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A man in the desert is bitten by a skeletal animal, its skull gets stuck on his arm

What short story has a man stuck in a room with books that document all his future actions?Short story about a man who can see a year into his future?What TV movie has a man seeing glimpses of dystopia in his utopian world?Fantasy novel where an elf-like boy is attacked by a royal party. Stabs the prince to escapeMan is sitting in his room and gets contradictory advice from two men from the futureBoy (son of Lucifer?) goes back in time, meets John Dee and Edward KelleyShort story collection, one about humans dwindling on a spaceship and another about testing a FTL device and landing on an alien planetSci-fi story about cubes/threads attracted to sentient beings that entangle/kill them

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23

4

I'm looking for a short story about a man in the desert who sees an animal out of the corner of his eye. He can't really see it, but it's really hot outside so he takes shelter in an old adobe hut but then he does see the animal and it is a skeleton thing. Bites him and he ends up cutting off his own hand to get rid of its skull stuck on his arm.

Super horrible but I think it's famous.

story-identification short-stories

share|improve this question

edited Aug 15 at 3:37

DavidW

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asked Aug 15 at 3:34

kristinj2468kristinj2468

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• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Hi, welcome to SF&F. Please check out the suggestions to see if they help you remember any additional details to edit into your question.
  
  – DavidW
  Aug 15 at 3:39
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  If the skull was on his arm but he only cut off his hand, wouldn't it still be on him?
  
  – Glen_b
  Aug 16 at 0:01
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

23

4

I'm looking for a short story about a man in the desert who sees an animal out of the corner of his eye. He can't really see it, but it's really hot outside so he takes shelter in an old adobe hut but then he does see the animal and it is a skeleton thing. Bites him and he ends up cutting off his own hand to get rid of its skull stuck on his arm.

Super horrible but I think it's famous.

story-identification short-stories

share|improve this question

edited Aug 15 at 3:37

DavidW

12.3k44 gold badges5858 silver badges9999 bronze badges

asked Aug 15 at 3:34

kristinj2468kristinj2468

11611 silver badge33 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Hi, welcome to SF&F. Please check out the suggestions to see if they help you remember any additional details to edit into your question.
  
  – DavidW
  Aug 15 at 3:39
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  If the skull was on his arm but he only cut off his hand, wouldn't it still be on him?
  
  – Glen_b
  Aug 16 at 0:01
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

I'm looking for a short story about a man in the desert who sees an animal out of the corner of his eye. He can't really see it, but it's really hot outside so he takes shelter in an old adobe hut but then he does see the animal and it is a skeleton thing. Bites him and he ends up cutting off his own hand to get rid of its skull stuck on his arm.

Super horrible but I think it's famous.

story-identification short-stories

share|improve this question

edited Aug 15 at 3:37

DavidW

12.3k44 gold badges5858 silver badges9999 bronze badges

asked Aug 15 at 3:34

kristinj2468kristinj2468

11611 silver badge33 bronze badges

share|improve this question

edited Aug 15 at 3:37

DavidW

12.3k44 gold badges5858 silver badges9999 bronze badges

asked Aug 15 at 3:34

kristinj2468kristinj2468

11611 silver badge33 bronze badges

share|improve this question

edited Aug 15 at 3:37

DavidW

12.3k44 gold badges5858 silver badges9999 bronze badges

asked Aug 15 at 3:34

kristinj2468kristinj2468

11611 silver badge33 bronze badges

edited Aug 15 at 3:37

DavidW

12.3k44 gold badges5858 silver badges9999 bronze badges

edited Aug 15 at 3:37

DavidW

12.3k44 gold badges5858 silver badges9999 bronze badges

asked Aug 15 at 3:34

kristinj2468kristinj2468

11611 silver badge33 bronze badges

asked Aug 15 at 3:34

kristinj2468kristinj2468

11611 silver badge33 bronze badges

1 Answer
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26

They Bite by Anthony Boucher

Story is out of copyright and can be read online here

A man was turned down for enlistment in the army due to his lungs. He decides to do something about it by moving into the desert. But he keeps seeing something like an animal out of the corner of his eyes.

The locals tell him to stay away from the adobe brick hut. When pressed all they will add is "They bite"

He investigates the adobe anyway, because it will be cool in the desert heat.

He is amused to discover what looks like the mummified body of a child. His amusement turns to horror when he notices that it is breathing.

Suddenly a second such creature walks in the door. It jumps at him and latches on to his hand with its jaws. In agony, the man uses a machete to decapitate the creature. But the head is still attached and the pain continues. Attempts to pry the jaws open are fruitless.

So the man uses the machete to chop his own hand off.

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 16 at 11:31

answered Aug 15 at 11:41

Winchell ChungWinchell Chung

7,32411 gold badge2727 silver badges5454 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  14
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Presumably he read the story.
  
  – Organic Marble
  Aug 15 at 12:43
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  5
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I find it hard to believe he didn't take a hammer to the skull instead.
  
  – Joshua
  Aug 15 at 15:10
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Or break/dislocate the jaw.
  
  – computercarguy
  Aug 15 at 16:38
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  5
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The summary is from my memory of having read the story
  
  – Winchell Chung
  Aug 15 at 18:48
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I never knew that adobe is actually a word and not just a brand name. Now I wonder, why they chose this.
  
  – Minix
  Aug 15 at 19:46
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 6 more comments

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26

They Bite by Anthony Boucher

Story is out of copyright and can be read online here

A man was turned down for enlistment in the army due to his lungs. He decides to do something about it by moving into the desert. But he keeps seeing something like an animal out of the corner of his eyes.

The locals tell him to stay away from the adobe brick hut. When pressed all they will add is "They bite"

He investigates the adobe anyway, because it will be cool in the desert heat.

He is amused to discover what looks like the mummified body of a child. His amusement turns to horror when he notices that it is breathing.

Suddenly a second such creature walks in the door. It jumps at him and latches on to his hand with its jaws. In agony, the man uses a machete to decapitate the creature. But the head is still attached and the pain continues. Attempts to pry the jaws open are fruitless.

So the man uses the machete to chop his own hand off.

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 16 at 11:31

answered Aug 15 at 11:41

Winchell ChungWinchell Chung

7,32411 gold badge2727 silver badges5454 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  14
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Presumably he read the story.
  
  – Organic Marble
  Aug 15 at 12:43
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  5
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I find it hard to believe he didn't take a hammer to the skull instead.
  
  – Joshua
  Aug 15 at 15:10
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Or break/dislocate the jaw.
  
  – computercarguy
  Aug 15 at 16:38
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  5
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The summary is from my memory of having read the story
  
  – Winchell Chung
  Aug 15 at 18:48
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I never knew that adobe is actually a word and not just a brand name. Now I wonder, why they chose this.
  
  – Minix
  Aug 15 at 19:46
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 6 more comments

26

They Bite by Anthony Boucher

Story is out of copyright and can be read online here

A man was turned down for enlistment in the army due to his lungs. He decides to do something about it by moving into the desert. But he keeps seeing something like an animal out of the corner of his eyes.

The locals tell him to stay away from the adobe brick hut. When pressed all they will add is "They bite"

He investigates the adobe anyway, because it will be cool in the desert heat.

He is amused to discover what looks like the mummified body of a child. His amusement turns to horror when he notices that it is breathing.

Suddenly a second such creature walks in the door. It jumps at him and latches on to his hand with its jaws. In agony, the man uses a machete to decapitate the creature. But the head is still attached and the pain continues. Attempts to pry the jaws open are fruitless.

So the man uses the machete to chop his own hand off.

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 16 at 11:31

answered Aug 15 at 11:41

Winchell ChungWinchell Chung

7,32411 gold badge2727 silver badges5454 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  14
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Presumably he read the story.
  
  – Organic Marble
  Aug 15 at 12:43
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  5
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I find it hard to believe he didn't take a hammer to the skull instead.
  
  – Joshua
  Aug 15 at 15:10
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Or break/dislocate the jaw.
  
  – computercarguy
  Aug 15 at 16:38
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  5
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The summary is from my memory of having read the story
  
  – Winchell Chung
  Aug 15 at 18:48
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I never knew that adobe is actually a word and not just a brand name. Now I wonder, why they chose this.
  
  – Minix
  Aug 15 at 19:46
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 6 more comments

They Bite by Anthony Boucher

Story is out of copyright and can be read online here

A man was turned down for enlistment in the army due to his lungs. He decides to do something about it by moving into the desert. But he keeps seeing something like an animal out of the corner of his eyes.

The locals tell him to stay away from the adobe brick hut. When pressed all they will add is "They bite"

He investigates the adobe anyway, because it will be cool in the desert heat.

He is amused to discover what looks like the mummified body of a child. His amusement turns to horror when he notices that it is breathing.

Suddenly a second such creature walks in the door. It jumps at him and latches on to his hand with its jaws. In agony, the man uses a machete to decapitate the creature. But the head is still attached and the pain continues. Attempts to pry the jaws open are fruitless.

So the man uses the machete to chop his own hand off.

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 16 at 11:31

answered Aug 15 at 11:41

Winchell ChungWinchell Chung

7,32411 gold badge2727 silver badges5454 bronze badges

share|improve this answer

edited Aug 16 at 11:31

answered Aug 15 at 11:41

Winchell ChungWinchell Chung

7,32411 gold badge2727 silver badges5454 bronze badges

answered Aug 15 at 11:41

Winchell ChungWinchell Chung

7,32411 gold badge2727 silver badges5454 bronze badges

answered Aug 15 at 11:41

Winchell ChungWinchell Chung

7,32411 gold badge2727 silver badges5454 bronze badges