This one is kind of an odd tale. At first it seems like a werewolf story (and it would have been the first in this volume), but then it takes another direction, in kind of an HPL way.
Maddox is in great need of relaxation. On advice from his doctor, Foster, Maddox goes to the French coast to take things easy. He moves in with Father Vetier, where he spends most days relaxing and going for long walks. This latter part bothers the good father, though, as Maddox tends to wander around a coast road, where the locals believe unnatural things roam.
What kind of unnatural things? During one sojourn, Maddox comes upon a hooded figure who, upon closer examination, has more in common with a dog than a person. He doesn’t get a clear picture, but it seems to him that he has come upon a beast digging in the sand of the beach. When he gets to the place (after the beast has left, of course), he does a little digging himself and comes up with a curious box. A piece of parchment inside, written in a kinda-sorta Latin, puzzles Maddox. When he tries reading it, Vetier stops him, claiming it’s an incantation to call the devil.
The father has been very good to him, so he doesn’t want to upset him. Instead, he offers help in renovating an ancient church. Of course, this doesn’t go too well, either, because Maddox discovers a painting there, featuring the very hooded beast he’d seen in real life, as well as a few other oddities, most notably a squat, toad-like figure that seems to be dominating the beast.
All in all, this tale is kind of ho-hum. There isn’t a lot to recommend it except for a scene in which Maddox is haunted by dreams of his discoveries. Scott does a marvelous job of portraying Maddox’s overpowering fear, perhaps the best job of any author in this book yet. Scott gets down not just the dread of the situation, but also the slimy, ugly things, too.
When it comes down to it, this is one of the weaker stories in the book, but it’s not without merit. The ending is a bit too upbeat for fans of the genre, but it’s not a rewardless trip into the horror story.
[This story first appeared in RANDALL'S ROUND and cannot be read online at this time.]
No comments:
Post a Comment