"Bells of Horror"

by Henry Kuttner 

Originally published  Strange Stories, April 1939  

Ross is the secretary of the California Historical Society, and he gets an excited call one day from the society prez, Arthur Todd.  It seems they've found the long-missing bells of Mission San Xavier stuffed away in a cave.  

But these bells have a funky backstory.  It seems they were cast with the help of some native american magic, courtesy of the Mutsune tribe, and it is warned if the bells are rung it will bring "the terror of the night".  Well, fuck these native superstitions.  And fuck the fact that the local Mexicans won't get get the third bell out of the cave.   Will Ross come and help?  Sure!

But Ross finds a local Mexican kid who will give him directions but not guide him.  The kid's scared.  So Ross has to hike most of the way.  Along the trail he encounters a big toad that's somehow managed to knock one of its own eyes out on a rock.  Suddenly Ross is rubbing his own burning eyes way too hard.  

Ross arrives at the cabin just in time for a workman who's apparently gouged out his own eyes to come running out screaming and die in front of Arthur and Denton, Arthur's #2 guy.  It seems everyone's having trouble with their eyes burning so bad it's driving them insane.  They've also found a cylinder with a parchement inside.  It's a signed account by Junipero Serra requestin the bells be sent to Rome, noting that when they were rung, a demon called Zu-che-quon was released and caused all kinds of trouble.  They head out to the cave only to find Sarto, the guy they left in charge has hung the bells by a rope from some trees.  Startled by their arrival he drops the rope and gets his head bashed in by one of the falling bells.

Back in civilization the bells are scheduled to be hung.  Denton has found some correspondences to the bell legends in The Book of Iod.  But c'mon, no one believes this superstitious crap, right?  All the same, its getting really cold out.  And there's an earthquake.  But none of this will stop the bells being hung at San Xavier!

The bells are rung - and everything plunges into darkness.  And another quake.  Everyone starts to freak out.  Denton leads Ross into the museum, but a voice in his head is urging him to put out his eyes and the burning sensation is overwhelming.  Then Denton's trying to put his eyes out.  Suddenly the shaking lessens and the darkness begins to lift.  One of the bells has been silenced.

But, the curse of Zu-Che-Quon is not so easily dismissed.  Not long after, Denton is found dead with his eyes gouged out.

This is an average pulp horror story with some decidedly unpleasant elements.  Nothing special but by now Kuttner had left imitation behind and had his own voice and interests.