This has nothing to do with the quiz, really, though there happens to be something appropriate. But this is a parody of H. P. Lovecraft that I started writing some time ago, after reading "Hypnos". Maybe it could do with some polishing yet, but I thought I'd post this version here and see what people think... even though I know it's certainly not the kind of story you usually get here.
(I suppose, if "The Unnamable" really is a self-parody, it's rather similar to this, but I don't think it's very good either way.)
The Indescribable
If there is any mercy in the world, ordinary people may never catch a glimpse of the unnamable horrors that lie in the unfathomable gulfs beyond our time and space. If man was ever to so much as suspect the terrors that lurk but a shadow's breadth away, the world would descend into chaos and madness. There are things beyond the feeble limits of our understanding that no man was meant to know, and most can only ever suspect in the deepest pits of drug-induced nightmares.
As I write this now, to be an unmentionable testament to my blasphemous folly, my sanity is crumbling around me. The effect of my own drugs I have been taking is wearing out, and they no longer have more than the slightest impact on me, not nearly enough to conceal the terrors that lurk in my very mind. The end will come soon, this I know, but whether I will ever receive the blessing of an unknowing, restful eternity of death I cannot say. I fear that my soul may forever be doomed. But I shall try to escape; I will end my life by my own hand before I let myself be touched by the abominable monstrousness that draws closer every second.
I curse the day when my morbid fascination and weariness of the dull everyday world first led me to delve into ancient, unspeakable texts and mysteries from beyond history. Deeper and deeper I went, unearthing timeless secrets best left untouched, basking in the epiphany of monstrous, inhuman revelations of infinitely distant eons.
Of the details of my studies I cannot speak, for to do so would be to undo the very world in which men live; the revelations of my blasphemous pilgrimages were beyond the comprehension of those who imagine there is order or purpose in this world. And the things I uncovered as I progressed further into the abyss of my hubris were eventually beyond the power of words to express. The world men know is nothing but a thin illusion over limitless gulfs of the unknown, and once my journeys progressed beyond this veil, the ability of language to describe what I experienced failed utterly.
Isolated from the company of friends and family, I continued my excursions, obsessively delving deeper and deeper into the unknowable and forbidden depths of the infinite. I should have sensed I was going too far, but the mesmeric power of the secrets beyond space and time compelled me to proceed. There was something ahead, I knew, something that in its monumental monstrousness would surpass even the previous fruits of my quest of madness. And so I travelled deeper, into darker regions than before, sensing around me the inhuman, overwhelming malice of eternally ancient entities beyond comprehension. I avoided them with dread.
Finally, on one inauspicious night, my quest reached its terrifying conclusion. I had reached the Cyclopean, blasphemous, infinite goal of my obsessive search. Ahead me lay the gateway to something that the nightmares of no man alive had ever began to hint at. In spite of a foreboding sense of dread, I gathered what was left of my will and pushed through the barrier.
Curse my immeasurable folly! What I had experienced so far had been enough to drive a man insane a hundred times over, yet it was nothing next to what I unearthed beyond that last barrier; what found me. It was beyond the sum of all horrors of man and all the inhuman creatures that came before him; it was madness beyond the endless madness of the man who has seen beyond the ordinary world. No words could possibly describe it, for it was the bloated, mindless, decayed, festering, hideous, amorphous, rotting, seething, visceral, corpulent, profane condensation of all that is vile, sinister, morbid and detestable; an uncanny, infinite, terrifying, blasphemous, incomprehensible, eternal, transcendent, unholy, monstrous, Cyclopean, abominable horror from beyond the gulfs of the abyss. It was... the Indescribable.
The Indescribable (on)
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, Apr 24 2006 09:35 PM
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#4
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Posted 25 April 2006 - 02:01 PM
This has nothing to do with the quiz, really, though there happens to be something appropriate. But this is a parody of H. P. Lovecraft that I started writing some time ago, after reading "Hypnos". Maybe it could do with some polishing yet, but I thought I'd post this version here and see what people think... even though I know it's certainly not the kind of story you usually get here.
(I suppose, if "The Unnamable" really is a self-parody, it's rather similar to this, but I don't think it's very good either way.)
Delving into ancient mysteries best left untouched? That is not wise, but it isn't so much spectacularly stupid. In this case our contestant is not quite eligible for a Darwin award. He might need some therapy.
It's really well done, Clight. Great pacing... great flow.
So apologize for the tongue in cheek comments below. I just couldn't help myself.
The Indescribable
If there is any mercy in the world, ordinary people may never catch a glimpse of the unnamable horrors that lie in the unfathomable gulfs beyond our time and space. If man was ever to so much as suspect the terrors that lurk but a shadow's breadth away, the world would descend into chaos and madness. There are things beyond the feeble limits of our understanding that no man was meant to know, and most can only ever suspect in the deepest pits of drug-induced nightmares.
The workings of the Internal Revenue Service! The actual contents of the West Coat Closet in the US Capital! And what the Supreme Court Justices of the US are actually wearing under their robes!!!!
The HORROR!!
As I write this now, to be an unmentionable testament to my blasphemous folly, my sanity is crumbling around me. The effect of my own drugs I have been taking is wearing out, and they no longer have more than the slightest impact on me, not nearly enough to conceal the terrors that lurk in my very mind. The end will come soon, this I know, but whether I will ever receive the blessing of an unknowing, restful eternity of death I cannot say. I fear that my soul may forever be doomed. But I shall try to escape; I will end my life by my own hand before I let myself be touched by the abominable monstrousness that draws closer every second.
For the Tax Auditor draws nigh!!!
I curse the day when my morbid fascination and weariness of the dull everyday world first led me to delve into ancient, unspeakable texts and mysteries from beyond history. Deeper and deeper I went, unearthing timeless secrets best left untouched, basking in the epiphany of monstrous, inhuman revelations of infinitely distant eons.
I had found, the Unabridged Tax Code.... Both the Personal and the Long Lost Corporate version!!!
Of the details of my studies I cannot speak, for to do so would be to undo the very world in which men live; the revelations of my blasphemous pilgrimages were beyond the comprehension of those who imagine there is order or purpose in this world. And the things I uncovered as I progressed further into the abyss of my hubris were eventually beyond the power of words to express. The world men know is nothing but a thin illusion over limitless gulfs of the unknown, and once my journeys progressed beyond this veil, the ability of language to describe what I experienced failed utterly.
Secrets I learned... the calculations of the Alternative Minimum Tax. What Form 1089 is used for!
Isolated from the company of friends and family, I continued my excursions, obsessively delving deeper and deeper into the unknowable and forbidden depths of the infinite. I should have sensed I was going too far, but the mesmeric power of the secrets beyond space and time compelled me to proceed. There was something ahead, I knew, something that in its monumental monstrousness would surpass even the previous fruits of my quest of madness. And so I travelled deeper, into darker regions than before, sensing around me the inhuman, overwhelming malice of eternally ancient entities beyond comprehension. I avoided them with dread.
I had found the Unholy of Unholies... the logs of the Auditors themselves!
Finally, on one inauspicious night, my quest reached its terrifying conclusion. I had reached the Cyclopean, blasphemous, infinite goal of my obsessive search. Ahead me lay the gateway to something that the nightmares of no man alive had ever began to hint at. In spite of a foreboding sense of dread, I gathered what was left of my will and pushed through the barrier.
Curse my immeasurable folly! What I had experienced so far had been enough to drive a man insane a hundred times over, yet it was nothing next to what I unearthed beyond that last barrier; what found me. It was beyond the sum of all horrors of man and all the inhuman creatures that came before him; it was madness beyond the endless madness of the man who has seen beyond the ordinary world. No words could possibly describe it, for it was the bloated, mindless, decayed, festering, hideous, amorphous, rotting, seething, visceral, corpulent, profane condensation of all that is vile, sinister, morbid and detestable; an uncanny, infinite, terrifying, blasphemous, incomprehensible, eternal, transcendent, unholy, monstrous, Cyclopean, abominable horror from beyond the gulfs of the abyss. It was... the Indescribable.
Yes... the head of the Internal Revenue Service.
The HORROR!
Maybe it wasn't funny... but I enjoyed it.
And it really is a great piece.
VH
#5
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Posted 26 April 2006 - 06:46 PM
Immeasurable folly is not enough? I really do need to bring Abduh in.Delving into ancient mysteries best left untouched? That is not wise, but it isn't so much spectacularly stupid. In this case our contestant is not quite eligible for a Darwin award. He might need some therapy.
Thanks. That's probably coincidental. My chief concern was managing to keep on going in the right style for long enough. The end also isn't quite what I envisioned back when I started writing this - though I do like the sentence that begins with "No words could possibly describe it" and continues with 26 adjectives.It's really well done, Clight. Great pacing... great flow.
#6
Sumpton
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Journeyman
Posted 26 April 2006 - 08:53 PM
I have to agree with the other... This piece was very well done. The writing style convayed a sence of edgy madness, and the flow was perfect to keep me interested right up to the very end.
Thanks...
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Cheers...
Thanks...
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Cheers...
#7
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Posted 26 April 2006 - 09:21 PM
Far from it - I think I'll need to make a new version to get the idea I have realized better - but thanks, anyway.Perfect.
Utterly perfect.
Do you know Lovecraft?
I've read my small share of it. It is definitely a form of literature where I have utilized my skim-reading powers in order to get through the pages of flowery adjectives before getting too bored
Incidentally, I believe you left out the fragile, unearthly colours and the unspeakable geometries
#8
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Posted 28 April 2006 - 06:26 AM
I think that was just my managing to imitate Lovecraft's style.I have to agree with the other... This piece was very well done. The writing style convayed a sence of edgy madness, and the flow was perfect to keep me interested right up to the very end.
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