I think my ex-stepmother was the one who first told me about Conrad, the thumb-sucking little boy from children's book Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann. Surely you remember "The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb," in which poor Conrad meets a cruel tailor who uses a pair of scissors to cut Conrad's thumbs off: "Snip! Snap!" When I came across Struwwelpeter several years ago, Conrad's story stayed with me, not because it's so demented--I think Struwwelpeter is quite funny now, but what kind of parent would read these stories to his or her child?--but because it was so familiar. I knew I'd heard the story before, but I couldn't remember when or where. My own mother likely wouldn't have been familiar with it, having been raised in a family where superstition was looked upon with derision, and I was certain my father wouldn't have known the story--when I think about him, I can't ever recall him reading a book.

The only person who could've told me the story--and possibly even showed me the book--was Judy, my father's second wife. It certainly fits: Judy had an uncanny ability to recall strange bits of information, and what's more, she took a lot of pleasure in regaling us--the kids--with stories regarding bizarre superstitions and legends. I never developed the habit of sucking my thumb as a kid, but I wouldn't be surprised if Judy had been the one to tell me about Conrad. She'd always encouraged my reading (it was Judy who gave me C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia one Christmas), and she and I were alike in that we were fascinated by anything morbid. She worked as a nurse, and I can vividly remember her once saying she wanted to take me to watch a doctor perform an autopsy. Keep in mind, I was eleven or twelve at the time.

In any case, I thought this little video would provide an ample dose of pre-Halloween creepiness. Enjoy. And keep your thumbs out of your mouth.

Comments

[Citizen Reader]

I'm going to have nightmares from that video. Holy crap that's creepy.

[theorist]

And here I thought my parents had tried everything to get me to stop sucking my thumb - but I've never heard of that book or story!

[Brandon]

Sarah: Told ya. I couldn't stop replaying it.

Rachel: You've never heard of "Struwwelpeter"? You can find the whole book, with illustrations, online. Just Google it. It's bizarre, when you consider that it's a children's book. Don't play with matches, or you'll set yourself on fire and die. Like that.