DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Acolyte, v. 2, issue 1, whole no. 5, Fall 1943

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Acolyte, v. 2, issue 1, whole no. 5, Fall 1943

Page 18

For the moment I stopped reading there, and my eyes skipped over to the next page where Bruce seemed to have underlined several of the statements, as if they were of the utmost importance. I had read that passage carefully.
"But Some there be amonge Them, whych wait resteless and impatient for ye tyme. 'Tis said these fewe do inherit ye Elder Power to attracte unto 
Them small animals; then ye cattle and smalle children; then ye weake and ye sycke; then whychever men who sleepe close to Them, upon ye whom They do project a kynde of Dreame. 'Tis also said, that whom-so-ever be thusly attracted unto Them, doth become a Part of Them (thate ys to saye, ye All-in-One whych ye Elder Ones await), and doth instruct ye Creatures and ye very grounde in whych They be. In thys wyse (when ye tyme doth some) shall They enjoy ye ultimate consummation; thusly shalle They inherit ye lande again whych once was Theirs."

That is as much as I read. I remembered old Zickler's statement about the earth not belonging to us. I remembered Mrs. Corey's vague hintings of people who had slept in this room, and who had dreamed and then disappeared. I remembered Bruce's dream the previous night, of the graveyard and the tomb behind this house. For perhaps five minutes I sat there in the flickering lamplight, remembering these and other things. Suddenly I leaped to my feat, shuddering, an icy-cold wave of horror sweeping over me. Here I had been sitting waiting for Bruce to come back!
In that moment, I knew what I must do. I went leaping down the stairway out into the dark night, and around to the side of the house where we had left the car. The .45 automatic that Bruce usually carried in the glove compartment was gone. So was the flashlight. Anyway, it made no difference now. I found another flashlight in my kit; the batteries were very weak, but I was thankful for it.
I went through the gap in the fence, and down that path behind the house toward the tomb. I remembered Bruce's description of his dream, wherein something had drawn him here against his will. Nothing was drawing me, of that I was certain.
How true is the saying, "Fools rush in..."
Not until I was standing right before the tomb did I see that Bruce had indeed been there. The heavy plank door was pulled slightly ajar, making a little arc in the dirt. The iron chain which had held it was now broken. It was a tight squeeze since the door would open no further, but I finally managed to enter. Flashing my light around, I saw a few mouldering wooden coffins at one side. i scarcely glanced at them. Instead, I examined the cement walls that were damp and musty.
Then I gave a start of surprise. Without quite knowing what I was looking for, I had found it! At the rear of the tomb, I saw a roughly rectangular hole in the cement. Quickly I crossed to it.I flashed my light into a passage that led slightly downward for about ten feet, then seemed to level off. Determined now to go where Bruce had gone, I bent low and squeezed into the passage.
At the bottom of the slight incline, I again flashed my light ahead. Then my heart pounded in excitement and amazement. The passage was narrow, but high enough for a man to stand erect---and it extended far beyond the feeble beam of my flashlight! I moved slowly ahead. Soon I began to distinguish what seemed to be other smaller passages branching off, but what struck me so forcibly was that this main passage seemed to extend straight toward the ravine!
There was a stagnant, loathsome stench that seemed to roll over me in tangible waves. I touched the earth walls, and recoiled. It was the same dampish, grayish kind of soil Bruce had examined, but much worse. It was slimy; it seemed to crawl under my touch as though it were alive. i came near then to giving up and going back; but, gritting my teeth, I went on.
My foot struck something hard. I bent, fumbled, and picked it up. It was Bruce's automatic. It still felt faintly warm. I knew it had been fired. Now there was no more doubt--only a vague fear and foreboding. I stood there in that noisome passage, holding the gun that had been fired, wondering what I should do next.
It was decided for me. Just then I heard the sound. Quickly I snapped off the flashlight and stood there in the dark, tense and listening. My hear pounded blood into my ears so that I could hardly hear the sound when it came again. But I heard it all right---faint and far away, not close as I had first thought.
-- 18 --

Saving...

For the moment I stopped reading there, and my eyes skipped over to the next page where Bruce seemed to have underlined several of the statements, as if they were of the utmost importance. I had read that passage carefully. "But Some there be amonge Them, whych wait resteless and impatient for ye tyme. 'Tis said these fewe do inherit ye Elder Power to attracte unto Them small animals; then ye cattle and smalle children; then ye weake and ye sycke; then whychever men who sleepe close to Them, upon ye whom They do project a kynde of Dreame. 'Tis also said, that whom-so-ever be thusly attracted unto Them, doth become a Part of Them (thate ys to saye, ye All-in-One whych ye Elder Ones await), and doth instruct ye Creatures and ye very grounde in whych They be. In thys wyse (when ye tyme doth some) shall They enjoy ye ultimate consummation; thusly shalle They inherit ye lande again whych once was Theirs." That is as much as I read. I remembered old Zickler's statement about the earth not belonging to us. I remembered Mrs. Corey's vague hintings of people who had slept in this room, and who had dreamed and then disappeared. I remembered Bruce's dream the previous night, of the graveyard and the tomb behind this house. For perhaps five minutes I sat there in the flickering lamplight, remembering these and other things. Suddenly I leaped to my feat, shuddering, an icy-cold wave of horror sweeping over me. Here I had been sitting waiting for Bruce to come back! In that moment, I knew what I must do. I went leaping down the stairway out into the dark night, and around to the side of the house where we had left the car. The .45 automatic that Bruce usually carried in the glove compartment was gone. So was the flashlight. Anyway, it made no difference now. I found another flashlight in my kit; the batteries were very weak, but I was thankful for it. I went through the gap in the fence, and down that path behind the house toward the tomb. I remembered Bruce's description of his dream, wherein something had drawn him here against his will. Nothing was drawing me, of that I was certain. How true is the saying, "Fools rush in..." Not until I was standing right before the tomb did I see that Bruce had indeed been there. The heavy plank door was pulled slightly ajar, making a little arc in the dirt. The iron chain which had held it was now broken. It was a tight squeeze since the door would open no further, but I finally managed to enter. Flashing my light around, I saw a few mouldering wooden coffins at one side. i scarcely glanced at them. Instead, I examined the cement walls that were damp and musty. Then I gave a start of surprise. Without quite knowing what I was looking for, I had found it! At the rear of the tomb, I saw a roughly rectangular hole in the cement. Quickly I crossed to it.I flashed my light into a passage that led slightly downward for about ten feet, then seemed to level off. Determined now to go where Bruce had gone, I bent low and squeezed into the passage. At the bottom of the slight incline, I again flashed my light ahead. Then my heart pounded in excitement and amazement. The passage was narrow, but high enough for a man to stand erect---and it extended far beyond the feeble beam of my flashlight! I moved slowly ahead. Soon I began to distinguish what seemed to be other smaller passages branching off, but what struck me so forcibly was that this main passage seemed to extend straight toward the ravine! There was a stagnant, loathsome stench that seemed to roll over me in tangible waves. I touched the earth walls, and recoiled. It was the same dampish, grayish kind of soil Bruce had examined, but much worse. It was slimy; it seemed to crawl under my touch as though it were alive. i came near then to giving up and going back; but, gritting my teeth, I went on. My foot struck something hard. I bent, fumbled, and picked it up. It was Bruce's automatic. It still felt faintly warm. I knew it had been fired. Now there was no more doubt--only a vague fear and foreboding. I stood there in that noisome passage, holding the gun that had been fired, wondering what I should do next. It was decided for me. Just then I heard the sound. Quickly I snapped off the flashlight and stood there in the dark, tense and listening. My hear pounded blood into my ears so that I could hardly hear the sound when it came again. But I heard it all right---faint and far away, not close as I had first thought. -- 18 --