originally published The Survivor and Others, Arkham House 1957
Nathaniel Corey, a shrink, is brought an unusual patient - one Amos Piper, an anthropologist. Piper has had some kind of breakdown. Some years back, for a period of time, he suddenly lost his ability to speak, his motor skills, and his personality. He quickly recovered the first two. He spent a fair bit of time travelling, and researching various outre things - including the usual Cthulhu-isms. Three years later he returned to normal. He is plagued by detailed dreams and visions of life on another world, in the body of the cone-shaped Great Race of Yith.
Corey naturally figures this all to be psychological phenomenon. Piper becomes paranoid, convinced the Great Race still have him under observation. He sends Corey a rambling letter in which he vaguely speculates about the events related in "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" and "At the Mountains of Madness". Corey goes to see him, but, despite Piper's sister's claims of a relapse, Piper seems perfectly normal, and well-adjusted. Well, except he seems ... too intelligent.
Piper says he's headed off for the Arabian desert on an expedition. Corey goes back to his office and finds all his notes about Piper's case stolen. But he made copies, smart fellow that he is! He begins researching some of Piper's claims - and finds validity in them. It turns out there's been a bunch of cases identical to Piper's. And hey - that expedition? All those victims of the identical cases are in on it! And hey - guess what - the entire expedition is lost!
Corey begins to notice people following him. His manuscript cuts off as someone approaches from across the street. Dr. Corey and an unknown man are found in Corey's office trying to burn his manuscript. They're having problems because they don't seem to know how to use their hands, and they can't speak....
A rather pointless re-hash of "The Shadow Out Of Time", even down to the name. And a silly ending. Derleth was really phoning it in with this one.
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