I read a short story back in school 15 years ago. All I remember is a man builds himself a coffin. Later a 'friend' comes by to check it out and the coffin ends up attacking him and 'eating' him. A needle injects him with paralyzing fluid and the coffin walks out the house, down the steps and into the garden. The coffin is playing music or a message to his buddy inside- while digging a hole for itself to be buried in.... I've been desperately trying to find this short story again..Anyone know which one its in? Or what it's called?
The story you are looking for is "The Coffin". It was collected in Ray's first short story collection, DARK CARNIVAL, which is scarce and expensive in both the original Arkham House edition as well as the Gauntlet Press reprint. The story also appears in a much more easily obtainable collection, THE STORIES OF RAY BRADBURY, released by Knopf in 1980 and still in print should you want to purchase a copy.
Finally, the story also appears (under its original title from the September, 1947 issue of DIME MYSTERY MAGAZINE) as "A Wake for the Living" in the collection of pulp fiction called THE PULPS, edited by Tony Goodstone. and published in 1970 by Chelsea Press. THE PULPS is out of print, but both hardcover and tradepaper copies are readily available through used book sellers on ABE (the Advanced Book Exchange), as are copies of THE STORIES OF RAY BRADBURY and DARK CARNIVAL. Here is a link to the ABE website:
