Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark

The young protagonist of the gross-out/jump-scare story “The Big Toe” illustrates the dictum that “curiosity killed the cat.” Digging in the garden and finding, instead of a potato, a large human toe, the boy makes the (highly questionable) decision to tear it out of the ground. Ignoring the strange “scampering” sounds that ensue, he takes the toe home to his family, who serve it for dinner. The story provides no window into the boy’s thoughts or decision-making, but it can be inferred (especially from Gammell’s illustration) that he is not terribly bright. His parents have a less valid excuse, but presumably, they are very poor and never pass up a chance to have meat for dinner.

That night in bed, the boy hears the toe’s owner roaming the streets, wailing for his stolen property. Terrified, yet knowing that this is no nightmare, the boy pulls his covers over his head, praying for sleep. He no doubt regrets showing the toe to his mother; otherwise, he might return it to placate the ghost. As it is, the ghost traps him, and the story’s jump-scare ending implies a ghastly fate for him.