Зов Ктулху
The Horror in Clay
Alltracesofstrangedreaminghadvanishedwithhisrecovery, andmyunclekeptnorecordofhisnight-thoughtsafteraweek ofpointlessandirrelevantaccountsofthoroughlyusualvisions.
Herethefirstpartofthemanuscriptended, butreferencestocertainofthescatterednotesgavememuchmaterialforthought —somuch,infact,thatonlytheingrainedscepticism thenformingmyphilosophycanaccountformycontinueddistrustoftheartist. Thenotesinquestionwerethosedescriptiveofthedreamsofvariouspersons coveringthesameperiodasthat inwhichyoungWilcoxhadhadhisstrangevisitations. Myuncle,itseems,hadquicklyinstitutedaprodigiouslyfar-flungbodyofinquiriesamongstnearlyallthefriends whomhecouldquestionwithoutimpertinence, askingfornightlyreportsoftheirdreams, andthedatesofanynotablevisionsforsometimepast. Thereceptionofhisrequestseemstohavebeenvaried; buthemust,attheveryleast, havereceivedmoreresponsesthananyordinarymancouldhavehandledwithoutasecretary. Thisoriginalcorrespondencewasnotpreserved, buthisnotesformedathoroughandreallysignificantdigest. Averagepeopleinsocietyandbusiness —NewEngland’straditional"saltoftheearth" —gaveanalmostcompletelynegativeresult, thoughscatteredcasesofuneasybutformlessnocturnalimpressionsappearhereandthere, alwaysbetweenMarch23rdandApril2nd —theperiodofyoungWilcox’sdelirium. Scientificmenwerelittlemoreaffected, thoughfourcasesofvaguedescriptionsuggestfugitiveglimpsesofstrangelandscapes, andinonecasethereismentionedadreadofsomethingabnormal.
Itwasfromtheartistsandpoetsthatthepertinentanswerscame, andIknowthatpanicwouldhavebrokenloosehadtheybeenabletocomparenotes.
