The Weird of Hali by John Michael Greer

Author:John Michael Greer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy, tentacles, cthulu, hp lovecraft, john michael greer
Publisher: Founders House Publishing LLC

DINNER WAS A thick seafood chowder, homebaked bread, and slices of cold raw fish that they taught him to spear on the end of an oddly shaped two-tined fork and dip in any of half a dozen sauces before eating. There was water to drink, in two pitchers, one for fresh water and one for salt. He didn’t recognize half the ingredients in the chowder, but it would have been tasty under any circumstances; after the harrowing journey he’d had, it was beyond delicious. When he sat back, sated, the warmth in his belly and the weariness of the road very quickly had him struggling to stay awake.

“I think,” said the housekeeper, “that our guest needs to turn in.”

“No, I—” he started to say, and then had to stifle a yawn.

Laura laughed, not unkindly. “I’m curious. Where did you sleep last night?”

“I didn’t,” Owen said, fighting back sleepiness. “We walked all night. I got a couple of hours this morning on a witch’s couch. Before that, I spent most of the day sleeping in a pile of leaves in a ravine.” Suddenly he started laughing at the absurdity of it. “I know how silly that sounds,” he said, still laughing, “but that’s what happened.”

“Doesn’t sound silly at all,” said the housekeeper. “You travel with Nyarlathotep, by all accounts, that’s the sort of thing you can expect.”

Laura made a shooing motion with one hand. “For Dagon’s sake, go get some sleep. You don’t have to settle for dry leaves or spare couches tonight, at least.”

“You’ll want to be shown the way, I’d guess,” the housekeeper said to him, and without waiting for an answer led him back through the living room to the stairs, the hall, and the door of his room. “Sleep well,” she told him.

He thanked her and went inside. The little room seemed indescribably peaceful just then. He got ready for bed as quickly as he could, tucked the witch’s amulet under his pillow in the hope that that would protect him through the night, and settled into bed. He was asleep moments after his head touched the pillow.

He woke to find clear autumn sunlight splashing in through the room’s one small window, stretched, and wished he hadn’t. The muscles in his legs were still far from happy about his run out of the Miskatonic campus, the long walk that followed, and the last sprint into Innsmouth. Still, he felt comfortable and warm in the bed, and let himself lie there for some minutes before finally tossing back the covers and getting up.

As he got to his feet, though, the warmth trickled out of the sunlight, and the little room stopped feeling quiet and comfortable. The furniture and wallpaper took on a decrepit air, as though rot had spread through them during uncounted years of decay. The ceiling pressed down; Owen found himself wondering if the hotel was structurally sound, and whether the whole structure might suddenly fall on him. He shook his head, trying to clear it, but the thoughts clung to him the way a dog’s jaws cling to a rat.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.