"The Thing in the Moonlight" is a short story
by J. Chapman Miske. The story is based on
a letter dated November 24, 1927 from H. P.
Lovecraft to Donald Wandrei describing one
of Lovecraft's dreams. The story was prepared
for publication by Miske, who filled in the
story surrounding the description of the dream.
In places, the letter and published story
are identical to Lovecraft's style. It was
first published in Bizarre magazine on January
1941.
== Plot ==
Morgan, the protagonist, is an illiterate
man. One evening, Morgan is sitting alone
and suddenly feels compelled to start writing.
Despite his illiteracy, he records the dream
of Howard Phillips, another man. In Morgan's
writing, Phillips says that he fell asleep
on November 24, 1927 and has never reawakened.
The dream's setting takes place in a strange
marshland. Phillips explores the marsh's cliff
side, noting the eerie and mouth-like caves
dotting the plateau. Eventually, Phillips
encounters a set of railway tracks. On these
tracks he finds "a yellow, vestibuled car
numbered 1852—of a plain, double-trucked
type common from 1900 to 1910." This car is
able to start and he climbs aboard, searching
for a light switch so that he can see better.
He hears a noise behind him, and, turning
to look, sees two men (assumed to be the motorman
and conductor) approach him. The first man
lifts his head to the sky, sniffs, and howls,
while the second drops to all fours and charges
toward the Phillips and the car. Phillips
immediately flees out of the car until he
is too tired to continue.
Phillips reveals that the reason for his terror
was not "because the conductor had dropped
on all fours, but because the face of the
motorman was a mere white cone tapering to
one blood-red-tentacle..."Phillips is aware
that it is a dream, but is unable to wake
up. During the day, he travels the strange
land, and each night, is brought back to the
place with the train car. He always alerts
the howling beast to his presence, and always
flees from it.
The narrator closes the story by saying that
he would visit Phillips' house in Providence,
but fears what he might find.
== Publication history ==
"The Thing in the Moonlight" was first published
in Bizarre magazine in January 1941.
In 1962, it was published in Dreams and Fancies
(Arkham House 1962).
In 1970, it was published in The Tomb and
Other Tales by Ballantine Books.
In 1995, it was published again in Dreams
of Terror and Death: The Dream Cycle of H.
P. Lovecraft by Ballantine Books.
In 2005, it was published again in Shadows
of Death by Del Rey Books.
In 2011, it was published again in Eldritch
Tales: A Miscellany of the Macabre by Victor
Gollancz Ltd.
== Footnotes
