H.P. Lovecraft's Haunter in the Dark - Part 2
35:40 Share

This episode is brought to you by Progressive, where customers who save by switching their home and car save nearly $800 on average. Quote at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $793 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2021 and May 2022. Potential savings will vary.

This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Whether you're selling a little or a lot, Shopify helps you do your thing however you cha-ching. From the launch your online shop stage all the way to the we just hit a million orders stage. No matter what stage you're in, Shopify's there to help you grow. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash special offer all lowercase. That's shopify.com slash special offer. ♪

Welcome to Episode 3 of the Curious Matter Anthology. I'm Jonathan Pezza, your host, and thank you for choosing to spend your time with us. In this episode, we bring the cycle of stories with the ever-curious Robert Blake to a close, in our conclusion to Haunter in the Dark. If this is your first time with us on the podcast, it is highly recommended that you listen to Shambler from the Stars and Haunter in the Dark Part 1 before continuing.

Alright, you've had your chance to turn back like our wayward hero. In the last episode, Robert Blake ventured into the abandoned church on Federal Hill and in the chamber at the top of the tower discovered the mysterious glowing crystal. I could hear something in the room above, what I assumed to be the peak of the steeple. What have I done? God forgive me. What have I done?

As I mentioned in the previous episode, Haunter is the last known work H.P. Lovecraft completed before his death in 1937. Over his lifetime, Lovecraft wrote at least 31 stories, but he never achieved fame or fortune.

Even if you didn't know who he was before listening to this podcast, the legacy of his work can be felt in every corner of modern pop culture today. Hellboy, Lock and Key, Salem's Lot, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Dungeons and Dragons, Batman, The Evil Dead, The Librarians, Supernatural, Stranger Things. The list goes on and on.

Each one of these stood on his shoulders and likely would not exist without his influence on the horror genre and storytelling as a whole. The fan culture we have today understands and accepts that it's okay to love something to the point of geekdom, but that wasn't always the case. These stories also have another history.

Many of Lovecraft's stories depict cults and ritualistic organizations devoted to the worship of cosmic deities and fictional lore. But his tales have a potency and realism that has inspired readers over the years to take his writings as more than mere fiction. In fact, his ideas and creations have found their way into the religious beliefs of more than a few occult organizations.

In John Engle's article for the Mythopoic Society, titled "The Cults of Lovecraft: The Impact of H.P. Lovecraft's Fiction on Contemporary Occult Practices," he discusses the very real and very secretive esoteric Order of Dagon,

which takes its name from a fictional counterpart found in Lovecraft's story "A Shadow Over Innsmouth." The Mythopoix Society is a peer-reviewed organization dedicated to the study of modern myth creation in literature. Engle states in his article: "To the esoteric Order of Dagon, Lovecraft was a visionary mystic who was incapable of understanding the true, sinister power of his art.

Lovecraft was someone who was given a glimpse of the truly fantastical and rejected it because he was too weak to embrace it. Whoa, right? Lovecraft continuously stated in letters that still exist that his writings were never more than artistic creations designed to entertain and scare their audience. But it seems he did his job too well.

Okay, let's get the ball rolling again. Let me just say to all you Lovecraft heads out there that I know the original story was actually titled Haunter of the Dark, not Haunter in the Dark. For me though, it's like a wrong song lyric you just keep on singing. Once you've had it rattling around in your mind that way for 20 years, that's just how the song goes. And somewhere along the way, my brain swapped the of for the in. Hopefully the subtle variation gives my take on the tale its own unique twist.

So, without further delay, it's time to grab your popcorn, turn out the lights, and enjoy the conclusion of Haunter in the Dark.

There against the electric. The lights, they just flickered. Yes sir, that happens sometimes in these storms. It's nothing to worry about. I've seen lightning strikes on Federal Hill and throughout the Lower City. The lights must not go out. Sir, may I ask your name? My name? My name is Robert Blake. Mr. Blake, I can assure you our grid is one of the best in the Northeast.

There's no need to worry. Is it possible the power will fail? The power must not fail. Any outages will be fixed as quickly as possible. It is imperative. You must keep the lights on. Lives depend on it. Sir, there is nothing to worry about. You're not listening to me. For Christ's sake, light is the only thing holding death at bay.

It is the fortress wall against unspeakable evil. Your precious illumination is the shield that guards us all. Please do what you must. The light... The light must not go out. Hello? The Journal of Robert Blake, January 3rd, 1935. It has been just over a month since the night of my folly into the depths of that damn black church.

I have told no one of the events of that fateful night, but the dead man's satchel recovered from the room in the tower has helped to give me some understanding of what I experienced. The man's name was Lillibridge. I discovered that from his things. A journalist of some sort, among his belongings was a notebook containing research into the strange sect that once inhabited that cursed place.

Sold!

Next on the block, this golden jewel-encrusted sarcophagus was recovered from a secret tomb of the pharaoh Nefrenkar deep within the Sphinx of Giza. Shall we start the bidding at, say, 100,000? Oh, thank you, 100,000 to Miss Weiss of Chicago. His expedition was such a success that the auction at Sotheby's upon his return enticed the richest Maharajahs, Tsars, and kings alike to make the journey to New York in competition for his prizes.

According to Lillibridge's notes, Bowen's congregation grew to more than 200 in the years following. That's when the first disappearances began. Residents of Federal Hill would simply vanish without a trace or sign of foul play. Whispers became rumors. Rumors grew to widespread panic. People claimed that strange sounds and putrid choking odors could be experienced on certain moonless nights emanating from the church grounds.

It became an epidemic so great that people took extreme measure to protect themselves, going so far as to paint holy signs in animal blood to ward off the plague. It was of no help. The number of newly missing grew year after year. But in 1903, an arrest was made. A member of the Starry Wisdom Congregation. Quit holding out! This don't have to go so rough on ya! Pfft!

There's nothing you can do to me. I am chosen. The orthotips and his servants watch over me even now. We know it's your gang of crazies that's snatching people. Just tell us, who is ordering the kidnappings?

Where are the missing- You know not what lies beyond your doorstep. The darkness is vast and holds many secrets. We are but a speck in a garden of specks. But I at least know what I am. Just tell us. Are they alive?

he will come for me bars chains walls you are nothing insignificant sheep

and from sheep must be rendered the flesh of sustenance, the blood of thirst. It is shining even now. Shining! You are already doomed. He is here. Thank you. Thank you. I am yours, Lord. Yes, yours.

The man died mysteriously in custody, but ranted of blood sacrifices made of their captives, not one of which was ever found. Lillibridge's notes discuss a riot on the hill in 1904. Locals lynched 14 members of Bowen's congregation. Quickly, keep your gates open! High Priest Bowen.

Your holy wisdom, we must escape. The mob is taking members of our holy order and killing them in the streets. I have guards outside your residence, but we don't have much time. Your car and driver is ready to see us safely away. Quickly, please. We must flee. Well, I must go to the church. The box.

Where is the box? It's still in the High Council chamber. We must recover the sacred cradle and its contents. We cannot leave without it. The church is surrounded. They may likely break through the gates at any moment. It is lost, Enoch. Please! We must leave the city at once.

The mob will not belong. I have sent word to the others to flee as well, but I must get you out of the city. I will not leave without the trapezoid. I'm sorry, Your Wisdom. Men, take him to the guard. Restrain him if you must. No! The cradle! No! After that night, the members of Starry Wisdom disappeared. Enoch Bowen and his cult were never seen in Providence again.

Lillibridge states that the riot was quelled by the police before the mob was able to enter the grounds. At the behest of the Bishop of Providence Cathedral, the mayor sealed the church. The disappearances quickly stopped and it seems the matter was forgotten by all but the inhabitants of the hill. The journalist appeared to be on the edge of a breakthrough before his ill-fated venture into the church tower where his life tragically ended. The priest I happened upon in the church square spoke of an exorcism or banishment.

Had it been Lillibridge that in his investigation accidentally brought forth that thing from some deep chasm of space? I fear I have fallen into the very same trap. By looking into that strange crystal with veins like fire, I ushered something into our world. That beast, that demon, that elder thing remains in the tower still.

What have I done? What plague have I unleashed on this world? I have had no luck deciphering the strange symbols in the black book recovered from the vestry. Each hour spent in futile effort pushes me farther into a state of panic and depression. I cannot help but think back to my friend Randolph and his words. "Arcane knowledge always exacts its price."

This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Whether you're selling a little or a lot.

Shopify helps you do your thing, however you cha-ching. From the launch your online shop stage, all the way to the we just hit a million orders stage. No matter what stage you're in, Shopify's there to help you grow. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash special offer, all lowercase. That's shopify.com slash special offer.

My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big ROAS man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friend's still laughing me to this day. Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn, you'll be able to reach people who do. Get $100 credit on your next ad campaign. Go to linkedin.com slash results to claim your credit. That's linkedin.com slash results. Terms and conditions apply. LinkedIn.com slash results.

LinkedIn, the place to be, to be.

The Fable & Folly Network supports creators of exceptional audio stories, including the one you're listening to right now. If you love our shows, we want to hear from you. Complete our listener survey at fableandfolly.com slash survey. This will help us learn more about you, what you like, what you'd like to hear more of, and how we can maintain an inclusive, safe atmosphere. As a thank you for your participation, we have extras and behind-the-scenes content from your favorite shows.

Fans make the network what it is. Thanks for listening, and we can't wait to hear from you. Find our listener survey at fableandfolly.com slash survey today. You can't sleep here, sir. Time to get up and move along. Huh? Where am I? Sleeping it off in the public square, that's where. Must have been quite a bender. Time to move it along. You're lucky I don't haul you in for public intoxication. No, the church square.

How did I get here? The same way the rest of us do. Two feet, two legs, and no sense. Although you might want to keep track of your shoes next time. Don't make me have to ask you again. This place gives me the creeps. Y-yes, officer. I'll be on my way. Sorry to bother you. Alright, where do you live? College Hill. You have quite a walk ahead of you. I'll spot you for the streetcar. Only the Christian thing to do. Thank you. Looks like you're not the only one out this early.

What is she doing?

March 9th, 1935. I feel like I am going mad. Had I actually sleepwalked all the way across the city?

Fuzzy recollections of a voice calling out to me rattle around in my mind. Is that thing's power over me now so great that it can call me like a dog? Am I powerless to withhold? Each night I am visited by such dreams. No, not dreams. Visions. My thrashing convulsions have in the past thrown me violently from the mattress. But this, this is something else.

I will need to tie myself to the bed. Yes, that at least I can do. I have been called back nightly to those strange worlds where the hooded misshapen masses parade among their spires made of the same crimson-veined substance as the crystal in the tower. No, it has a name. The Shining Trapezohedron. That is what the old ones who forged it in the fires of Ugoth named it.

I awake with such knowledge. With each new vision, I feel more at home on that far shore and more alien here. That devil drawn forth through boundless time and spaces stalking around its vaulted gothic prison on that far hill. I can feel it there. We are connected, it and I.

I feel its rage like white hot spikes behind my eyes. Its hunger is like steely bile in my mouth. Its pain. It is a thing holy of the darkness, a child of the void born in blackness, an enemy of day. A match light burns like suns and even the dimmest pool of illumination is insurmountable.

But in the pitch black, it is no less than a god. April 16th, 1935. It has been raining for three weeks without break or respite. Two nights ago, the lights went out for a whole minute. I have made vain attempts to call the power company, but my warnings fall on deaf ears.

The hunter grows restless and ravenous. Created by ancient forces and born to feed, his hunger knows no bounds. His hatred focuses like a beam across the city, and I am its target. In clumsily calling him forth from his slumber, I trapped him in that stone prison to starve. I became his jailer.

His tormentor as much as he is mine. We two are locked in place. But unless he is sent back from whence he came, I fear he will find his way to me. Even now, this storm grows, and I fear for the worst. Help me. Father, the lights are out all over the city! Send word to the other deacons, and rouse the sisters, quickly!

Tell them to bring whatever they have. Oil lamps, battery torches, candles, whatever they can. We must create a wall against the darkness. Go. Quickly, go! The lights are out. Yes, Manzini. I must go. You are not ready. I will do what I must. We may yet be able to hold the devil at bay.

Father, the circle is complete. We have the church surrounded. We have brought what lights we could, but in this downpour, it's hard to keep the wicks lit. Will it be enough? Only God knows. I nomine Patris, I Thine, I Spiritus Sancti. Protect your children in this hour of need. The lightning has us stopped. Diabolus est infernum. I chased you, beast, spirit, demon.

The light has been out for more than half an hour. It will not be long.

My name is Robert Harrison Blake of 620 East Knapp Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I believe I am of this planet, but I can no longer be sure. If you find this journal, it is imperative that the crystal is recovered from the tower. See it safely into some fiery chasm or deep abyss from which it can never again fall into the hands of man.

And whatever you do, do not look into its infinite depths. As a thought have mercy. The lightning no longer flashes. I can feel the revelry of its freedom. The wind against my skin. Her exhilaration. My wings, its wings, carry it to me through the starless night.

I am a child of two minds. The adrenaline of the hunter and the terror of the prey. Yes, I come. The feast begins. I'm so hungry. I am it and it is I. I want to get out. Must get out. No, it knows where I am. I can still, yeah, I see it.

Coming here...Hellwind...I am free! Case ID: 110-51935-16 Deceased: Blake, Robert H. Cause of death unknown. The circumstances surrounding the gruesome state of Mr. Blake's remains, namely the extreme nature of his final transfiguring expression are, well, unsettling.

even for the experienced professional used to witness in scenes of this kind. The medical examiner suggested the cause of death could perhaps have been lightning or some other large electrical force. But no other signs of burning were present on the scene and the source of such a charge remains unknown.

The landlady of the boarding house's statement claims the victim had spent the night alone in his room. We found diaries among the victim's belongings that detail recent events he hypothesized would be the cause of his demise. The events detailed within, however, are so unbelievable, so outlandish that they can only be the result of a fantastical imagination aroused by certain local superstitions.

Certainly not the stuff of logic and fact that have any business in a professional investigation. One salient detail is that Blake claims in his writing to have been directly involved in starting the Benefit Street Fire in 1933 that resulted in the death of a local man, one Randolph Carter. As to the night of the blackout, eyewitness statements from the residents of Federal Hill have been included in my findings. I cannot comment to the authenticity of such wild claims.

but our search of the church confirmed that vandals, persons, or something else had indeed recently ransacked and destroyed most of the contents within. There remained those in the department who cling to less rational and commonplace theories surrounding the manner of Blake's death. A veteran named Hawks was so inclined to take Blake's diary at its face value

that he deliberately interfered with my investigation, citing a series of past cases involving the now defunct Starry Wisdom sect. This particular detective, with the help of an unknown accomplice, did intentionally impede in the case and tamper with evidence. Hawks has been relieved of his duty and is being transferred to Akram Hospital for further care.

So moved to extremes by memories of long, cold cases, he seems to have gone mad and in his mania conspired to steal evidence recovered from the old church steeple. Specifically a strangely adorned metal box. The once reputable officer is now reduced to gibbering madness in his obsession. In my many years on the force, I've never come across a case this bewildering.

But being that we have no credible evidence of foul play other than the questionable scribblings of a man who made it his life's work to write weird tales and macabre pulp, I recommend that the case be moved to inactive, unsolved status pending the discovery of any further evidence. And I cannot help but add the following thought to my report: Perhaps it is better that some things remain a mystery. I hope you've enjoyed this presentation of Haunter in the Dark Part 2.

It was dramatized, directed, and edited by me, your host, Jonathan Pezza. Additional voice direction by Jeremy Pezza. Our ensemble cast included the voices of Darren Cummings, Philip Gray, Matt Hoban, Jeremy Pezza, Maria Pezza, and Catherine Mewes. The score was provided by Epidemic Music, and sound effects were provided by Soundsnap.com. Haunter of the Dark is a work in the public domain and was produced in accordance with U.S. copyright law.

Curious Matter is a production of Jonathan Pezza, Inc., copyright 2019, all rights reserved. If you have a question or feedback about the podcast, or you have suggestions for a future episode, I'd love to hear from you. Reach out to Jonathan at CuriousMatterPodcast.com.

or check us out online for more information at www.curiousmatterpodcast.com. Each episode on the website includes a blog article with additional information about the story, links to interesting historical information, and suggested reading and viewing to keep the experience going. One final note on Lovecraft before we move on.

He was not a public figure in his lifetime, and he, very much like the characters he created, was an often troubled and deeply flawed human being. His personal views on the world do not hold up to the scrutiny and standards of equality and respect that we strive for today. I think it's important to say that, and to understand that we as a society can acknowledge his contributions without condoning his beliefs. Now here on Curious Matter, we dedicate each of these episodes to a used bookstore.

This one goes out to the Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. This two-story, 22,000 square foot mecca of the written word is the perfect place to while away a couple of hours, take a few selfies in the book tunnel, and discover a new favorite. Do yourself a favor and look them up online at lastbookstorela.com or better yet, if you live nearby, go for a visit and buy a book.

Coming up on the next episode of Curious Matter, we are switching gears and diving into the world of science fiction. Since we are coming up on the holidays, Haunter in the Dark Part 2 marks the last episode of 2019. But we will be back to ring in the new year on January 2nd with the first part of Philip K. Dick's epic cautionary tale of war and robots, Second Variety. So make sure to subscribe for free today, and thank you for listening.

Hello, Maria Kennedy from Hero Trackers here to tell you about a special report we've been working on at Hero Track Media. With the help of my producer, Shaina, we are going to reveal the life story of a mysterious hero that, as far as we can tell, has never been covered by a media outlet before.

Subscribe to this podcast feed to learn more about this hero and the strange circumstances surrounding their life and career and how they might be connected to your favorite heroes. Coming soon from HeroTrack Media, Vigil. Vigil Season 1. An audio fiction superhero thriller in 10 parts from All In Productions.

featuring Haley Sanfilippo as Maria Kennedy and Adam Kudashat as Vigil. Subscribe or follow to make sure you're the first to know about Vigil.