Who Said This?

Quite so. What became of the Bowie girl mentioned in the book?*

* besides joining the un-dead, I mean.

She married Royce McDougall and had baby Randy, and ended up living in 'the bend' in one of Larry Crockett's mobile homes.

This question from a couple of posts ago:

What was the biblical story that inspired Father Callahan's calling to the priesthood

I see that the biblical story question has been answered.

Staying with Father Callahan: It is mentioned on several occasions that the priest liked to 'tip the bottle' and that's fine and good. However, it is only mentioned once that he had 'good taste' in alcohol. With that in mind:

What was Father Callahan's favorite drink?

Gary, if we keep up the way we are going we will have to form a quiz team on a TV program like 'Mastermind' with 'Salem's Lot' as a specialist subject!

Should we feel honored or downright embarrassed, with our scope of knowledge?

What was Father Callahan's favorite drink?

Gary, if we keep up the way we are going we will have to form a quiz team on a TV program like 'Mastermind' with 'Salem's Lot' as a specialist subject!

Should we feel honored or downright embarrassed, with our scope of knowledge?

Maury Green.

That leads us nicely into our next question:

For what specific reason would Maury Green have no problem with doing Jimmy Cody a favor?

Just to re-iterate what Gary mentioned about, the thread here is inclusive and not exclusive.

What that means is that anyone at all is welcome to join the discussion. There are no membership requirements - aside for a liking for Salem's Lot, that is.

Maury Green.

That leads us nicely into our next question:

For what specific reason would Maury Green have no problem with doing Jimmy Cody a favor?

Just to re-iterate what Gary mentioned about, the thread here is inclusive and not exclusive.

What that means is that anyone at all is welcome to join the discussion. There are no membership requirements - aside for a liking for Salem's Lot, that is.

Associated Catholic Priests of the Bottle and Knights of the Cutty Sark.

Father Callahan attempted to banish Barlow with a crucifix.

Thinking caps on Salem's Lot fans, for an intentionally difficult question:

Where did the crucifix originally come from?

Associated Catholic Priests of the Bottle and Knights of the Cutty Sark.

Father Callahan attempted to banish Barlow with a crucifix.

Thinking caps on Salem's Lot fans, for an intentionally difficult question:

Where did the crucifix originally come from?

This concerns the school bully.

What was his name?

What was he going to do when he grew up?

What could he imagine happened when he walked?

Ok, Gary good answer.

The crucifix was from Dublin (in Ireland) it belonged to Callahan's mother.

The line from the novel reads:

'The cross trembled in his hand and suddenly all its light was gone. It was only a piece of plaster that his mother had bought in a Dublin souvenir shop, probably at a scalper’s price.'

In answer to the previous post:

The school bully was called Ritchie Boddin.

He was going to smoke camels (like his old man) when he grew up.

He could feel the ground tremor under his feet when he walked.

And he was proud of all of the above.

Next question coming up:

After Ben and Mark filled ampules full of holy water in the Church, what (rather strange) ceremony did they preform, and why?

After Ben and Mark filled ampules full of holy water in the Church, what (rather strange) ceremony did they preform, and why?

Correct!

Very well answered, my hat's off to you, as you are rather good at this game... that is impressive to say the least!

IIRC the apostrophe of Dell's sign was a high-ball glass.

Again that's wthout looking at the book, but it stuck in my mind as an oddity.

What was the particular name given to Father Callahan's personal childhood bogeyman?

P.S. I am originally from Ireland but I do not live there now.

IIRC the apostrophe of Dell's sign was a high-ball glass.

Again that's wthout looking at the book, but it stuck in my mind as an oddity.

What was the particular name given to Father Callahan's personal childhood bogeyman?

A dropped cigarette in the woods?

A dropped cigarette in the woods?

No-one in town knew that the fire was set.

It is in 'The town had secrets' section of the book.

The line is as follows:

They know that a fire burned up half of the town in that smoke-hazed September of 1951, but they don’t know that it was set, and they don’t know that the boy who set it graduated valedictorian of his class in 1953 and went on to make a hundred thousand dollars on Wall Street, and even if they had known, they would not have known the compulsion that drove him to it or the way it ate at his mind for the next twenty years of his life, until a brain embolism hustled him into his grave at the age of forty-six.

So there.

It has been noted on here that Sandy McDougall eventually joined the ranks of the undead.

However - before that event took place - For what reason would she never be able to stand the sight of chocolate custard?

There is a definite answer, and it is not because vampires have no reason to eat chocolate custard!

It has been noted on here that Sandy McDougall eventually joined the ranks of the undead.

However - before that event took place - For what reason would she never be able to stand the sight of chocolate custard?

Ben Mears is not Catholic, but Father Callahan hears his confession, before he goes to confront Barlow. As penance the priest gives him 10 Our Father's and 10 Hail Mary's.

However:

Father Callahan had a different penance in mind when he heard Sandy's confession that she had hit her baby Randy.

What was the penance that Father Callahan had in mind for her?

(Clue: it was not prayers!)

Ben Mears is not Catholic, but Father Callahan hears his confession, before he goes to confront Barlow. As penance the priest gives him 10 Our Father's and 10 Hail Mary's.

However:

Father Callahan had a different penance in mind when he heard Sandy's confession that she had hit her baby Randy.

What was the penance that Father Callahan had in mind for her?

(Clue: it was not prayers!)

PS: the penance contemplated by the good Father would have been poetic justice, would it not?

Well said, Gary!

OK, next up a (relatively easy) question:

Ben and Susan go on their first date to the movies. Sue never mentioned a movie by name, but she mentions a 'type' of movie that she wanted to see.

What was the kind of movie she wanted to go to?

What was the kind of movie she wanted to go to?

Yes the answer on the chocolate custard was fine.

The fact is that Sandy would never be able to stand the sight of the stuff after trying to feed it to her dead baby son, so it always be a reminder of the event, hence her hatred of it.

On the stake question:

A hard wood was needed.

Yellow ash - or as King put it: 'ash was for men'

Yes that was a little bit easy.

What project had Henry Petrie been working on in his basement before Ben went down to make stakes with the lathe?

he was building a time machine

That's an interesting thought 'Stones78', but I think that we should keep in mind that Salem's Lot is a horror and NOT a Sci-fi as your answer would suggest!

Anyone else care to take a guess?

Cheers for now.

Anyone else care to take a guess?

Hi Gary,

That's the correct answer.

Glad to know you are back, alive and in one piece! Long may you run.

This a question which is particularly for you to answer. I understand that you have written and published novels previously. Again long may it continue.

This is a query which came up either here or on the IMDb board for 'The Stand' and I'm going to repeat it here as part of the quiz:

When Parkins comes to question Ben - after the disappearance of Ralphie Glick - Ben objects to Parkins reading his 'work in progress' after a tense moment Ben then quotes a observation that Mark Twain made about writers.

What was the Mark Twain quote?

Glad to know you are back, alive and in one piece! Long may you run.

This a question which is particularly for you to answer. I understand that you have written and published novels previously. Again long may it continue.

This is a query which came up either here or on the IMDb board for 'The Stand' and I'm going to repeat it here as part of the quiz:

When Parkins comes to question Ben - after the disappearance of Ralphie Glick - Ben objects to Parkins reading his 'work in progress' after a tense moment Ben then quotes a observation that Mark Twain made about writers.

What was the Mark Twain quote?

Yes indeed, that's correct.

The line from the novel is as follows:

Parkins smiled and moved away. ‘Good enough. I doubt like hell that it’s a signed confession to anything, anyway.’

Ben smiled back. ‘Mark Twain said a novel was a confession to everything by a man who had never done anything.’

In all honesty I'm not sure that I would be able to answer as many questions on 'The Stand' as I can on SL. I have seen / read / listened to Salem's Lot on more occasions than my self-respect will allow me to admit to, however having said that I have only ever read 'The Stand' once (in 1997) and seen the movie version twice.

By all means DO start a thread on the board for 'The Stand' but if you want the thread to take off, you will need to get in contact with someone else who is a fan of the novel.

Just a thought, but by all means give it a try.

And for our next question as follows:

The character of Eva Miller was not catholic, but for what reason was she able to supply Ben with a crucifix?

Let's see how you get on with that, and feel free to pose another question at the end.

Cheers for now.

The character of Eva Miller was not catholic, but for what reason was she able to supply Ben with a crucifix?

Let's see how you get on with that, and feel free to pose another question at the end.

Mark Petrie.

After he considers the fate of the Glick brothers, his thinking is as follows:

'Mark knew what perverts were. They did something to you that got their rocks off and when they were done they strangled you (in the comic books, the guy getting strangled always said Arrrgggh) and buried you in a gravel pit or under the boards of a deserted shed. If a sex pervert ever offered him candy, he would kick him in the balls and then run like a split streak.'

So there.

Who said the following line:

'There are no atheists in the foxholes, I’ve been told, and precious few agnostics in the
Intensive Care ward.’

EEEHHHHH!! Wrong answer, my fine friend.

True; Mark was concerned about perverts, but please look very carefully at the word 'prevert'. I concocted a bit of a trap for the unwary fly* and it seems to have caught something.

Father Callahan made the statement about atheists. I knew immediately that it was either he or Matt Burke, but my suspicions inclined more towards the good padre, so I looked it up and confirmed it.


* A line straight out of the 1931 movie Dracula.

Hahahaha! Good catch Gary!

OK I had to seriously dig into my memory for a few minutes before this one would come, and then I had to look it up after that - You really like to keep me working I see.

The answer is Danny Glick.

The line from the novel is as follows:

The boy Danny had heard discussed in the store was a ten-year-old named Jerry Kingfield. He might have gone down in the quicksand screaming and hollering, but if he had, no one had heard him. He had simply disappeared in the Marshes six years ago while fishing. Some people thought quicksand, others held that a sex preevert had killed him. There were preeverts everywhere.

‘They say his ghost still haunts these woods,’ Danny said solemnly, neglecting to tell his little brother that the Marshes were three miles south.

And now for another (intentionally) difficult question:

What happened to the character (only mentioned once) Gary Coleman?

What happened to the character (only mentioned once) Gary Coleman?

The book mentions 'an extinct colony'. Of what?

If memory serves me correctly the extinct colony was of Shakers.

After Ben bested Barlow, what was (later) left in Barlow's coffin?

If memory serves me correctly the extinct colony was of Shakers.

After Ben bested Barlow, what was (later) left in Barlow's coffin?

'The clothing. I thought it was the teeth, but upon checking, it was the clothing.'

EEEHHHHH!! Wrong answer. I don't know where you checked, but the stake and Barlow's teeth were there.

The line from the novel is as follows:

He went down into the cellar to get Jimmy’s body, and that was the hardest trip of all. The coffin lay where it had the night before, empty even of dust. Yet . . . not entirely empty. The stake was in there, and something else. He felt his gorge rise. Teeth. Barlow’s teeth – all that was left of him. Ben reached down, picked them up – and they twisted in his hand like tiny white animals, trying to come together and bite.

With a disgusted cry he threw them outward, scattering them.

‘God,’ he whispered, rubbing his hand against his shirt. ‘Oh, my dear God. Please let that be the end. Let it be the end of him.’

This has been by far the toughest question since the start!

I only came across the answer by a lucky chance, otherwise I would be here next week scratching my head.

John Lewis is the features editor for the 'Press-Herald' newspaper who wrote the story (at the beginning of the novel) entitled: 'Ghost Town in Maine?' about the (now) deserted village of Salem's Lot.

That was a tough one.

Here are two questions that are closely linked:

What did Ben Mears take from the Marsten House as a child, when he was there as a test of courage?

What was the name of the club he had wanted to join?

John Lewis is the features editor for the 'Press-Herald' newspaper who wrote the story (at the beginning of the novel) entitled: 'Ghost Town in Maine?' about the (now) deserted village of Salem's Lot.

That was a tough one.

Here are two questions that are closely linked:

What did Ben Mears take from the Marsten House as a child, when he was there as a test of courage?

What was the name of the club he had wanted to join?

Horris was from schoolyard hill who had advanced intestinal cancer, but believed that he had an advanced case of 'laser-poisoning' due to the fact that he was aware (in his opinion) that creatures from Uranus wanted to take over the town, and the Uranians wanted to take him out.

The line from the novel (concerning Father Callahan) is as follows:

'He [Father Callahan] had spoken at some length with an elderly man named Horris from Schoolyard Hill who had been in the Maine Medical Center with advanced cancer of the lower intestine. In spite of pain which must have been excruciating, he had discoursed with Callahan in great and lucid detail concerning the creatures from Uranus who were infiltrating every walk of American life. ‘One day the fella who fills your gas tank down at Sonny’s Amoco is just Joe Blow from Falmouth,’ this bright-eyed, talking skeleton told him, ‘and the next day it’s a Uranian who just looks like Joe Blow. He even has Joe Blow’s memories and speech patterns, you see. Because Uranians eat alpha waves . . . smack, smack, smack!’ According to Horris, he did not have cancer at all, but an advanced case of laser poisoning. The Uranians, alarmed at his knowledge of their machinations, had decided to put him out of the way. Horris accepted this, and was prepared to go down fighting. Callahan made no effort to disabuse him. Leave that to well-meaning but thickheaded relatives. Callahan’s experience was that psychosis, like a good knock of Cutty Sark, could be extremely beneficial.'

And now for our next question:

'It was just like that Chappaquiddick business'

1. Who said it? and
2. What (within the context of the novel) did it refer to?

And now for our next question:

'It was just like that Chappaquiddick business'

1. Who said it? and
2. What (within the context of the novel) did it refer to?

Very good!

Hanrahan was an agent with the FBI who Parkins called when he was checking into the newcomers to the town - Mears, Straker and Barlow.

What item did the vampiric Mike Ryerson leave behind him after a fall from Matt's window?

Very good!

Hanrahan was an agent with the FBI who Parkins called when he was checking into the newcomers to the town - Mears, Straker and Barlow.

What item did the vampiric Mike Ryerson leave behind him after a fall from Matt's window?

That's the correct answer. Very good on the class ring .

'What was Dud Rogers' favorite daytime activity and what did he do it with?'

That's kind of a widely defined question, to tell the truth.

Dud liked the dump. He liked dump-picking which was his privilege.
He liked setting fire to different parts of the dump on different days.

However the most likely answer is this one:

He liked shooting rats with his .22 target pistol.

From the novel:

'Some years back, Dud had put in a purchase order for two thousand rounds of hollow-point .22 cartridges, and Bill Norton had grimly sent him packing.'

I think that covers everything!

What (in Matt Burke's opinion) was the most awful word in the English language?

Just to re-iterate what Gary pointed out above: This thread is open to one and all - Please, by all means - come along, feel free to answer a question and pose another one.

It was never meant to be a private forum or conversation. Come one, coma all.

Answer questions, pose some more questions...

Cheers for now.

However the most likely answer is this one:

He liked shooting rats with his .22 target pistol.

What (in Matt Burke's opinion) was the most awful word in the English language?

If you kind and noble gentlemen will excuse my absence for a little while, I'm going to do something that I haven't done for a while, and that is do some target shooting.

Cheerio.

Correct on the 'Alone' answer. Well done!

Charles Belknap Tanner was a farmer who kept cows.

One of them was called 'Jerusalem' who broke out and went wild.

Eventually, what became known as 'Jerusalem's Wood Lot' gave rise to the name of the village.

From the novel:

'It proves little, except that perhaps in America even a pig can aspire to immortality.'

And here we have another question in two parts:

1. Who made the statement: 'We won in Vietnam'? and
2. Why (within the context of the novel) was it important?

Think it over and post with any thoughts.

Cheers for now.

And here we have another question in two parts:

1. Who made the statement: 'We won in Vietnam'? and
2. Why (within the context of the novel) was it important?

Hi there, I hope you enjoyed the target practice! Long may your aim be true.

Yes the answer above is both correct and 'close enough' indeed.

The answer to your (easy) question is: Elias Jointner.

And now for our next question:

What item did Ben find in the confessional?

Clue: 'A touch of reality that was undeniable... This nightmare was real.'

Hi there, I hope you enjoyed the target practice! Long may your aim be true.

And now for our next question:

What item did Ben find in the confessional?

Clue: 'A touch of reality that was undeniable... This nightmare was real.'

Believe it or not I didn't have to look this one up.

He was going to throw over the priesthood and go to Hollywood to play Spencer Tracy!

Whimsical indeed.

Who was Bannock?

What part (if any) did he play in the story?

Who was Bannock?

What part (if any) did he play in the story?

Richie Boddin's dad or uncle...didn't he drive a beat-up truck? Pretty cool scene with them looking for Dud.

A perfectly good answer from Gary and a perfectly good answer 'Stones78.'

Stones, by all means feel free to join in the conversation.

Answer as many questions as you would like, but if you are going to answer a question, I would ask you to pose another question, so that the thread is kept going.

a) Answer a question.
b) pose another question.

Or alternatively:

a) Pass a smart remark about the thread.
b) Pose another question.

The line (about Franklin and his vehicle) from the novel is as follows:

'They were in Franklin’s 1957 Chevrolet pickup, a vehicle that had been Corinthian ivory back in the first year of Ike’s second term but which was now a mixture of *beep* brown and primer-paint red.'

The character of Marie Boddin is only mentioned once.

Another 2 part question coming up:

1. What might the character have had? and
2. Who would it have been useful to?

Cheers for now.

The character of Marie Boddin is only mentioned once.

Another 2 part question coming up:

1. What might the character have had? and
2. Who would it have been useful to?

Hi Gary,

That's a spirited effort, but I think you might be going in the wrong direction.

Mrs. Boddin was the mother of Richie (the school bully) and Straker did give her a poultice for her arm, however the question refers to 'Marie Boddin.' The text of the novel suggests that she would be Mrs. Boddin's daughter and Richie's sister.

As I said she is only mentioned once, and in a specific context.

If your still stuck with it I will give you the answer.

(Clue: She was a friend of Susan's)

Cheers for now.

If your still stuck with it I will give you the answer.

(Clue: She was a friend of Susan's)

Cheers for now.

Susan calls Ben when he is in the hospital. The dialogue from the novel is as follows:

‘Have you got a crucifix?’
‘Me?’ She sounded startled and a little amused. ‘Gosh, no.’
‘I’m not joking with you, Susan – I was never more serious. Is there anyplace where you can get one at this hour?’
‘Well, there’s Marie Boddin. I could walk—’
‘No. Stay off the streets. Stay in the house. Make one yourself, even if it only means gluing two sticks together. Leave it by your bed.’
‘Ben, I still don’t believe this. A maniac, maybe, someone who thinks he’s a vampire, but—’
‘Believe what you want, but make the cross.’
‘But—’
‘Will you do it? Even if it only means humoring me?’
Reluctantly: ‘Yes, Ben.’
‘Can you come to the hospital tomorrow around nine?’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay. We’ll go upstairs and fill in Matt together. Then you and I are going to talk to Dr James Cody.’

So the answer is that Marie Boddin might have been in possession of crucifix, which (obviously) would have been of assistance to Susan

And so onto our next - slightly easier - question:

Nolly Gardiner is Parkins deputy.

Where did he get his deputy star from?

Cheers for now.

Okay; you got me fair and square.

And so onto our next - slightly easier - question:

Nolly Gardiner is Parkins deputy.

Where did he get his deputy star from?

Homer McCaslin.

After he finishes questioning Ben and Jimmy the line from the novel reads:

McCaslin looked at him mournfully and shook his head. ‘You ought to write books with better sense. Like the guy who writes those Travis McGee stories. A man can sink his teeth into one of those.’

Ironic stuff, obviously.

What particular habit did Ben tell Matt was his 'family curse, I guess'

(clue: the 'curse' in question has no horror elements attached)

PS. The thread goes well: I see we have passed the 100 postings mark. If anyone reads it they will be well informed indeed on the novel!

Cheers for now.

What particular habit did Ben tell Matt was his 'family curse, I guess'

(clue: the 'curse' in question has no horror elements attached)

PS. The thread goes well: I see we have passed the 100 postings mark. If anyone reads it they will be well informed indeed on the novel!

The 'Hume' in question was Father Hume who was Father Callahan's predecessor.

Some people did not like his pronunciation due to the fact that he wore dentures. Father Callahan was a welcome change as he had a rich rolling voice.

What did the checkout girl say when Jimmy and Ben bought all the garlic they could lay their hands on?

From 'gary_overman':

'This has been an enjoyable thread so far and I look forward to its' continuing, but I'd like to say once more that it is not the private arena of elmadman and myself. Please join in.'

Gary, I couldn't agree more, and I would encourage all fans of 'Salem's Lot' to join the thread and the discussion. Ask a question, and pose another. You are most welcome.

Surely 'Stones78' ans several others can't be too far away?

Cheers for now.

What did the checkout girl say when Jimmy and Ben bought all the garlic they could lay their hands on?

Correct on the garlic.

Herbert-or-Harold was an old student of Matt's who came to see Matt in hospital. The only reason he is important (in the context of the novel) was that he was there when Matt had another heart-attack - which, incidentally, was the one that killed him.

Yes, a little bit easy, that one.

What item did Mark get for memorizing all of the 119th Psalm in Sunday school?

Cheers for now.

What item did Mark get for memorizing all of the 119th Psalm in Sunday school?

On the last question, I might have to ask you to be a little more specific.

Jimmy Cody talks to Ben in the hospital, about how no-one knows for sure how medicine works, and he uses a bottle of aspirin as an example.

The text from the novel is as follows:

Cody took a bottle out of his bag and tossed it to Ben, who caught it. ‘Aspirin,’ he said. ‘Ever use it?’

‘A lot.’

‘My dad used to call it the good doctor’s best nurse. Do you know how it works?’

‘No,’ Ben said. He turned the bottle of aspirin idly in his hands, looking at it. He did not know Cody well enough to know what he usually showed or kept hidden, but he was sure that few of his patients saw him like this – the boyish, Norman Rockwell face overcast with thought and introspection. He didn’t want to break Cody’s mood.

‘Neither do I. Neither does anybody else. But it’s good for headache and arthritis and the rheumatism. We don’t know what any of those are, either. Why should your head ache? There are no nerves in your brain. We know that aspirin is very close in chemical composition to LSD, but why should one cure the ache in the head and the other cause the head to fill up with flowers? Part of the reason we don’t understand is because we don’t really know what the brain is. The best-educated doctor in the world is standing on a low island in the middle of a sea of ignorance. We rattle our medicine sticks and kill our chickens and read messages in blood. All of that works a surprising amount of time. White magic. Bene gris-gris. My med school profs would tear their hair if they could hear me say that. Some of them tore it when I told them I was going into general practice in rural Maine. One of them told me that Marcus Welby always lanced the boils on the patient’s ass during station identification. But I never wanted to be Marcus Welby.’ He smiled. ‘They’d roll on the ground and have fits if they knew I was going to request an exhumation order on the Glick boy.’

If that is not what you are looking for then I have to ask you to give me a clue.

Virgil Rathbun says the following line: 'they don’t make these things half-right,’ What 'things' was he referring to?

Okay, I can see your point. It is not about aspirin; rather, it is a commonly-held belief that is false. I don't want to get too specific, if you get my meaning.

After all, I want to be thrilled by your acumen. 

Errmmm... Is this question about garlic?

From the novel:

They drove to the Cumberland Stop and Shop. Ben and Jimmy went into the supermarket and picked up all the garlic that was displayed along the vegetable counter – twelve boxes of the whitish gray bulbs. The checkout girl raised her eyebrows and said, ‘Glad I ain’t going on a long ride with you boys t’night.’

Going out, Ben said idly, ‘I wonder what the basis of garlic’s effectiveness against them is?

Something in the Bible, or an ancient curse, or—’

‘I suspect it’s an allergy,’ Jimmy said.

Not sure if that answers the question...

Errmmm... Is this question about garlic?

Hi Gary,

OK I have got the answer.

Jimmy Cody tells Ben and Susan about the state of Danny Glick's body - specifically how it will look after one week of burial.

From the novel:

‘When the coffin is opened, there’s apt to be a rush of gas and a rather offensive smell. The body may be bloated. The hair will have grown down over his collar – it continues to grow for an amazing period of time – and the fingernails will also be quite long. The eyes will almost certainly have fallen in.’

The commonly held belief which is not true is about the growth of hair and fingernails after death.

Can I just say, Gary, that my hat is off to you for a seriously GOOD quiz question!

I had to look into 'www.sciencefocus.com' for the answer to the question.

The fact that it gave me such a mental workout just goes to show what and good question - and in fact a good quiz - this has turned out to be.

From 'www.sciencefocus.com':

Do fingernails and hair really keep growing after death?

Not for long. The gruesome idea of nails and hair continuing to grow on a rotting corpse is fascinating. But it’s a myth – at least if you’re thinking of luscious locks and long, curly fingernails growing inside a coffin. Nails and hair may appear to keep growing, but this is because flesh shrinks as it dries out, retracting the skin to make the nails and hair appear longer. There is a little truth in the story though, because death isn’t an instantaneous process. When someone’s heart stops beating their brain cells die very quickly, but cells that use less oxygen can live a little longer. So potentially hair and nails could grow a tiny bit after the brain is dead.

You put me through my paces there. Thanks for that. It's been an education!

And now for our next (easier) question:

Virgil Rathbun says the following line: 'they don’t make these things half-right,’ What 'things' was he referring to?

The commonly held belief which is not true is about the growth of hair and fingernails after death.

And now for our next (easier) question:

Virgil Rathbun says the following line: 'they don’t make these things half-right,’ What 'things' was he referring to?

Excellent on all counts!

Francis Walsh was Larry Crockett's Boston lawyer. Straker knew about Walsh's existence in the first meeting between Crockett and Straker, which shows how serious Straker was in his intent. It is later pointed out that even Larry's wife wasn't aware of Francis Walsh.

Who was Bob Greenberg? (he is mentioned twice in one particular scene.)

Who was Bob Greenberg? (he is mentioned twice in one particular scene.)

At the beginning of the novel (Ben I) when Ben is driving towards Salem's Lot the text of the novel reads:

A big BSA cycle with jacked handlebars suddenly roared past him in the passing lane, a kid in a T-shirt driving, a girl in a red cloth jacket and huge mirror-lensed sunglasses riding pillion behind him. They cut in a little too quickly and he overreacted, jamming on his brakes and laying both hands on the horn. The BSA sped up, belching blue smoke from its exhaust, and the girl jabbed her middle finger back at him.

That one was a little easy, yes.

It is important within the story because it causes a flashback for Ben to a time when his wife (Miranda) was still alive, and the fact that she had been killed in a traffic accident when Ben had been driving.

Another two part question coming up.

Who gave a dog a bubble bath?
Why - in the context of the novel - was it ironic?

Who gave a dog a bubble bath?
Why - in the context of the novel - was it ironic?

Just thought make certain that you are still among the living. 

Hi Gary,

Yes indeed, I am in the land of the living, and pleased to be here, however I have not been anywhere even close to a computer in the last two days.

OK, my hats off to you on the Doris Day question. You score 10 out of 10 on that one!

The line from the novel reads:

After she hung up, he put the phone back in the cradle and stared at the TV, barely seeing the Doris Day-Rock Hudson comedy that had begun to unreel up there. He felt naked, exposed. He had no cross himself. His eyes strayed to the windows, which showed only blackness. The old, childlike terror of the dark began to creep over him and he looked at the television where Doris Day was giving a shaggy dog a bubble bath and was afraid.

I have to say that it is a line that stuck in my head even from the first time I read the book, which is a few years ago now. Ben Mears (as with all the other characters in the book) is fiction. Fine and good.

However having something light and frivolous happening while Ben going through and evil and terrifying ordeal in his 'real life' (of the novel which is fiction) made me really feel for his dilemma! King's writing was really able to put me on the spot there, and make me remember times when I had a hard time to deal with (in my own mind) and look around me at everything that was going on - and seeing people go about their everyday business like they either didn't know or didn't care (both of which were probably right at the time) really made me feel a sense of isolation and dread for my own circumstances.

The fact is that King was able to replicate that feeling perfectly with the paragraph above about Ben watching TV, was very effective in making me 'feel' something for the character!

Well done, Mr. King, and well done Mr. Overman!

OK, and now to the guns question:

Let me just begin this post by saying that firearms are not a specialty of mine, and most - if not all - of what I know about guns comes from media, i.e. something either from TV, books or news reports.

To that end I did indeed look up 'The Stand' thread entitled 'goofs' (can I just say that it is an impressive thread started by our very own Gary!)

From there:

gary_overman Jul 25 2012:

Very well; I'll tell what the problem was with calling the rifle that Larry had a .30-.30. It is the decimal point in front of the second 30. It should be .30-30. When Winchester introduced the cartridge in the 1890's, cartridges were very commonly named after the caliber (expressed at the time in the USA in hundredths of inches) and the number of grains of the then-new smokeless powder. Thus, the 25-20 Winchester cartridge consisted of a bullet that was 25/100ths of an inch in diameter, and 20 grains of smokeless gunpowder. The .30-30 Winchester had a bullet 30/100ths of an inch in diameter and 30 grains of powder. Later on, the practice of adding the decimal point to the bullet diameter was adopted, but the number of grains by weight of smokeless powder was expressed as a whole number.

For you folks that use the metric system, the closest equivalent of the bullet diameter would probably be 7.62 mm.

This was, I should point out, certainly not a misprint, as the same error was made whenever Larry's rifle was mentioned.

Admittedly, this was fairly minor, but if there had indeed been .30 grains of 1890's smokeless powder in the cartridges instead of 30, the bullet probably would have left the case, but it wouldn't have gotten out the bore of the rifle.

King, while he is one of my favorite writers, knows next to nothing about firearms and it shows. For some reason, he seems to have a fixation on World War II era weapons, having the guard at Stovington, Elder, armed with a 45 revolver instead of a semi-auto pistol.

Hats off to Gary, I'm off to think up another question.

Cheers for now.

What did Matt Burke suggest had caused the concept of evil in the Catholic Church to undergo a radical change in the 20th century?

Sigmund Freud. Rather than witches and incubi, etc, the main evil was a gigantic composite Id. Rather than Evil, it was evil. Or perhaps evil.

Or something like that.

And very good on the .30-30 question!! I'll hoist a diet pepsi in your honor!

Who was Pearl Ann Butts?

Pearl Ann Butts ran off to New York City to become a Ziegfeld girl.

I didn't even have to look it up because... Dang! I was going to ask the question myself!

OK... The Marsten House (obviously) had a reputation in the town for being haunted.

However, what was the one thing that Barlow said WASN'T present in the house?

I think that one is almost too easy.

Cheers for now.

OK... The Marsten House (obviously) had a reputation in the town for being haunted.

However, what was the one thing that Barlow said WASN'T present in the house?

I think that one is almost too easy.

Very good indeed.

Aggie Corliss was the lady who wrote to the newspaper.

The line from the novel is as follows:

When they threw the dress code out at the Consolidated High School, Aggie Corliss wrote a letter to the Cumberland Ledger, but Aggie had been writing to the Ledger every week for years, mostly about the evils of liquor and the wonder of accepting Jesus Christ into your heart as your personal savior.

Here is a two part question coming up:

1. What name had the fifty-foot stone cliffs on the outskirts of town been given?
2. What happened to cause them to be named in such a way?

Cheers for now.

Quoting the learned Dr Lecter once more: Very Good!!

It was called Drunk's Leap, because Tommy Rathbun, Virgil's tosspot brother, fell from it when he was looking for a place to take a leak. Presumably, when this happened, he was drunk.

Who was Gordon Phillips?

OK, all correct on 'Drunk's Leap'

The question on Gordon Phillips caused me to burn more than a few brain cells!

I knew the general area of the novel where it was mentioned but still had to hunt around a bit to get there.

It is in the newspaper clippings concerning the town towards the end of the novel.

It reads as follows:

January 4, 1976 (p. 1):

JERUSALEM’S LOT – A bizare car crash occurred last night or early this morning in the small southern Maine town of Jerusalem’s Lot. Police theorize from skid marks found near the scene that the car, a late-model sedan, was traveling at an excessive speed when it left the road and struck a Central Maine Power utility pole. The car was a total wreck, but although blood was found on the front seat and the dashboard, no passengers have yet been found. Police say that the car was registered to Mr Gordon Phillips of Scarborough. According to a neighbor, Phillips and his family had been on their way to see relatives in Yarmouth. Police theorize that Phillips, his wife, and their two children may have wandered off in a daze and become lost. Plans for a search have been . . .

All good.

Next question, after which I am going to risk going 'Off-Topic'

Who was (last name) Gendron?

And now... going 'Off-Topic'

Obviously (as we have mentioned before) I know little or nothing about firearms. As a result it was only because I was able to check the 'goofs' thread on 'The Stand' board that I was able to answer the firearms question, and in fact it was you, Gary who answered the question in the first place anyway - All I did was copy the thing.

Well and good.

I have to say that the thread on 'goofs' for 'The Stand' is actually a seriously interesting and educational read, although admittedly a lot of the stuff is 'Off-Topic'

Ii does indeed cover 'goofs' in The Stand (both the novel and TV version), however there is also a fair amount on there about the (real world) technical details of firearms, writing, writing about writing, and the nature of dystopian fiction.

Anyone with some time on their hands would do well to drop by there and get a wide-ranging education.

I read the entire thing yesterday, and is actually did fire off a few synapses for me as follows:

People such as 'gary_overman' and 'Jefbecco-1' who know a great deal about the technical specs of firearms and guns in general would do well to get (paid) work to proofread the work of writers who knoledge is not up to par on that level. Someone who was already working as a writer (not me) made that point during the ongoing discussion.

Well and good, and that is something for those concerned to think over.

Secondly:

The British actor Hugh Laurie (who used to play the part of Gregory House on House MD in the US TV series) is actually a very talented guy (he is a musician, actor, singer, comedian and autour) He once wrote a book called 'The Gun Seller' and the details are as follows:

The Gun Seller
by Hugh Laurie
Paperback: 339 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press; Reprint edition (October 1, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 067102082X
ISBN-13: 978-0671020828
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches

The book is an action comedy spy caper, and there are a serious amount of one-line jokes - enough to make anyone laugh.

The book is worth reading and a good laugh, but the reason I bring it up (in this context) is that it is also choc-full of technical details about guns and weaponry of all descriptions, and (although I am no expert) it makes me think that Hugh Laurie much have had some editorial assistance from someone who really knew their firearms specs.

As I say I am hardly the person to comment, but for people such as 'gary_overman' and 'Jefbecco-1' who really know their stuff it might prove to be well worth a read, not only because the book is a good laugh, it would also be a way of putting both the readier and the writer to the test on technical firearms stuff.

Anyway, I thought it might be worth a mention. I also might copy this post and drop it onto the 'goofs' page for 'The Stand' just for more info there, and to keep the thread going...

And now... (in case we have forgotten)

Back to the matter in hand...

Who was (last name) Gendron?

Cheers for now.

The kind words are much appreciated. Thank you. Jefbeeco, the other gentleman you mentioned, is a police officer and as you noted is a fellow gun person. He has read my story, The Pale Horse, and seemed to enjoy it.

Back to the matter in hand...

Who was (last name) Gendron?

Jerry Kingfield was a kid who had gone missing from the town. That one was not so difficult to find. It is in the section where Danny and Ralphie are together in the woods. It is also the section that mentions 'preeverts' which has been covered in the quiz.

We appear to be covering a lot of ground here!

From the novel:

They started up the other bank, slipping a little in the pine needless. The boy Danny had heard discussed in the store was a ten-year-old named Jerry Kingfield. He might have gone down in the quicksand screaming and hollering, but if he had, no one had heard him. He had simply disappeared in the Marshes six years ago while fishing. Some people thought quicksand, others held that a sex preevert had killed him. There were preeverts everywhere.

‘They say his ghost still haunts these woods,’ Danny said solemnly, neglecting to tell his little brother that the Marshes were three miles south.

What did Matt have in his house which (surprisingly) made Ben feel at home when he was there?

Cheers for now.

What did Matt have in his house which (surprisingly) made Ben feel at home when he was there?

Score one for 'jelly glasses.'

Father Callahan took his own garbage (UK read: rubbish) to the dump.

From the novel:

Callahan thought it over. ‘The dump’s closed,’ he said finally. ‘But the gate was broken off, so I drove in anyway.’ He smiled. ‘I rather enjoy taking my own garbage to the dump. It’s so practical and humble that I can indulge my elitist fantasies of a poor but happy proletariat to the fullest. Dud Rogers wasn’t around, either.’

And staying with Dud Rogers for our next two part question:

1. What did Dud (carefully) remove from a piece of furniture?
2. Why did he do it?

And staying with Dud Rogers for our next two part question:

1. What did Dud (carefully) remove from a piece of furniture?
2. Why did he do it?

The most likely answer is as follows:

At Danny's Glick's funeral his father undergoes a breakdown, which everyone (obviously) witnesses and which will make for gossip in the town.

Especially for Mabel Werts.

The line from the novel is as follows:

‘Oh, my,’ Mabel Werts said, and pressed her black silk funeral hankie to her lips. Her eyes were bright and avid, storing this the way a squirrel stores nuts for the winter.

BTW from a previous question (already answered by now about what was in Matt's house that made Ben feel at home. The answer was 'jelly glasses.'

Well and good.

The line from the novel is as follows:

The kitchen was astringently neat. On the small four-burner stove, a pot of spaghetti sance simmered and a colander full of spaghetti stood steaming. A small drop-leaf table was set with a couple of mismatched plates and glasses which had animated cartoon figures dancing around the rims – jelly glasses, Ben thought with amusement. The last constraint of being with a stranger droppedaway and he began to feel at home.

And now... moving on to our next question...

What happened to the character (only mentioned once) Sally Greer?

And now... moving on to our next question...

What happened to the character (only mentioned once) Sally Greer?

Errmmm... no actually.

It is mentioned in the section where Matt Burke ponders the fates of some of his ex-students.

The text is as follows:

His life had always been one of sweet evenness, a graph with modulate highs and lows (and even those had sunk to foothills since the death of his mother thirteen years before), and one of the things that disturbed it was the miserable ends some of his students came to. Billy Royko dying in a Vietnam helicopter crash two months before the cease-fire; Sally Greer, one of the brightest and most vivacious girls he had ever had, killed by her drunken boyfriend when she told him she wanted to break up.

I have to say that I am surprised you missed it because the very next line was about 'Gary Coleman' who had gone blind because of optic nerve degeneration.

The reason why that is odd is because the Coleman question already came up in the quiz, and was answered correctly by.. errmmm... you, in the past couple of weeks.

Odd, that.

OK, onwards and upwards to our next question...

What was Susan Norton's favorite swear word(s) that used to irritate her mother?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Weird; I just missed it for some reason.

Anyway, cleaning it up to avoid this site's profanity filter, it was 'Moose droppings.'

Who didn't like Brussels sprouts?

Well said on the 'Moose droppings.' line!

Both Richie and Derek Boddin didn't like Burssels sprouts.

(Two of them after my own heart I might add!)

The line from novel is as follows:

The Derek Boddins are having an Armour Star ham and brussels sprouts. 'Yechhh', says Richie Boddin, the deposed bully. Brussels sprouts. 'You eat ’em or I’ll clout your ass backward', Derek says. He hates them himself.

When Ben and Susan meet for the first time what did Ben say was the 'habit' he was 'trying to quit.'?

When Ben and Susan meet for the first time what did Ben say was the 'habit' he was 'trying to quit.'?

I get the feeling that regardless of how I answer this question I am going to get the wrong one.

I am going to go with Mrs. Norton, Susan's mother.

Ben and Susan have a conversation in the park as follows:

‘Mom said Parkins Gillespie was checking up on you. The new boy in school must have stolen the milk money, or something like that.’
‘He’s quite a character,’ Ben said.
‘Mom had you practically tried and convicted.’ It was said lightly, but the lightness faltered and let something serious through.
‘Your mother doesn’t care for me much, does she?’
‘No,’ Susan said, holding his hand. ‘It was a case of dislike at first sight. I’m very sorry.’
‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘I’m batting five hundred anyway.’
‘Daddy?’ She smiled. ‘He just knows class when he sees it.’

If that's not the correct answer then my second attempt would be Parkins (although truth be told Parkins did not lay blame and he was only doing his job.)

At the custom house what did Royal Snow say was on the invoice for 'Barlow and Straker Antiques'

(Clue: He did not say it was furniture.)

I get the feeling that regardless of how I answer this question I am going to get the wrong one.

I am going to go with Mrs. Norton, Susan's mother.

Ben and Susan have a conversation in the park as follows:

‘Mom said Parkins Gillespie was checking up on you. The new boy in school must have stolen the milk money, or something like that.’
‘He’s quite a character,’ Ben said.
‘Mom had you practically tried and convicted.’ It was said lightly, but the lightness faltered and let something serious through.
‘Your mother doesn’t care for me much, does she?’
‘No,’ Susan said, holding his hand. ‘It was a case of dislike at first sight. I’m very sorry.’
‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘I’m batting five hundred anyway.’
‘Daddy?’ She smiled. ‘He just knows class when he sees it.’

If that's not the correct answer then my second attempt would be Parkins (although truth be told Parkins did not lay blame and he was only doing his job.)

At the custom house what did Royal Snow say was on the invoice for 'Barlow and Straker Antiques?'

(Clue: He did not say it was furniture.)

At the custom house what did Royal Snow say was on the invoice for 'Barlow and Straker Antiques?'

(Clue: He did not say it was furniture.)

I will have to ask for clarification on the previous question as to who wanted to lay blame for the disappearance of the Glick boy on Ben. If it refers to the 2004 version then I have only seen it once and that was when it first came out.

OK, onwards and upwards with the next question:

A quote from the book is as follows:

'Nolly fell back on the one bit of conversational bait that Parkins had never failed to rise to'

What was the 'conversational bait' in question?

Cheers for now.

A quote from the book is as follows:

'Nolly fell back on the one bit of conversational bait that Parkins had never failed to rise to'

What was the 'conversational bait' in question?

Hi there,

All good on the last question and post.

That last one was a very good question indeed, and it caused me to burn a few brain cells. When I tried to think about it all I could think of was a pool table.

Just like the one that Eva did not want to sell.

It belonged to her late husband.

Whose name was... Ralph Miller!

Very good question!

What was the name of the man who owned the local gas station?

Cheers for now.

As the evil Dr Lecter would say, "Very good!"

That would be Charles James. He was called Sonny.

Who was Amy Rawcliffe?

Good indeed.

This question was a LOT easier than last time!

Amy Rawcliffe was a childhood friend of Susan's who owned a log playhouse where the girls went and 'tortured themselves deliciously' with ghost stories featuring the Marsten House.

And now...

When the Marsten House was later examined by the townspeople what - very incongruous - item(s) were found in 'The Saturday Evening Post' in the house?

Quite so.

When the Marsten House was later examined by the townspeople what - very incongruous - item(s) were found in 'The Saturday Evening Post' in the house?

Indeed it was.

The Boston bookseller acted as a go-between for a correspondence that was started between Hubie Marsten and Breichen / Barlow.

What was strange about the money that Barlow paid Milt Crossen with when he was shopping in Milt's store?

Very Good.

What was strange about the money that Barlow paid Milt Crossen with when he was shopping in Milt's store?

Well said Gary, yes, it was in fact Straker who shopped and paid Milt Crossen!

Ruthie Crockett spoke with a lisp (it is mentioned when Ben goes to dinner in Matt's house.)

What happened to Vic's Packard?

Very good on Ruthie Crockett.

What happened to Vic's Packard?

Good on Vic.

Ben and Jimmy agreed that a craftsman hammer was ugly.

It's a everyday and functional item, however they both imagined the work that it would be put to and Ben imagined that he would have to use it (and a stake) to destroy a vampiric Susan - in that context the hammer was 'ugly' indeed.

After Father Callahan was bested by Barlow what happened when he tried to enter St Andrews to pray?

Gary, I am going over to the Barlow thread now and will give you a response.

The door knob burned his hand.

Hi 'Stones78,' you are very welcome to join us on the quiz thread here.

I would like to ask that if you answer a question then you should pose another question, that way the thread is kept active, but please by all means participate.

OK, just time for our next question:

Towards the end of the novel when Parkins knows that something is very wrong in the town what THREE (3) items was he wearing to comfort and protect himself?

Cheers for now.

Towards the end of the novel when Parkins knows that something is very wrong in the town what THREE (3) items was he wearing to comfort and protect himself?

Very good.

Reggie Sawyer.

'Reg made good money as a car mechanic at Jim Smith’s Pontiac in Buxton.'

What was it that shocked Ben that Jimmy Cody called 'An interesting reflex'?

What was it that shocked Ben that Jimmy Cody called 'An interesting reflex'?

Very good.

In the section of the novel 'The town had secrets' which is poetic writing, Stephen King refers to the time when evil falls on the town saying:'its coming seems almost preordained, sweet and morphic.'

Well said Mr. King.

The character of Susan Norton thought that some fears were justified: 'You don't go parking with boys you don't know.' She referred to the 'old joke.'

What was the old joke?

The character of Susan Norton thought that some fears were justified: 'You don't go parking with boys you don't know.' She referred to the 'old joke.'

What was the old joke?

Hi Gary,

All good on the previous post, and an interesting post it was, as well!

"In an era of Watergate and oil depletion, she's an exception."

It was a opinion voiced by Jimmy Cody with reference to Pauline Dickens (next door neighbor to the Glick's) who already thought that something unnatural was going on in the town before anyone had said anything at all.

Further to your post: An interesting possible link to the Cthulhu mythos of Lovecraft, it would be necessary to get the early edition copy that you mentioned, or alternatively to ask the man himself (i.e. Stephen King) meaning that, at this late date, he might be the only one who knows for sure!

Extra credit question:

I presume that it means that the books binding was one of skin i.e. human skin, which would help to raise the books horror factor without any need to reference what was contained within it.

That is something that was rumored to happen in the Nazi concentration camps, that, and (for whatever reason) the covering to lamp shades.

How much truth there is in the above horror stories is anyone's guess.

Ben advises Matt to take a sick day after Mike Ryerson is discovered.

How long since Matt's last sick day?

Cheers for now.

Ben advises Matt to take a sick day after Mike Ryerson is discovered.

How long since Matt's last sick day?

Correct.

How did I do on the bonus question?

'The vampire of Dusseldorf' as referenced in the novel was Peter Kurtin.

Unfortunately for everyone 'Peter Kurten' with an 'e' as opposed to an 'i' was a real guy and anyone who is interested can read about him here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kurten

UFOs are only mentioned once in the novel. In what context are they mentioned?

Cheers for now.

How did I do on the bonus question?

UFOs are only mentioned once in the novel. In what context are they mentioned?

A good post there!

Correct-amundo on the UFO question.

The Malden question is a little bit easy to be honest!

An eleven year old boy was murdered in Malden and Hubie Marsten was picked up by the police for questioning. Hubie's employers got him off the hook as he knew too much about their bootlegging business, but it forced him to retire and he moved to Salem's Lot afterwards.

You made a good point on the book referred to as a 'grimoire' I have to say that I was never aware that such a word exited before (and I really should be, since I studied literature for any number of years.)

That's a good call Gary, and you, in turn, have thrilled me with your acumen!

I have read indeed read Stoker's evil fairy tale 'Dracula' a number of times.

Stephen King makes a valid point in the introduction to SL as follows:

'Dracula, although created by a man who never wrote much else of lasting worth in his life (a few short stories, such as ‘The Judge’s House,’ still bear scrutiny), is one of the great ones.'

That's an accurate - if unfortunate - point that King makes. It seems that someone as undeniable talented as Stoker should have done more, and yet it begs the question:

Would you rather be known for creating a shelf-load of pulp, instantly forgettable - or alternatively be remembered for creating one of the all all-time classics of literature?

An interesting query.

The novel 'Dracula' is available in many, many editions. A lot of the 'reading' that I do now is in the form of audiobooks, and that also means that there are numerous audiobook editions of the novel available as well.

My particular favorite edition of the audiobook is one that is narrated by Alexander Spencer and Susan Adams, the reason for the two narrators is that Spencer narrates all the papers written by the differing the male protagonists, while Adams voices all of the papers written by the female protagonists.

That sounds like it only makes a subtle difference, but it actually helps to add an extra dimension to the text.

I understand (from previous conversations) that audiobooks are not for everyone, but that is the one that I recommend in that particular format.

Onwards and upwards to our next question:

How did Jimmy Cody claim that Matt Burke had 'made all his money'?

(Clue: He did not say it was teaching!)

How did Jimmy Cody claim that Matt Burke had 'made all his money'?

Hhmmm... an interesting question!

It's been a while (a few years now) since my last listen.

In Dracula, one of the women is put under hypnosis (she has an empathetic connection with the character as he had partaken of her blood) as I way of knowing when Dracula would be travelling - Apparently vampires could only move with the tide, meaning only at either high or low tide.

Also I am pretty sure that Dracula transformed himself into a wolf on at least one occasion, either for purposes of cover or ease of movement.

However, putting the guesswork aside...

My final answer would be that I'm pretty sure that (towards the end of the novel) Dracula had to make an appearance during daylight hours (which he was able to do, but only for a very limited period of time.)

That's interesting, and I'm not sure if it's 100% correct, but I'll await your response to find out.

Also... since you have managed to fire off a few synapses with reference to Dracula, it brings my next point to mind:

There is a popular misunderstanding the Van Helsing is the man who killed Dracula, however anyone who has read the text of the novel should know that that is not accurate.

Van Helsing led the team of men, but it was Quincey P. Morris who killed Dracula at sunset with his knife (and paid with his life for doing so.)

Correct me if I am wrong here.

And now to get back 'On Topic'

A two-part question as follows:

1. Who or what 'eats alpha-waves'?
2. Does it have any importance (within the context of the story)?

Cheers for now.