Жах у музеї

           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.