Хребти божевілля
VII
TheseviscousmasseswerewithoutdoubtwhatAbdulAlhazredwhisperedaboutasthe"Shoggoths"inhisfrightfulNecronomicon,thougheventhatmadArabhadnothintedthatanyexistedonearthexceptinthedreamsofthosewhohadchewedacertainalkaloidalherb. Whenthestar-headedOldOnesonthisplanethadsynthesizedtheirsimplefoodformsandbredagoodsupplyofShoggoths,theyallowedothercellgroupstodevelopintootherformsofanimalandvegetablelifeforsundrypurposes,extirpatinganywhosepresencebecametroublesome.
WiththeaidoftheShoggoths,whoseexpansionscouldbemadetoliftprodigiousweights,thesmall,lowcitiesundertheseagrewtovastandimposinglabyrinthsofstonenotunlikethosewhichlaterroseonland. Indeed,thehighlyadaptableOldOneshadlivedmuchonlandinotherpartsoftheuniverse,andprobablyretainedmanytraditionsoflandconstruction. Aswestudiedthearchitectureofallthesesculpturedpalaeogeancities,includingthatwhoseaeon-deadcorridorswewereeventhentraversing,wewereimpressedbyacuriouscoincidencewhichwehavenotyettriedtoexplain,eventoourselves. Thetopsofthebuildings,whichintheactualcityaroundushad,ofcourse,beenweatheredintoshapelessruinsagesago,wereclearlydisplayedinthebas-reliefs,andshowedvastclustersofneedle-likespires,delicatefinialsoncertainconeandpyramidapexes,andtiersofthin,horizontalscallopeddiskscappingcylindricalshafts. Thiswasexactlywhatwehadseeninthatmonstrousandportentousmirage,castbyadeadcitywhencesuchskylinefeatureshadbeenabsentforthousandsandtensofthousandsofyears,whichloomedonourignoranteyesacrosstheunfathomedmountainsofmadnessaswefirstapproachedpoorLake’sill-fatedcamp.
