Notebook Found in a Deserted House
| "Notebook Found in a Deserted House" | |
|---|---|
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| Author | Robert Bloch |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Short story |
| Published in | Weird Tales |
| Publication type | Magazine |
| Media type | Print (Periodical) |
| Publication date | May 1951 |
"Notebook Found in a Deserted House" is a Cthulhu Mythos short story by American writer Robert Bloch. It was first published in a 1951 issue of Weird Tales.
As the title implies, the entire text is that of a notebook found in an empty house. The notebook is written by Willie Osborne, a farm boy who had lived with his grandmother until she died.
During the time he lived with his grandmother, she told him about entities she called "them ones", which apparently live in the mysterious forest around the farm that his Aunt Lucy and Uncle Fred own. “Them ones” seem to be most active during Halloween, as Willie’s grandmother claims people have heard the sound of drums coming from the forest at that time.
After his grandmother’s death, Willie goes to live with his aunt and uncle. His ideas about strange beings inhabiting the forest are supported by the fact that his aunt and uncle always lock the doors at night and never enter the woods after dark. Even more strangely, the forest seems to be devoid of animal life. Willie thinks the answer is that a cult of Druids, possibly having come over from before the time of Columbus, lives in the woods.
In October, Willie has a disquieting experience in the forest. Late in the day, he hears something coming towards him. Hiding behind a rock, Willie smells an awful stench and hears an unearthly voice say something in an equally unearthly language, in which is the word "shoggoth" and the sounds "shub nigger ath". Willie investigates the spot where the entity went by and discovers what appear to be hundreds of hoof marks and a foul-smelling slime, not unlike that which comes out of a mysterious old well on the farm. For many nights after, he dreams of the creature that made the hoof-prints.
Things take a turn for the worse as Halloween nears. Willie’s cousin, Frank, was supposed to come visit for Halloween. When the buggy that Fred went out in to bring him to the farm comes back empty, Lucy faints. A few days later, on Halloween, Lucy disappears herself.
When Willie tries to escape, the situation is compounded when a man claiming to be Cousin Osborne shows up, saying that he did not arrive earlier due to business. Willie explains to him the situation, wisely leaving out his experience in the woods and his idea of what might be out there. When Osborne shows knowledge of Willie’s experience anyway, and claims to be from Arkham when Willie knows him to be from Kingsport, it becomes obvious that he is an impostor. Cousin Osborne, claiming to have custody of Willie, orders him to stay indoors. Later, when the mailman, Cap Pritchett, arrives, the fake Osborne insists that Willie is not home. Willie immediately shows himself and asks to be ridden into town. Pritchett, seeing that Cousin Osborne was lying about Willie’s presence, agrees to Willie’s request. Cousin Osborne warns Willie as he leaves that he is making a mistake.
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