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''The Mist'' is a horror novella by the American author Stephen King, in which the small town of Bridgton, Maine is suddenly enveloped in an unnatural mist that conceals otherworldly monsters. It was first published as the first and longest story of the horror anthology ''Dark Forces'' in 1980. A slightly edited version was included in King's collection ''Skeleton Crew'' (1985). The story is the longest entry in ''Skeleton Crew'' and occupies the first 134 pages. To coincide with the theatrical release of the film based on the novella, ''The Mist'' was republished as a stand-alone paperback book by Signet on October 2, 2007. ==Summary== The morning after a violent thunderstorm, a thick unnatural mist quickly spreads across the small town of Bridgton, Maine, reducing visibility to near-zero and concealing numerous species of bizarre creatures which viciously attack anyone and anything that ventures out into the open. The bulk of the story details the plight of a large group of people who become trapped while shopping in the town supermarket, among them a commercial artist named David Drayton (the protagonist and narrator), David's young son Billy, and their estranged neighbor Brent Norton, who accompanied them into town after a tree smashed Brent's car. Amongst others trapped in the market are a young woman named Amanda Dumfries and two soldiers from a nearby military installation, home to what is referred to as "The Arrowhead Project". The two soldiers' eventual joint suicide lends some credence to the theory that this Project was the source of the disaster. Soon after the mist develops, something plugs the store generator's exhaust vent. When a young bag boy named Norm steps outside to fix the problem, he is pulled into the mist by a swarm of tentacles. David and Ollie Weeks, the store's assistant manager, witness Norm's death and try to convince the remaining survivors of the danger lurking outside. Norton and a small group of others refuse to believe, accusing David of lying. They venture out into the mist to seek help, where they are killed by a huge, unseen creature. This, along with a deadly incursion into the store by a pterosaur-like creature and a disastrous expedition to the pharmacy next door, lead to paranoia and panic consuming the remaining survivors. This spiraling breakdown leads to the rise to power of a religious zealot named Mrs. Carmody, who convinces most of the remaining survivors that these events fulfill the biblical prophecy of the end time, and that a human sacrifice must be made to save them from God's wrath. David and Ollie attempt to lead their remaining allies in a covert exit from the market, but are stopped by Mrs. Carmody, who orders her followers to kill her chosen victims: Billy and Amanda. However, Ollie, using a revolver found in Amanda's purse, kills Mrs. Carmody, causing her congregation to break up. En route to David's car, Ollie is bisected by the claw of a very large creature similar to a giant lobster or crab. David, Billy, Amanda, and elderly, yet tough, school teacher Hilda Reppler reach the car and leave Bridgton, driving south for hours through a mist-shrouded, monster-filled New England. After finding refuge for the night, David listens to a radio and, through the overwhelming static, possibly hears a single word broadcast: "Hartford". With that one shred of hope, he prepares to drive on into an uncertain future. This ending was used as an alternate ending to the film adaption, with a few changes being made. It showed David and his party driving through a mist-ridden New England, but towards the end, a visual narrative taken from the novella is shown. As the camera pans out it shows mountains, oceans, and eventually the entire Earth covered in the monster-filled mist. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Mist」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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