Ужас в музее
Chapter 1
Afteramomentthevisitor’sglancebecamesharperandmoreabsorbed,fortheutterlysatanicforceoftheobjectdepictedhadanalmosthypnoticeffect. Certainly,Rogershadoutdonehimselfinmodellingtheeldritchnightmarewhichthecamerahadcaught. Thethingwasaworkofsheer,infernalgenius,andJoneswonderedhowthepublicwouldreactwhenitwasplacedonexhibition. Sohideousathinghadnorighttoexist—probablythemerecontemplationofit,afteritwasdone,hadcompletedtheunhingingofitsmaker’smindandledhimtoworshipitwithbrutalsacrifices. Onlyastoutsanitycouldresisttheinsidioussuggestionthattheblasphemywas—orhadoncebeen—somemorbidandexoticformofactuallife.
Thethinginthepicturesquattedorwasbalancedonwhatappearedtobeacleverreproductionofthemonstrouslycarvedthroneintheothercuriousphotograph. Todescribeitwithanyordinaryvocabularywouldbeimpossible,fornothingevenroughlycorrespondingtoithasevercomewithintheimaginationofsanemankind. Itrepresentedsomethingmeantperhapstoberoughlyconnectedwiththevertebratesofthisplanet—thoughonecouldnotbetoosureofthat. ItsbulkwasCyclopean,forevensquattedittoweredtoalmosttwicetheheightofOrabona,whowasshewnbesideit. Lookingsharply,onemighttraceitsapproximationstowardthebodilyfeaturesofthehighervertebrates.
Therewasanalmostglobulartorso,withsixlong,sinuouslimbsterminatingincrab-likeclaws.
