He eventually discovered that beings of higher neural activity, such as animals and humans, could only survive the Jaunt while unconscious. The mice would either die instantly or behave erratically before dying moments later. Although the procedure functioned perfectly when he tested inorganic objects, Carune discovered a side-effect on the mice sent through his two portals. He explains how in 1987 a scientist named Victor Carune inadvertently discovered the ability to Jaunt after years of research when he accidentally teleported two of his own fingers. As the Jaunting service prepares the other passengers, Mark entertains his two children by recounting a semi-apocryphal tale of the discovery and history of the Jaunt. Mark Oates and his family are preparing to travel to Mars for a two-year business trip. In the distant future, humans have developed a form of instantaneous teleportation called 'the Jaunt', enabling colonization of the Solar System. The term 'Jaunting' is stated within the short story to be an homage to The Stars My Destination, a science fiction novel by Alfred Bester. The story takes place early in the 24th century, when the technology for teleportation, referred to as 'Jaunting', is commonplace, allowing for instantaneous transportation across enormous distances, even to other planets in the Solar System. ' The Jaunt' is a horror short story by Stephen King first published in The Twilight Zone Magazine in 1981, and collected in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew.

The Twilight Zone Magazine (1st release), Short story by Stephen King originally published in 1981 'The Jaunt'

Skeleton crew short stories