"The Door to Saturn"

by Clark Ashton Smith
originally published Strange Tales, January 1932

Morghi, high priest of Youndeh, comes to arrest Eibon, but finds him absent.  A search of the premises reveals a mysterious metal plate.  This plate is a doorway to the planet Cykranosh, known to us as Saturn.  It turns out Eibon has fled there.  Morghi follows him.

Morghi and Eibon are adopted by a friendly race called the Bhlemphroims, who have their faces in their abdomens.  Soon Eibon and Morghi learn that they are intended to be the mates, and then meals, of the literal mother of the race.  They escape and are taken in by the Ydheems, a similar race with more normal reproductive practices.  They live out their days there.

This is one of Smith's more humorous stories.  Quite absurd, but funny in its very weirdness and shaggy-dog punchline involving the god Hziulquoigmnzhah and his instructions to Eibon on their first meeting.