I got an e-mail this weekend from someone asking about my Tales From the Darkside episode “Baker’s Dozen,” which originally aired on November 24, 1986. It’s the only one of my three episodes I haven’t already shared about here. There’s a reason for that. (You can find information about the other two, “Fear of Floating” and “My Ghost Writer the Vampire,” by clicking on the tag at the bottom of this entry.)

Prompted by that note, below is the video for “Baker’s Dozen,” since someone has already done the work of uploading the episode to YouTube in its entirety. But for anyone else who might be tempted to watch it, let me explain why I haven’t offered it here until now. Unfortunately, I found the final script spun from my treatment so offensive that I almost removed my name from the screen.

In my original treatment, I made no mention as to the races of any of the actors. But for some reason, in the final script, the baker’s assistant was transformed into a shiftless character along the lines of Stepin Fetchit and Mantan Moreland, and I was appalled. I didn’t want anyone to think I had come up with such a stereotypical caricature, so I haven’t talked about this episode much in the years since.

Maybe I’ll post my original treatment someday, so you’ll all be able to see the story I’d originally wanted to tell. But in the interests of completeness, and to fulfill the wishes of my recent correspondent, here’s “Baker’s Dozen.”

If you’re offended, too, don’t blame me.

You’ve been warned.