Cthulhu Rose - Part Four

Part Four

I walked over to the row of garages and saw nothing amiss, until I looked onto that large expanse of lawn. It was the size of a football field. It was then that I saw the footprints in the frost, spread widely apart, making their way off across the grass before vanishing.

I bent down and studied the closest print. It not that of a human, to be sure, as it was much too large. There were toe prints, and I was shocked to count nine all together. I went to the next print and all was the same; something very large had walked across the grass, and then disappeared. How could it be? It was simply impossible.

I started following the prints, step by step, but they were much too far apart to keep in step, and so as I neared the next print I stood in the middle of it before moving onward. The warm spring sun had risen, and already the frost was melting – it was just no match for the change of seasons.

I walked forward to the next print, and noticed it was becoming misshapen; the outline spreading out as more grass appeared, pushing away the morning frost. I wanted to reach the point where steps ended so I hurried along, stopping only briefly on each print before moving on to the next one. I wondered if anyone at that point, a neighbor or passerby, or perhaps the old man who walked his tall lanky greyhound every morning. Pushing away any self-conscious feelings I may have had, I moved forward even quicker.

I finally reached the last footprint, which had already succumbed to the brightening sun, and was now mostly a round spot on the grass with no impressions of toes. I stood in the middle of the footprint, wondering just how something – something huge – had walked this far only to vanish.

I have to admit, the morning sun did feel good, and I was glad for the arrival of spring. I lit a cigarette and stood in that last footprint as it nearly disappeared; and then I decided that maybe I should just follow the path it had been taking, what this huge thing was – it had to have been much larger than what I had dreamt about (if it had been a dream at all), and it had been alone for I had seen no other prints in the frost.

Nonetheless, I thought I was dealing with more than one creature. I had seen more in my dream, and had seen the spider-like apparitions’ right outside, those jointed legs quivering, forcing the thing around In a hurried fashion. Very frightening, this spectacle was, and I was quite sure I was not asleep.

I took one more step, out of the last footprint of the thing I seemed to be which obsessed. Why? It had shown me horrors of which I had no desire to witness, and yet I did, and now I felt yearning for more. As I took that last step, I was not longer in the melting frost of the grass, but it a cavern of darkness.

It was large, its side lined with those of the dead; their skeletal mouths opened in terror as if still reliving what had put them there. But as I looked, there were other things of which I had knowledge – creatures also trapped to the sides, odd things they were, and I stood a while to study them.

I looked back through the cavern, and saw the great opening of light. I felt relief in that I could go back when I wanted, and yet I had found a passage to the home of the Great Old Ones. I walked on slowly, almost marveling, yet horrified at the dead lined along the walls. Was I to be next?

It was then that I heard the call of Cthulhu. A deep screeching echoing through the cavern. In fear, I again looked back to see the spot of light that led to my world. The sound grew louder, and I knew I was about to come face to face with The Great Old One. Should I stay? My mind said yes, as it had already been assaulted by Cthulhu. My body said no, run for your life. The mind, being more powerful, took control – pushing me onward.