The Jaunt (Stephen King)
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"The Jaunt" is a short story by Stephen King. It belongs primarily to the genre of science fiction rather than King's customary horror, but is quite characteristic of King in probing deeply the minds of its characters when placed in incredible circumstances. The story takes place in a relative nearby future when a technology for teleportation, the jaunt, that allows to transport humans and things instantly across the Solar System.
It is known that jaunt teleportation of living things, including humans, that are awake causes death due to mental stress because the teleportation subjectively seems to take an inordinately long time, perhaps an eternity. However, it has been established that it is possible to teleport people safely in a state of unconsciousness, usually induced by inhaling a soporific gas. As the story unfolds, a man being transferred to Mars is being teleported there together with his family. Prior to departure the passengers of the teleportation service are temporarily put to sleep by being made to inhale a sleeping agent. Upon arriving on Mars, the man discovers that his pre-teen son is in a state of extreme mental distress and near death. It turns out that the son, being an overly curious individual, wanted to be teleported in a fully conscious state and held his breath to avoid inhaling the sleeping agent. Unable to cope with what he has just experienced, the son is convulsing on the floor and ripping his own eyes out. As he is dying he screams that the jaunt takes longer than anyone may ever imagine.