Joker Jack
TMF Master
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2007
- Messages
- 677
- Points
- 18
I recently came across this wonderful drawing (attached) of the ‘centipede scene' in Ian Fleming’s ‘Doctor No’ book and was immediately reminded of the profound effect it had on me when I first read it as an 11 or 12 year old boy. I’m sure everyone else had a similar reaction on reading it, if not for exactly the same reasons!
Before reading the book I had just been to see the movie version starring Sean Connery as James Bond so it was Connery I had in my mind’s eye as I read.
Chapter 6 finds Bond asleep in his hotel room bed. He’s awoken in the early hours to find a large centipede crawling up his naked body. Bond is immediately terrified! He even hears the hairs on his head rasping against the pillow as they rise. Knowing that the insect is poisonous Bond realises he must lie absolutely motionless. The merest tremble might result in a fatal bite! The strain on Bond, as the insect continues its journey up his leg, is almost unbearable. Sweat begins to trickle off his naked body as he lies in terror.
The insect then turns towards Bond’s groin and crawls down between his legs. To my absolute delight Fleming then described how the insect tickles Bond as it quests and explores amongst the first hairs. I only wish that passage had been longer and more detailed! When it tickles Bond can’t keep still... his skin flutters and there’s nothing he can do to control it. Bond longs to squirm or wriggle for some relief but instead must remain motionless or else risk a fatal bite!
Eventually the centipede climbs up over Bond’s belly, chest then up onto his face. Even here the torture isn’t over as the insect drives Bond insane by tickling him at the corner of his mouth.
Reading this as a 12 year old I realised that my love of tickling wasn’t always restricted by gender. The whole idea of someone as strong and masculine as Connery fighting to remain motionless whilst getting tickled by an insect intoxicated my young mind then as much as it still does now.
I think the picture, with Bond’s eyes wide open in sheer terror, captures the scene wonderfully. To have to lie motionless while an insect like that crawls up your naked body makes me shiver every time I think about it.
I’d love to hear from anyone else who read that passage in the book and felt similarly.
Before reading the book I had just been to see the movie version starring Sean Connery as James Bond so it was Connery I had in my mind’s eye as I read.
Chapter 6 finds Bond asleep in his hotel room bed. He’s awoken in the early hours to find a large centipede crawling up his naked body. Bond is immediately terrified! He even hears the hairs on his head rasping against the pillow as they rise. Knowing that the insect is poisonous Bond realises he must lie absolutely motionless. The merest tremble might result in a fatal bite! The strain on Bond, as the insect continues its journey up his leg, is almost unbearable. Sweat begins to trickle off his naked body as he lies in terror.
The insect then turns towards Bond’s groin and crawls down between his legs. To my absolute delight Fleming then described how the insect tickles Bond as it quests and explores amongst the first hairs. I only wish that passage had been longer and more detailed! When it tickles Bond can’t keep still... his skin flutters and there’s nothing he can do to control it. Bond longs to squirm or wriggle for some relief but instead must remain motionless or else risk a fatal bite!
Eventually the centipede climbs up over Bond’s belly, chest then up onto his face. Even here the torture isn’t over as the insect drives Bond insane by tickling him at the corner of his mouth.
Reading this as a 12 year old I realised that my love of tickling wasn’t always restricted by gender. The whole idea of someone as strong and masculine as Connery fighting to remain motionless whilst getting tickled by an insect intoxicated my young mind then as much as it still does now.
I think the picture, with Bond’s eyes wide open in sheer terror, captures the scene wonderfully. To have to lie motionless while an insect like that crawls up your naked body makes me shiver every time I think about it.
I’d love to hear from anyone else who read that passage in the book and felt similarly.
