From the Field of Manifestation link above —
"The number 9, that is to say, relates traditionally
to the Great Goddess of Many Names (Devi,
Inanna, Ishtar, Astarte, Artemis, Venus, etc.)
as matrix of the cosmic process, whether in the
macrocosm or in a microcosmic field of manifestation."
— Joseph Campbell,
The Inner Reaches of Outer Space
For Stephen King:
"I held my nose, I closed my eyes, I took a drink."