Lovecraftiana: The Magazine of Eldritch Horror (2016-17) by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rogue Planet Press
Published: 2020-05-16T22:00:00+00:00

The cluster of buildings that blared what he and his co-workers dubbed ‘jungle music’ over the green valley turned out to be a restaurant. It in no way resembled what Paul had come to think of as a restaurant in his 44 years of life, but he would expect nothing less from Africa. He revelled in the peculiarity of the place. This is EXACTLY what I wanted. I feel like a character in a Jimmy Buffet song. Rock around the rock! The line in that song about seeing hell through the cracks in the floorboards never crossed his mind. When one was adventuring one didn’t think about things like that, or food poisoning, or deadly snakes, or para-military revolutionaries. One JUST DID IT. He had never thought about the possibility of having a heart attack when he had tried cocaine. He had never thought about maybe catching the clap when he fucked hookers. He never thought about cancer when he smoked or dipped. No, Paul had an insatiable appetite and there was no room in that belly for prudence, caution or yellow.

He order a few beers. It was as easy as showing the attendant a wad of crumpled kwanza (the local currency) and repeating the word, ‘Cuca’ until the man smiled and nodded, echoing ‘Cuca’ back at him. While he was polishing off his third can, a local man approached him. The smell of body odour and other pungent aromas hit Paul’s nose the way the humidity of Cabinda this time of year smacked one’s body when they first left the comfort of air conditioning.

‘You. Give me kwanza,’ the man said, expressionless.

Oh shit. Here we go. ‘Why am I giving you kwanza? N’yeah?’ The liquid courage in him was living up to its namesake.

‘You. Give me kwanza,’ the man repeated. Fuck me. Paul thought. Am I about to get rolled? But he couldn’t stop. ‘No, I don’t think so pal. Not until you tell me why.’ Paul smiled dumbly at the man. The force has a strong influence on the weak-minded. He laughed to himself and hoped for a pleasant outcome. The man nodded and made a mime of rolling and smoking a cigarette. Paul knew right away that the man was not referring to the common tobacco variety. What an unexpected surprise!

‘How much?’

The man held up four fingers.

‘Four thousand?’ Paul asked. That was reasonable, as the going price was around 40 bucks back home for an eighth.

‘Four hundred.’ Paul’s eyes grew wide with delight upon hearing those two words.

‘Sold!’

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