Зов Ктулху
The Horror in Clay
Therehadbeenaslightearthquaketremorthenightbefore, themostconsiderablefeltinNewEnglandforsomeyears; andWilcox’simaginationhadbeenkeenlyaffected. Uponretiring,hehadhadanunprecedenteddream ofgreatCyclopeancitiesoftitanblocksandsky-flungmonoliths, alldrippingwithgreenoozeandsinisterwithlatenthorror. Hieroglyphicshadcoveredthewallsandpillars,andfromsomeundeterminedpointbelowhadcomeavoice thatwasnotavoice; achaoticsensationwhichonlyfancycouldtransmuteintosound, butwhichheattemptedtorenderbythealmostunpronounceablejumbleofletters, "Cthulhufhtagn".
Thisverbaljumblewasthekeytotherecollection whichexcitedanddisturbedProfessorAngell. Hequestionedthesculptorwithscientificminuteness; andstudiedwithalmostfranticintensitythebas-relief onwhichtheyouthhadfoundhimselfworking, chilledandcladonlyinhisnight-clothes,whenwakinghadstolenbewilderinglyoverhim. Myuncleblamedhisoldage,Wilcoxafterwardsaid, forhisslownessinrecognizingbothhieroglyphicsandpictorialdesign. Manyofhisquestionsseemedhighlyout-of-placetohisvisitor, especiallythosewhichtriedtoconnectthelatterwithstrangecultsorsocieties; andWilcoxcouldnotunderstandtherepeatedpromisesofsilence whichhewasofferedinexchangeforanadmissionofmembershipinsomewidespreadmysticalorpaganlyreligiousbody. WhenProfessorAngellbecameconvincedthatthesculptorwasindeedignorant ofanycultorsystemofcrypticlore, hebesiegedhisvisitorwithdemandsforfuturereportsofdreams. Thisboreregularfruit, forafterthefirstinterviewthemanuscriptrecordsdailycallsoftheyoungman, duringwhichherelatedstartlingfragmentsofnocturnalimagery whoseburdenwasalwayssometerribleCyclopeanvistaofdarkanddrippingstone, withasubterrenevoiceorintelligence shoutingmonotonouslyinenigmaticalsense-impactsuninscribablesaveasgibberish.
