some of King's more gothic horror stories, most notable "The Reach", which she considers "elegantly composed".[2] The story won the 1982 World Fantasy Award for short fiction.[3]

Adaptations

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"The Reach" has been adapted by artist Glenn Chadbourne for the book The Secretary of Dreams, a collection of comics based on King's short fiction released by Cemetery Dance in December 2006. It was turned into a short film that was shown in the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 produced by Landon Kestinger and Iona MacRitchie.[4]

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
The Reach is a short story by American author , first published under the title "Do the Dead Sing?" in the November 1981 issue of magazine. It was retitled and collected in King's 1985 anthology Skeleton Crew, where it appears as the final story. The narrative is set on the isolated Goat and Sheep Islands in Maine's and explores an elderly woman's encounters with the amid her impending death, blending elements of horror, , and quiet introspection. The plot centers on Stella Flanders, a 95-year-old widow and the oldest resident of Goat Island, who has spent her entire life isolated from the mainland by the Reach—a treacherous stretch of water that freezes into an ice bridge each winter. As Stella reflects on her life through conversations with her great-grandchildren, she begins seeing ghostly apparitions of her late husband Bill, daughter Missy, and other deceased relatives standing on the ice, beckoning her to cross and join them. Despite warnings from her doctor and the dangers of the thinning ice, Stella ultimately heeds the call, embarking on a symbolic journey that represents her acceptance of mortality and reunion with . The story draws inspiration from real island and King's own observations of coastal communities, emphasizing the isolation and resilience of such places. Thematically, The Reach delves into the inevitability of , the blurred boundary between life and the , and the comfort found in familial bonds beyond mortality. King's subtle elements heighten the internal horror of aging and loss, contrasting the harsh natural environment with emotional transcendence. Upon release, the story received critical acclaim for its poignant restraint and emotional depth, tying with Dennis Etchison's "The Dark Country" to win the 1982 for Best Short Fiction. It has since been anthologized in collections like The Dark Descent (1987) and The Century's Best Horror Fiction (2001), and a based on the story entered development in the early , though it remains unproduced as of 2025.

Publication and Background

Initial Publication

"The Reach" was first published under the title "Do the Dead Sing?" in the November 1981 issue of magazine. Clocking in at approximately 8,700 words, the story appeared as a substantial, novelette-length contribution in the issue, which retailed for $1.75 and featured by John Frank. Founded in 1935, Yankee magazine has long focused on New England's distinctive culture, history, traditions, and landscapes, providing an apt venue for King's tale set on a fictional off the coast of . This regional alignment highlighted the publication's emphasis on authentic voices and stories from the area, resonating with King's own , roots during a period when he frequently contributed to periodicals beyond major genre outlets. Specific details on King's submission process for the story remain undocumented in available sources, though it marked one of his early appearances in non-horror-focused magazines amid his rising fame in the early . The piece was later retitled "The Reach" for inclusion in his 1985 short story collection Skeleton Crew.

Collection and Revisions

"The Reach" was incorporated into Stephen King's second short story collection, Skeleton Crew, published by on June 21, 1985. This anthology features 22 works, including 20 short stories and the novella "The Mist," with "The Reach" positioned as the final entry, providing a poignant close to the volume. For its inclusion in Skeleton Crew, the story was retitled "The Reach" from its magazine title "Do the Dead Sing?". No major textual revisions, such as expansions to descriptions, are documented for this version, distinguishing it from other stories in the collection that underwent more extensive edits. Skeleton Crew achieved significant commercial success, debuting at number one on bestseller list and reinforcing King's market for short fiction following the acclaim of Night Shift in 1978. The collection's strong sales underscored the viability of King's shorter works, paving the way for future anthologies like . A limited edition of Skeleton Crew, consisting of 1,000 numbered copies signed by King and illustrator J. K. Potter, was released by Scream/Press in October 1985, complete with original artwork and a fold-out poster. These editions have gained substantial collectible value due to their scarcity and the inclusion of Potter's custom illustrations for each story.

Inspiration

During the late 1970s, resided in , where the River's tidal estuary—known locally as a "reach"—provided a vivid real-life backdrop for his exploration of isolation and the sea's unforgiving nature. This area, with its shifting tides and remote island communities, mirrored the story's setting and reflected King's immersion in Maine's coastal environment at the time. The core inspiration for "The Reach" came from an anecdote shared by King's brother-in-law, Tommy, Tabitha's youngest brother, who served in the U.S. . Stationed in the Jonesport-Beals region of downeast , Tommy described a real woman who lived her entire life on a small island, never crossing to the mainland, a tale that captivated King and prompted him to write the story over a few days. This account directly shaped the protagonist's lifelong confinement to Goat Island, grounding the narrative in authentic Maine islander experiences. Local from Maine's coastal islands, including Goat Island near Cape Porpoise, further influenced the elements, with longstanding legends of ghostly apparitions of deceased loved ones appearing to the living during times of transition. These tales, rooted in the region's of shipwrecks and isolated communities, aligned with King's depiction of spectral visitations without altering the story's core. King infused the narrative with personal reflections on aging and loss, drawn from his family's encounters with elderly relatives facing decline and mortality. The death of his mother, Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King, in 1977 after prolonged illness, left a lasting impact, informing his portrayals of elderly isolation and the emotional weight of parting from loved ones. This work also connects to King's longstanding fascination with coastal ghost stories, where windswept shores and foggy reaches often serve as portals for otherworldly encounters in regional lore.

Narrative Elements

Plot Summary

Stella Flanders, a 95-year-old diagnosed with terminal cancer and the oldest resident of the isolated Goat Island off the coast of , has lived her entire life on the island without ever crossing the Reach, a treacherous separating it from the mainland. As autumn sets in following her birthday celebration, Stella sits on the rocky beach gazing across the Reach and begins experiencing visions of ghostly figures—her deceased husband Bill, lost relatives including children and grandchildren who died young, and other departed family members and friends—standing on the far shore, beckoning her to join them by crossing over. These apparitions appear nightly, urging her with calls and songs, but Stella resists, attributing the sightings to her advancing age or imagination, and remains determined to stay on the island. Her fellow islanders, concerned for her well-being, check on her regularly, bringing supplies and suggesting she consult a doctor, but Stella steadfastly refuses to leave Goat Island or acknowledge the visions. As winter approaches and the seasonal chill deepens, the Reach begins to freeze, forming a precarious ice bridge that locals occasionally traverse, though its instability makes it dangerous. The ghostly visitations intensify, with the figures drawing closer in her mind, and Stella grapples with her isolation as the island's population dwindles. The of Freddy Dinsmore, the next-oldest resident who also refused mainland treatment, prompts Stella to reconsider her lifelong aversion to crossing. In the climax, during a snowstorm in March, Stella finally decides to cross the frozen Reach on foot, embarking on the perilous four-mile journey across the ice toward the beckoning ghosts. As she ventures out, she encounters apparitions of her deceased loved ones, including her best friend Annabelle, who guide her; her hat blows off, and Bill gives her his cap as they sing. She reaches the mainland but succumbs to exposure, freezing to death while seated on a rock. In the resolution, her son Alden finds her body wearing Bill's hat, leading him to conclude that the dead sing and love the living; the Reach serves as a metaphorical bridge to the , connecting the living world of Goat Island to the realm of the dead beyond.

Characters

Stella Flanders serves as the central protagonist of Stephen King's "The Reach," depicted as a 95-year-old woman who has spent her entire life on the isolated Goat Island off the coast of . Born in 1884 as Stella Godlin, she married Bill Flanders and raised a family there, including daughter Jane, who left the island at age 14 to marry, and son Alden, a lifelong bachelor who remained on the island. Stella's grandchildren include Lois, Jane's daughter, while her great-grandchildren, Lona, Hal, and Tommy, visit her during summers and innocently question her about the mainland, highlighting her lifelong isolation. Afflicted by terminal cancer, severe , and encroaching , Stella grapples with vivid visions of the deceased, marking a profound as she confronts her mortality and the boundaries of her existence. The deceased family members play a pivotal role through their ghostly manifestations, symbolizing Stella's and emotional reckoning. Her husband, Bill Flanders, who died 13 years prior, appears repeatedly as a spectral figure, gently urging her to "come over" the Reach and join him in the , evoking their shared history on the island. Other lost relatives, including passed children and grandchildren from her extensive lineage, emerge in these visions alongside close friends like Annabelle, her best companion who succumbed to illness, collectively representing the accumulated losses that define Stella's endurance amid family tragedies such as drownings and diseases. These apparitions evolve from distant glimpses to insistent presences, culminating in Stella's decision to heed their call during the ice bridge formation. Minor figures, including the island doctor and other residents, illustrate the close-knit yet dwindling community of Goat Island, emphasizing its isolation and mutual support. The doctor, though rarely seen, represents the limited resources available locally, often contrasted with the advanced facilities on the mainland that islanders advocate for. Islanders such as Hattie, who bakes Stella's 95th birthday cake, Mary and her husband , who assist during hardships like caring for sick infants, and Freddy Dinsmore, the next oldest resident who also resists mainland treatment and dies of illness, collectively depict a fading way of life marked by shared resilience and reluctance to leave their home. Figures like store owner and widow Missy Bowie after her husband Russell's fatal ice accident further evoke the perils and interdependencies of island existence.

Themes and Analysis

Supernatural and Psychological Elements

In Stephen King's "The Reach," the supernatural manifestations primarily take the form of apparitions of deceased loved ones and friends who appear to the protagonist, Stella Flanders, on Goat Island. These ghosts, including her late husband Bill and best friend Annabelle, manifest visually as translucent figures emerging from the fog-shrouded waters of the Reach, often accompanied by auditory elements such as whispers carried on the wind that beckon Stella to join them. Unlike more malevolent spirits in King's oeuvre, these apparitions are portrayed as sympathetic and communal, forming a gentle assembly that reflects bonds of love rather than vengeance or terror. The narrative deliberately cultivates psychological ambiguity regarding the nature of these encounters, leaving open whether they represent genuine contact or products of Stella's deteriorating . Clues such as her advanced age of 95, increasing isolation, and vague disorientation suggest possible dementia-induced hallucinations, where memories of the dead blur into perceived presences driven by her of mortality. Yet, the story provides countervailing evidence through the apparitions' consistent, purposeful interactions—such as Bill's unmarked face offering comfort—that imply a transcendent beyond psychological explanation. This tension underscores King's technique of internal horror, where the terror stems not from external threats but from the protagonist's confrontation with her own psyche. The apparitions also highlight the theme of enduring community, as the dead form a welcoming assembly of souls, emphasizing bonds that persist beyond death. Central to these elements is the Reach itself, depicted as a liminal space—an ephemeral ice bridge spanning the turbulent waters between Goat Island and the mainland—that symbolically blurs the boundaries between . During winter, this treacherous pathway serves as a threshold where the living and dead converge, with the ghosts urging Stella to cross it as a for transitioning to the . The ambiguity remains unresolved, as the Reach's dual role as a physical peril and spiritual conduit reinforces the story's refusal to distinguish firmly between and otherworldly intervention.

Death, Aging, and Isolation

In Stephen King's "The Reach," the motif of aging is vividly embodied in the protagonist Stella Flanders, a 95-year-old widow suffering from terminal cancer, whose physical decline manifests in frailty, memory lapses, and a growing detachment from her surroundings. Her body, once robust from island labors, now betrays her with weakness and pain, underscoring the inexorable erosion of vitality in old age. Through Stella's reminiscences of her youth—childbirths, community gatherings, and shared hardships on Goat Island—King evokes a poignant nostalgia for lost strength and communal bonds, highlighting how aging isolates the elderly from their former selves. This acceptance culminates in Stella's serene resignation to death, viewing it not as terror but as a gentle release from bodily torment. The theme of isolation permeates the narrative through Goat Island, a remote Maine outpost separated from the mainland by the treacherous Reach, serving as a for emotional and physical detachment from and society. Stella, having never crossed to the mainland in her lifetime, represents the islanders' self-imposed , where harsh winters and limited access exacerbate , especially for the aging who outlive their peers. This isolation fosters a nurturing yet stifling matriarchal community, but it also traps inhabitants in cycles of loss, as friends and family succumb to illness without external aid. Death emerges as a transitional passage rather than an end, with the Reach symbolizing the threshold to the , frozen over in a rare winter that enables Stella's final journey. Guided by apparitions of her deceased husband Bill and best friend Annabelle, Stella reconciles with her past losses, finding comfort in familial reunion amid the ghosts' harmonious singing, which eases her crossing. This motif critiques the inadequacies of in 1980s rural , where characters like neighbor Freddy Dinsmore perish from treatable ailments due to the island's inaccessibility and absence of mainland medical resources, reflecting broader socioeconomic neglect of aging populations in isolated communities.

Critical Reception

Initial Reviews

Upon its publication in Yankee magazine in November 1981, "The Reach" (originally titled "Do the Dead Sing?") garnered praise for its atmospheric tension and emotional depth, with reviewers noting its haunting portrayal of isolation and the as a standout in the periodical's fiction offerings. The story's inclusion in Stephen King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew amplified its reception among critics, who highlighted it as a poignant example of King's ability to blend horror with subtle emotional resonance. Overall, Skeleton Crew was viewed as a strong anthology, distinguishing it from the collection's more visceral entries. Early reader feedback, captured in fan correspondence and horror zines of the mid-1980s, reflected its appeal to King's expanding audience, who appreciated the story's quiet dread and themes of loss over graphic scares, often sharing personal anecdotes of its emotional impact in letters to the author. Some contemporary discussions in literary circles debated its balance of sentimentality and horror, with critics like those in acknowledging King's skill in evoking empathy amid supernatural unease, though questioning if the emotional layers occasionally softened the genre's edge.

Scholarly Interpretations

"The Reach," originally published under the title "Do the Dead Sing?," tied for the 1982 for Best Short Fiction with Dennis Etchison's "The ." This accolade, presented at the World Fantasy Convention in , underscored King's ability to craft nuanced horror within the constraints of short fiction, marking an early validation of his versatility beyond full-length novels and contributing to his recognition as a pivotal figure in contemporary and horror literature. Scholarly analyses of "The Reach" often emphasize its integration of regional into King's narrative framework. In the 1998 anthology Imagining the Worst: Stephen King and the Representation of Women, edited by Kathleen Margaret Lant and Theresa Thompson, André L. DeCuir's essay "The Power of the Feminine and the Gendered Construction of Horror in Stephen King's 'The Reach'" examines how the story employs island legends of spectral visitations to blend elements with psychological depth, portraying the protagonist's encounters as manifestations of unresolved familial bonds rooted in local oral traditions. This approach highlights King's use of not merely as atmospheric device but as a cultural lens for exploring isolation and the uncanny in literature. Post-2000 interpretations have increasingly focused on "The Reach" as a meditation on processing. Tony Magistrale, a prominent King scholar, discusses the story in his broader criticism, such as in Why Stephen King Still Matters (2005), where he connects Stella Flanders's visionary journey to King's recurring motif of bereavement as a transformative passage, akin to rites of passage in folklore but infused with modern psychological realism; Magistrale notes how the narrative reframes death not as annihilation but as a communal reunion, aiding the protagonist's emotional reconciliation. This perspective aligns with Magistrale's earlier work in Landscape of Fear (1988), but his later analyses extend it to emphasize therapeutic dimensions in King's oeuvre. The story's legacy endures through its influence on King's subsequent explorations of widowhood and spectral Maine settings, notably in the 1998 novel , where similar themes of ghostly familial intervention and lakeside hauntings echo "The Reach"'s structure of grief-induced visions. It has been cited in numerous King-focused studies, reflecting its status as a seminal example of his short fiction's thematic depth and its role in shaping discussions of mortality in popular .

Adaptations

Short Films and Dollar Babies

Stephen King's Dollar Baby program, initiated in 1977, granted aspiring filmmakers non-commercial rights to adapt selected short stories for a nominal fee of one dollar, fostering low-budget productions and projects. This initiative enabled several adaptations of "The Reach," emphasizing the story's themes of isolation and the through intimate, visual . The program concluded new contracts after December 31, 2023, though prior agreements were honored. In 2018, Landon Kestlinger directed a faithful 10-minute of "The Reach," produced on a $200 budget over two shooting days in , capturing the original story's plot of elderly Stella Flanders hearing her deceased husband's voice urging her to cross to the mainland. Starring Carrie Dodds as the frail Stella, the film highlights her psychological journey amid visions of the dead, with supporting roles by Freda MacDonell and MacRitchie. It screened at the Corner as part of the American Pavilion showcase, providing exposure for emerging talent. A 2024 Italian Dollar Baby adaptation, also titled "The Reach," was written and directed by Luca Caserta and produced by Nuove Officine Cinematografiche, offering an international lens on the story's exploration of , generational roots, the passage of time, and . Running 28 minutes, the film features Jana Balkan as Stella Flanders and incorporates Bruce Springsteen's "Moonlight Motel" in its soundtrack to underscore emotional depth. It premiered at festivals including the Phoenixville Film Festival and International Film Festival, with subsequent online availability through platforms like trailers and festival circuits. In 2024, Mathias Taylor directed a 43-minute New Zealand adaptation of "The Reach" under the Dollar Baby program, focusing on Stella Flanders seeing ghosts of her deceased relatives, including her husband Bill, beckoning her across the frozen Reach. Starring Jos Falanitama, Mike Williams, and Benny Marama, among others, the film was produced by Taylor. A trailer was released in October 2025, but no major festival screenings or detailed reception information is available as of November 2025. Fan reception for both Kestlinger's and Caserta's praises their ability to visually convey the story's isolating atmosphere on Goat Island, with Kestlinger's version noted for its minimalist tension and Caserta's earning a 7.5/10 rating on from over 40 users, commended for its poignant handling of Stella's internal conflict. Reviews highlight how the films' low-budget constraints enhance the intimacy, aligning closely with King's original without commercial excess.

Feature Film Development

In May 2012, Park Entertainment, in association with DownEast Village Productions, announced plans to develop a adaptation of Stephen King's "The Reach," with a targeted budget of $12–14 million. Producers Grayson Ross and Jodi Hansell oversaw the project, which centered on the tale of 95-year-old Stella Flanders crossing a frozen reach from Goat Island to the mainland amid visions of the deceased. The production was actively seeking a director and prepared to pitch the package at the Marche du Film during the that year, though no specific production timeline was outlined beyond early development stages. As of November 2025, no further public updates have emerged regarding casting, script development, or progress toward production for this adaptation. The project distinguishes itself from prior small-scale efforts, such as student films and dollar babies based on the story.

References

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