"The Temple of Yig"

by Donald R. Burleson
originally published Singers of Strange Songs, Chaosium, 1997

Carlos and his cousin Paco are having a bored night in their little New Mexico burg, and decided to go see a carnival that's recently set up in town.  Seems there's some weird rumors about this carnival - among them that it originated in Britain but the entire troupe was forced to leave the country.  Now they're going around the US of A, leaving behind a trail of sinister rumors.

The carnival appears to be not too much different from any other, except for an attraction called The Tomb of the Old Ones and, therein, something called The Temple of Yig.  Carlos goes in to check it out. 

Inside he find statuary of the expected type.  The barker talks of the Old Ones in the usual spiel, and of Yig, the oldest of all.  He calls up a shadowy figure who glares out at the audience.  As it doe so, the figure sends telepathic information to (some?)(all?)(just Carlos?) about the whole Cthulhu mess, ancient mysteries, alien races, blah blah blah.

Carlos, a changed man, leaves and goes out alone into the desert and stares into the night.  Snakes gather around him.

This tale is evocative, though somewhat minor.  The mysterious figure in the carnival tent actually has some punch to it.