Needful Things
First published: 1991
Characters
With a demonic blend of malice and affection, Stephen King says goodbye to the town he put on the map -- Castle Rock, Maine . . . where Polly Chalmers runs You Sew and Sew and Sheriff Alan Pangborn is in charge of keeping the peace. It's a small town, and Stephen King fans might think they know its secrets pretty well; they've been here before.
Leland Gaunt is a stranger -- and he calls his shop Needful Things. Eleven-year-old Brain Rusk is his first customer, and Brian finds just what he wants most in all the world; a '56 Sandy Koufax baseball card. By the end of the week, Mr. Gaunt's business is fairly booming, and why not? At Needful Things, there's something for everyone.
And, of course, there is always a price. For Leland Gaunt, the pleasure of doing business lies chiefly in seeing how much people will pay for their most secret dreams and desires. And as Leland Gaunt always points out, at Needful Things, the prices are high indeed. Does that stop people from buying? Has it ever?
For Alan and Polly, this one week in autumn will be an awful test -- a test of will, desire, and pain. Above all, it will be a test of their ability to grasp the true nature of their enemy. They may have a chance . . . But maybe not, because, as Mr. Gaunt knows, almost everything is for sale: love, hope, even the human soul.
Characters
| Cujo | The dog who went rabid |
| Garfield | Cat of Myra Evans |
| Raider | Nettie Cobbs dog |
| Smokey | Castle Rock Trout |
| Tammy Faye | George T Nelson's pet parakeet |
| ?, Felicia | Took the Photo of Lester Pratt and Judy Libby |
| ?, Irvina | Kid at school |
| ?, Sarah | Aunt of Polly Chalmers |
| ?, Timmy (Too-Tall) | Driver for the Flying Corson Brothers |
| Bannerman, George | Retired sheriff |
| Bates, Norville | Short order cook at Yor Best Diner. |
| Beaufort, Henry | Owner & Bartender of the Mellow Tiger bar. |
| Beaulieu, Donna | Best Friend of Erin McAvoy |
| Beaumont, Thaddeus (Thad) | Mentioned by Alan Pangborn. |
| Bellingham, ? | Boy Brian Rusk's age |
| Bissette, Antonia | Died of a broken neck |
| Bissonette, Ricky | Worked at Sonny's Sunoco |
| Bonsaint, Mr. | Husband of Stephanie |
| Bonsaint, Stephanie | Part of the Ash Street Bridge Club |
| Bradford, Deke | Public Works boss. |
| Brigham, John | Local priest |
| Brigham, Sheila | Sheriff's dispatcher |
| Brooks, ? | State Police officer |
| Burgermeyer, Phil | In Church fight |
| Burgmeyer, Helen | Had a seizure through the night |
| Camber, Charity | Wife of Joe Camber |
| Camber, Joe | Owner of Cujo |
| Catlin, Jimmy | Computer whiz that went to school with Al Pangborn |
| Chalmers, Evelyn (Aunt Evvie) | Great Aunt of Polly |
| Chalmers, Kelton | Deceased son of Polly Chalmers. |
| Chalmers, Lorraine | Mother of Polly. |
| Chalmers, Newton | Father of Polly Chalmers |
| Chalmers, Patricia (Polly) | Runs "You Sew and Sew" in Castle Rock. Girlfriend of Alan Pangborn. |
| Chambers, Chris | Once terrorized by Ace Merrill |
| Chung, Martin D. | Chief legal council for San Francisco Department of Child Welfare |
| Clooney, ? | Broke the Jerzyck's window playing baseball |
| Clutterbuck, Andy | Police officer in Castle Rock. Husband of Melissa |
| Clutterbuck, Melissa | Town Treasurer. Wife of Andy |
| Cobb, Albion | Husband of Nettie. |
| Cobb, Netitia (Nettie) | House keeper for Polly Chalmers. |
| Constatine, Mr. | Pharmacist at LaVerdiere's super drug |
| Copeland, Nat | In jail with Ace Merrill. |
| Corson, Dave | Firearms and drug dealer. Brother of Mike |
| Corson, Mike | Firearms and drug dealer. Brother of Dave |
| Crompton, George | Cop who drank at the Blue Door Bar |
| Cross, Harry | Cop who drank at the Blue Door Bar |
| Dawson, Stanley | Friend of Brian Rusk |
| Delkey, Kevin | Friend of Sean Rusk |
| DeLois, ? | Boy Brian Rusk's age |
| DeWeese, Mrs. | Teacher |
| Dodd, Frank | Castle Rock Police officer |
| Dodd, Mrs. | Mother of Slopey Dodd |
| Dodd, Slopey | In school with Brian Rusk. |
| Dorfman, Carl | Roommate of Al Pangborn |
| Doyon, Peter | Friend of Hugh Priest |
| Drake, Rosalie | Works with Polly Chalmers |
| Duchamp, Teddy | Once terrorized by Ace Merrill |
| Dugas, Bobby | Works at the Public Works Department |
| Dunham, Lucille | Waitress at Nan's Diner |
| Edwards, Steve | Friend of Lester Pratt |
| Emerson, Mr. | Bought a gun at Needful Things |
| Evans, Chuck | Husband of Myra |
| Evans, Mrs. | Nurse at the Northern Cumberland Hospital |
| Evans, Myra Josephine | Best friend of Cora Rusk. |
| Fortin, Charlie | Drinks in the Mellow Tiger bar |
| Frankel, Donny | In school with Brian Rusk |
| Frankel, Everett | Physicians assistant working with Dr Van Allen. |
| Frazier, Steve | Former Castle Rock Head Selectman |
| Friedman, David | Ballistics expert for State Police |
| Fullerton, Bill | Second Selectman of Castle Rock, and the town barber |
| Gagnon, Timmy | Owner of Riverside BBQ Delish |
| Gamache, Homer | Beaten to death with his artificial arm near Homeland Cemetery |
| Garson, Scott | Castle Rock barber |
| Gaunt, Leland | Proprietor of Needful Things |
| Gavineaux, June | Wife of a dairy farmer. |
| Gendron, Albert | Dentist in Castle Rock |
| Gendron, Henry | Husband of Yvette |
| Gendron, Yvette | Wife of Henry. |
| Hanlon, Jay | One of the Hanlon twins |
| Harper, Norman | In the Baptist church. Friend of Reverend Rose |
| Haverhill, Mrs. | Lived next door to the Jerzyck's |
| Hemphill, Don | On the Republican State Committee |
| Hemphill, Wanda | Wife of Don Hemphill |
| Hendrie, Miss | Nurse at the Northern Cumberland Hospital |
| Higgins, Naomi Sarah | Maiden name of Naomi Peebles |
| Hopewell, Mark | Real Estate agent |
| Horton, Mike | Journalist from Norway's "Journal-Register" |
| Jackett, Sonny | Mechanic |
| Jerzyck, Peter Michael | Husband of Wilma. Real estate agent |
| Jerzyck, Wilma Wadlowski | The woman who Brian Rusk had to upset |
| Jessup, Naomi | In the Church |
| Jewett, Frank M. | Principal |
| Johnstone, Deborah | In the Baptist church |
| Keeton, Bill | Uncle of Danforth, and Brother of Ronald. |
| Keeton, Danforth (Buster) | Castle Rock Head Selectman |
| Keeton, Myrtle | Wife of Danforth |
| Keeton, Ronald | Father of Danforth Keeton. |
| Killingsworth, Reverend Tom | Methodist Minister |
| Lachance, Gordon (Gordie) | Was picked on by Ace Merrill |
| LaPointe, John | Police officer in Castle Rock |
| Laurence, Shirley | Danforth Keeton's secretary |
| Lawes, ? | One of the Lawes Boys |
| Lawless, Mona | Teacher. Friend of Sally Rutcliffe |
| Libby, Judy | In a photo with Lester Pratt. His ex-girlfriend |
| Longman, Henrietta | Owned and operated the Beauty Rest |
| Lutjens, Irene | Friend of Sally Rutcliffe |
| MacFarland, Bill | Friend of Lester Pratt |
| Marchant, Billy | Student at School |
| Martin, Albert | Lawyer husband of Cynthia Martin. |
| Martin, Cynthia Rose | Part of the Ash Street Bridge Club |
| Martin, Nonie | In school with Brian Rusk |
| McAvoy, Erin | 8th Grader who saw “dirty†books in Jewett's office |
| McDonald, John D. | Writer |
| McEntire, Reba | Drinks in the Mellow Tiger bar |
| McGinley, Brion | School Geography teacher |
| McMillan, Sandra | Part time police Dispatcher |
| Mellon, Fred | Baptist Deacon |
| Merrill, John (Ace) | Childhood boyfriend of Myra Evans. Came back to town to work at Needful Things. |
| Merrill, Reginald Marion (Pop) | Used to run The Emporium Galorium, a junkshop. Uncle of Ace Merrill. |
| Meyers, Sally | In school with Brian Rusk |
| Miller, Barbara (Babs) | Part of the Ash Street Bridge Club |
| Milliken, Len | In church fight |
| Milliken, Miss | Bought a gun from Gaunt |
| Mislaburski, Jillian | Next door neighbor of the Jerzyck's |
| Morin, Ducky | Supplier of drugs to Ace Merrill |
| Morris, Trooper | State Trooper |
| Morrison, ? | State Police Officer |
| Myers, Rose Ellen | Friend of Lucille Dunham |
| Neadeau, Butch | Castle Rock Overseer of County and Social Services |
| Nelson, George T. | Gay Woodshop teacher |
| O'Neal, Father | Castle Rock priest |
| Palin, John | Vet in South Portland |
| Pangborn, Al | Son of Alan and Annie |
| Pangborn, Alan J. | Sheriff. Boyfriend of Polly Chalmers |
| Pangborn, Annie | Wife of Alan. Died |
| Pangborn, Todd | Son of Alan. Died |
| Partridge, Lenny | Oldest man in Castle Rock. |
| Payton, Henry | Head of Oxford Barracks |
| Peebles, Naomi Sarah | Wife of Sam Peebles |
| Peebles, Sam | Owner of the store where Needful Things opened. |
| Pelletier, Francine | Part of the Ash Street Bridge Club |
| Perlmutter, John L. | Deputy director of San Francisco Department of Child Welfare |
| Pervier, Gary | Killed by Cujo |
| Pollard, ? | Neighbor of Nettie Cobb |
| Potter, Howard | Friend of Albert Martin. |
| Potter, Lenore | Bought Howdy Doodie puppet |
| Potter, Mr. | Husband of Lenore. Boss of Mr Bonsaint |
| Pratt, Lester Ivanhoe | Fiancee of Sally Rutcliffe. School physical education teacher |
| Price, Joe | State Policeman |
| Priest, Hugh Albert | Works for the Public Works department. |
| Priest, Natalie | Best friend of Darlene Vickery |
| Pulaski, Frieda | Friend of Wilma Jerzyck. Wife of Jake |
| Pulaski, Jake | Friend of Pete Jerzyck. Husband of Frieda |
| Ramage, Nancy | Head Nurse at Castle Rock Family Practice |
| Ratcliffe, Sally | Brian Rusk's speech therapy teacher. |
| Ridgewick, Henry | Father of Norris |
| Ridgewick, Norris | Castle Rock Sheriff |
| Ridgewick, Phil | Brother of Henry |
| Roberts, Nan | Owner of Nan's luncheonette |
| Rose, William | Castle Rock Reverend |
| Rossignoi, Meade | Threw up on Gendron |
| Rubin, Fred | Friend of George T Nelson |
| Rusk, Brian | Gaunt's first customer |
| Rusk, Cora | Mother of Brian |
| Rusk, Mr. | Father of Brian. |
| Rusk, Sean | Brother of Brian |
| Ryan, Dr. Henry | State chief medical examiner |
| Samuels, Harry | Only mortician in Castle Rock and Castle Rock Selectman |
| Sayers, Bill | Worked at Western Auto |
| Scopes, Dr. | Neurologist from Portland |
| Seguin, Brian | Boy who asked Sandy Koufax to sign his baseball card, which was sold to Brian Rusk by Gaunt |
| Sheehan, Paul (Duke) | Ex- boyfriend of Polly Chalmers |
| Skillins, Irma | Principal of Junction City High School |
| Smith, Johnny | Discovered the identity of Frank Dodd |
| Sparrows, The | Thought about by Alan Pangborn ( |
| St. Clare, Ariadne | Full time secretary for council selectmen |
| Stark, George | Character in Alan Pangborn's dream. |
| Tanner, Alice | School secretary |
| Tessio, Vern (Penny) | Once terrorized by Ace Merrill |
| Thomas, Seaton (Seat) | Police officer in Castle Rock |
| Tierney, Tim | State Attorney General |
| Treblehorn, ? | Old man whose land was given to Pop Merrill as payment for a loan |
| Tremayne, Vic | Friend of Lester Pratt |
| Trenton, Donna | Attacked by Cujo. Mother of Tad |
| Trenton, Theodore (Tad) | Son of Donna |
| Tucker, Preston | Owner of Tuckers Automobiles. |
| Tupper, William (Billy) | Cleaner at the Mellow Tiger bar |
| Van Allen, Ray | The only family doctor in Castle Rock |
| Vickery, Darlene | 8th Grader who saw “dirty†books in Jewett's office |
| Vigue, Betsy | Daughters of Isabella Activities chairwoman |
| Warburton, Eddie | Head custodian of Municipal building |
| Whitman, Charles | Eagle Scout who climbed to the top of the Texas tower and killed over 24 people |
| Williams, Amanda (Mandy) | One of the Board of Selectmen of Castle Rock. Friend of Myrtle Keeton |
| Williams, Tansy | Daughter of Amanda Williams |
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