Illustration by Shaun Tan (©1996)

Sambo Avram Davidon and Ethan Davidson

"In the early eighties I wrote the short story "Sambo." It was based on a dream, which was based on the children's story "Little Black Sambo," which my father, Avram Davidson, had read to me decades earlier. Since I had no word processor then, and my spelling is terrible, I sent the story to Avram, who lived in Washington State, asking him to please proofread and retype it. He did that, and much more. He re-wrote it. He kept my basic story, but added words, phrases, and details all his own. He sent it back with a letter explaining the reasons for each change.

Since then, I have had a play produced and have had poems, news articles, and a couple of short stories published. But "Sambo" has remained unpublished, until now." — Ethan Davidson

"Sambo" originally appeared pp. 45-46, Eidolon 21, April 1996.
Copyright © 1996 The Estate of Avram Davidson and Ethan Davidson.
Reprinted with kind permission of the authors.