Talk:The Sandman/@comment-26187298-20150309214147

There seems to be some conflict over the Rake thing, so I'm going to clear it up once and for all: Yes, this was originally a Rake story. That was my concept: A father and son have a Rake encounter, it traumatizes them, and the story charts the psychological unravelling that results. The term "Sandman" was first used simply because A) I think it sounds creepy and B) one of my big inspirations was the stop-motion short film "The Sandman" (which you should watch if you never have, it's a wonderful piece of work). So those who feel that the creature in this story sounds suspiciously similar to the Rake: You're not wrong.

But then I came up with this ending, and that changed things. It seemed like a powerful way to finish off the story (and it looks like most readers agree), but it also fundamentally changed the nature of the monster, the conflict, and everything else in the story. It didn't really feel like a Rake story anymore. So I removed the explicit references and decided that the reader should decide for themselves: Maybe it's a Rake story, or maybe it's something else entirely. Ghost stories don't always need for things to be explicitely defined. In fact, it's better if they're not.

I never expected very many people to read this story anyway (if I had I'd probably have given it a few more drafts...) and I'm surprised and very happy to see that it's popping up here and there. I appreciate everyone who has forwarded the story, posted it anywhere, commented on it, or read it at all. Cheers to all. And sweet dreams, if you can manage it.