originally published Crypt of Cthulhu #69, Yuletide 1989
Paxton Blaine goes to work as a secretary for Enos Harker, a strange scholar and priest of an obscure Christian sect. His job is translating and cataloging data and quotes from the usual sources.
Harker is an oddball. Worst of all, he's half-covered in bandages all the time - allegedly due to an eczema or scleroderma-type illness.
Blaine becomes more and more disturbed by what he's scribing. Harker seems to get worse and worse. One night, with Harker in bad shape, Blaine gets a look at how repulsive he is under the bandages - Harker's features are actually changing shape.
Harker explains that years ago, he journeyed into Asia on missionary work, and found his way to the fabled Plateau of Leng. There he was taken in by a sinister cult, and took part in grotesque, cannibalistic ceremonies. He also learned that he himself was an avatar of Nyarlathotep. He believes himself to be the herald of the end of the world, and plans to avoid this fate by leaving Earth for the Dreamlands or some other far-off dimension.
Soon after, Enos Harker disappears in a flash of unearthly lightning.
This is a decidedly unusual, and effective, Carter tale.
While the Lovecraftian structure is still present, it seems less an attempt to ape an HPL story. It also recalls more early, Poe-influenced Lovecraft. The tone, however, is not particularly Lovecraftian. Harker's extended mystical theorizing and the gruesome and creepy details of his experiences with the Leng cult are more reminiscent of Thomas Ligotti or Clive Barker. This is not a great story, but it is decidedly effective and its curious that, so late in his game, Carter seemed to be finding a voice of his own. Or is that all the work of Price?
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