I fought my way up the sandy slope, trying desperately to keep my companion in view. Above the dune’s crest, I perceived a dull glow of light the colour of which was a strange and unsettling shade of violet. Some force, unknown and ancient, called to me; I felt a rising of dull panic in my stomach. My companion, without so much as a momentary hesitation, crested the dune and disappeared from view; I knew at that moment that I would not see him again. Drawn further up the slope by impulses not quite my own, I scrambled breathlessly up the shifting sands before reaching a point where I could see, inch by painful inch, over the dune’s peak and onto the plateau below.
What I saw there, dear reader, submits itself not to description – not in any language known to man. From the centre of the thing, gelatinous tentacles splayed out in an untraceable knot of translucent flesh; they were coated in sand, as if the creature had been thrashing the very ground beneath it with furious wrath. In the centre of the writhing mass – God preserve me! – was a loathsome and glistening mound, composed of a material I knew not. It seemed at once living and not living – I fancied it was pulsing gently, but my own palpitations may have overwhelmed my perception. Step by horrified step, I retreated back down the dune, my mind fighting the sensation of numbing horror that now beset me. What manner of thing was that – from whence had it sprung and with what intention? As these and more questions clamoured in my mind, I became aware that I would carry the horror of what I had seen with me from that day forth.
It was the best trip to the beach ever and that’s what I did on my holidays.
Hmm. Sadly, until the last line, I quite liked it. Does that mean I should check out Lovecraft, or that I like bad writing? :P
ReplyDeleteKristan: Do check out Lovecraft. He often (or even always) approaches self-parody, but within his scope he's brilliant. All his fiction and poetry is in the public domain, and can be read online; at least the fiction is also in print.
ReplyDeleteI don't think these homage posts are meant to belittle the original author (okay, maybe some of them are), but to warn against that impulse we all have to produce thinly veiled fan fic.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one as well. With such a build up, I knew we could expect a good punchline. It did not disappoint.
I second the recommendation for checking out Lovecraft who is indeed excellent in his way, easy though that is to parody.
ReplyDeleteThe last line of Lovecraft is often the kicker - though this one is not in the genre, it's brilliant.
I haven't really read Lovecraft himself, just some stuff that plays with his themes, but this post reminded me more of H.G. Wells. It's very much War of the Worlds.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, for my first time chiming in on your comments, I have to dock you a few points for not working in some of Lovecraft's trademark obscure vocabulary, like "eldritch," "squamous," "rugose," and "pullulate." My spell-checker doesn't even recognize those as I type them.
ReplyDeleteDamn. How could I have missed "eldritch?"
ReplyDeleteSeriously, how /did/ you miss it?
ReplyDelete