John Steinbeck, known for Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, once wrote a short horror story about a boy being chewed by his own gum.

The story, titled ‘The Affair at 7 Rue De M-‘, was published in 1955 in an issue of Harper’s Bazaar. It follows a boy who is gifted bubblegum from a family friend, only to find the gum is alive and begins to chew the boy back. Introducing the story, an editor noted, ‘Even while we laughed, we felt a sort of twinge – it could be rather ghastly, if it actually happened.’