A Cursed Town, and the Secret of the Worm

Stephen King's "Jerusalem's Lot" is a prequel to "Salem's Lot", where some readers would be reminded of "Dracula's Guest". But the author didn't write it at the same time. And the setting is the only similarity. The short story took place during the 19th century, more than a hundred years before Ben Mears returned to his hometown.

New England became infamous for the witchcraft trials, most notably in Massachusetts. Many literary works would allude to the horrific events during the 17th century. Those who were familiar with it would guess "Scarlet Letter". They were right. Transcendentalist authors didn't write about Estevao Gomes, who was under the service of the Spanish Empire when he set foot on a land populated by Wabanaki peoples. Not long after the discovery, the inhabitants of Maine became involved in the Colonial Wars. All of these would be a great material for an action-packed story. Only King, who was born in Maine, would think about writing about something else. Superstition was in the air, which the settlers brought from Europe. Most readers dismissed it, but no one would really know.

Some things are better left alone

Charles Boone and his manservant, Calvin McCann, arrived in Chapelwaite and lived in a neglected ancestral home. It was previously owned by his late cousin, Stephen. The townsfolk didn't like it, and a series of minor incidents made them believed that this was a bad omen. Charles became curious, though. Calvin discovered a map, which revealed a nearby town.

Jerusalem's Lot was abandoned, and Charles was drawn to the stench coming from within. He checked out the chapel, only to be horrified by the grotesque image of the Madonna and Child and the inverted cross on top of the altar. A cult once lived in this area. He became more inquisitive, which made the inhabitants of Chapelwaite upset and nervous. Both Charles and Calvin were being shunned, and it was only a former maid of the Boone household who told him how it happened. Jerusalem's Lot was founded by Phillip Boone, his grandfather's brother. He and the rest of the citizens disappeared without a trace. Charles had a hunch that they might be the something underneath.

The answer leads to more questions

King used the epistolary genre, with Charles's frequent correspondence with a friend in the South. There were records from his pocket journal between letters, which would reveal a startling ending. The effect might have been anticlimactic if it was a straight narrative. Fans of the author know that someone would die in the end, and it's not hard to guess Charles. But they assumed he was the last of the Boone clan.

Many would think that Jerusalem's Lot was cursed from the very beginning, its malevolent past would be blown away by the northeast winds. The current inhabitants wouldn't know, except for the huge house on the top of the hill. Whoever lived there have a nice view of the place. But the tales that haunted the house were no myth.