THE HOUND by H. P. Lovecraft

I found a great podcast last night while searching itunes with the keywords H. P. Lovecraft called Cthulhu. The podcast is free and broadcasts the fiction of H. P. Lovecraft and the authors daring enough to contribute the Mythos.

I down loaded as many as I could last night and added them to my ipod to listen to in the car during my commute. This morning, I started with the first podcast, “The Hound,” a story that I was meaning to read this week anyway because if its reference to that horrific tome, the Necronomicon.

“The Hound” is a good story and I enjoyed FNH’s reading. The addition of creepy 20’s music added the mystique of the audio production. A team of professional grave robbers, archeologists, Tomb Raider like adventurers, have unearth a magnificent find filled with loot from a time long since past. Among these treasures was a sarcophagus containing the grotesque remains of skeleton that had appeared to have been crushed in such a manner to resemble the crushing blows of some large beast. Around the neck of the skeleton was a jade amulet carved to resemble a sphinx, except that this sphinx resembled a dog with bat like wings.

Being greedy looters, they recognized it as an object that would bring them great wealth. However, they also noticed a strange inscription along the base of the amulet in a language they recognized as similar to that in the Necronomicon with which they were familiar.

Soon after the recovery of the amulet, strange events and happenings began to plague their campsite. In darkness of night, they could hear the distinct howling of some strange breed of dog. They quickly decided to break camp, burning it and much of the loot to the ground in a distraction to make their escape. However, the amulet was rescued and taken from the site.

If you haven’t guessed, this story does not turn out well for the looters. They have awakened something dark and evil, and attracted to the amulet.

Read it here: The Hound

Listen to here: The Hound

Lovecraft, H. P., “The Hound.” The Dream Cycle of H. P. Lovecraft: Dreams of Terror and Death. New York: Del Rey, 1995, 79 – 85.