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| Weird Tales 1927.01 |
Opening Statement:
Not many weeks ago, on a street corner in the village of Pascoag, Rhode Island, a tall, heavily built, and wholesome-looking pedestrian furnished much speculation by a singular lapse of behavior. He had, it appears, been descending the hill by the road from Chepachet; and encountering the compact section, had turned to his left into the main thoroughfare where several modest business blocks convey a touch of the urban. At this point, without visible provocation, he committed his astonishing lapse; staring queerly for a second at the tallest of the buildings before him, and then, with a series of terrified, hysterical shrieks, breaking into a frantic run which ended in a stumble and fall at the next crossing.What in Brown Jenkin's Name..?
Detective Malone investigates the eccentric Robert Suydam, who seems to have been able to find the secret of rejuvenation (through exploitation of immigrants). Suydam eventually pays the price for his sanguinary crimes.Synopsis:
- A man is witnessed having a seizure of fear without apparent cause. It turns out that he has been traumatized by an experience in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
- The man, Detective Malone, is wary of the low-life populace of Red Hook, and finds the atmosphere distasteful.
- Malone investigates an eccentric old man named Suydam, who is rumored to be engaging with gangsters and illegal immigrants in ritual cult ceremonies.
- Suydam deflects Malone’s questions, and insists that he is merely doing research on local migrant culture. Months later, Suydam appears to have become younger somehow, and has now lost interest in the immigrants. When an epidemic of disappearing children arises, the immigrants' gathering hall is raided, and ritualistic drawings are found on the walls of the abandoned room.
- The rejuvenated Suydam marries, but on the honeymoon cruise ship, his new bride is clawed to death. Suydam is also killed, after which a mist escapes out the window. The attending doctor notices that the name “LILITH” briefly flicker on the wall. Ruffians suddenly board the ship and present a note earlier written by Suydam, instructing that his body be given over to this strange group. The ruffians leave, and the captain finds out that Suydam's bride’s blood has also been siphoned out by the ruffians during the transaction.
Weird Tales 1952.03 - Malone and the police raid several of the ritual halls in Red Hook. In Suydam’s old basement, Malone breaks down a door and seems to be drawn by a wind down a hellish hole. At the bottom, he sees giant creatures holding half-eaten human victims, as well as a black lake with a glowing creature on a gold pedestal. The ruffians' boat (carrying Suydam’s remains) rows ashore and takes the body to the glowing creature on the pedestal. The corpse is revealed to be in the form of the “old” Suydam, before he had "de-aged". Carrying the decayed Suydam, the glowing creature leads a procession of hellish horrors towards the sound of an organ. Eventually, Malone hears some chants invoking "Lilith", followed by the sight of a reanimated Suydam running back towards the glowing creature’s original pedestal (and being chased by the bizarre throng). Suydam reaches the pedestal and tips it over. Malone faints.
- Malone is later found by a black pool, with the scattered remains of Suydam's body nearby. When the underground ruins are investigated, various prisoners and human remains are found. Afterwards, Malone can still hear some strange chanting coming from parts of the neighborhood.
Essential Saltes:
It was murder - strangulation - but one need not say that the claw-mark on Mrs. Suydam's throat could not have come from her husband's or any other human hand, or that upon the white wall there flickered for an instant in hateful red a legend which, later copied from memory, seems to have been nothing less than the fearsome Chaldee letters of the word 'LILITH'. One need not mention these things because they vanished so quickly - as for Suydam, one could at least bar others from the room until one knew what to think oneself. The doctor has distinctly assured Malone that he did not see IT. The open porthole, just before he turned on the lights, was clouded for a second with a certain phosphorescence, and for a moment there seemed to echo in the night outside the suggestion of a faint and hellish tittering; but no real outline met the eye...
* * * * *
...As the chant closed, a general shout went up, and hissing sounds nearly drowned the croaking of the cracked bass organ. Then a gasp as from many throats, and a babel of barked and bleated words - 'Lilith, Great Lilith, behold the Bridegroom!' More cries, a clamour of rioting, and the sharp, clicking footfalls of a running figure. The footfalls approached, and Malone raised himself to his elbow to look.
The luminosity of the crypt, lately diminished, had now slightly increased; and in that devil-light there appeared the fleeing form of that which should not flee or feel or breathe - the glassy-eyed, gangrenous corpse of the corpulent old man, now needing no support, but animated by some infernal sorcery of the rite just closed. After it raced the naked, tittering, phosphorescent thing that belonged on the carven pedestal, and still farther behind panted the dark men, and all the dread crew of sentient loathsomenesses. The corpse was gaining on its pursuers, and seemed bent on a definite object, straining with every rotting muscle toward the carved golden pedestal, whose necromantic importance was evidently so great. Another moment and it had reached its goal, whilst the trailing throng laboured on with more frantic speed. But they were too late, for in one final spurt of strength which ripped tendon from tendon and sent its noisome bulk floundering to the floor in a state of jellyish dissolution, the staring corpse which had been Robert Suydam achieved its object and its triumph. The push had been tremendous, but the force had held out; and as the pusher collapsed to a muddy blotch of corruption the pedestal he had pushed tottered, tipped, and finally careened from its onyx base into the thick waters below, sending up a parting gleam of carven gold as it sank heavily to undreamable gulfs of lower Tartarus. In that instant, too, the whole scene of horror faded to nothingness before Malone's eyes; and he fainted amidst a thunderous crash which seemed to blot out all the evil universe.
From Dr. Armitage's Notes:
- Written while living (unhappily) in Brooklyn.
- Art references:
- Aubrey Beardsley, “The Art of Aubrey Beardsley” (1918)
- Gustave Dore: “Inferno” (1866), Paradise Lost (1866), Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (1876).
The Horrible Conclusion:
Malone does not shudder without cause - for only the other day an officer overheard a swarthy squinting hag teaching a small child some whispered patois in the shadow of an areaway. He listened, and thought it very strange when he heard her repeat over and over again:
Read it here.'O friend and companion of night, thou who rejoicest in the baying of dogs and spilt blood, who wanderest in the midst of shades among the tombs, who longest for blood and bringest terror to mortals, Gorgo, Mormo, thousand-faced moon, look favourably on our sacrifices!'
Follow'd by "He".
