The Beast in the Cave

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&emsp;The horrible conclusion which had been gradually obtruding itself upon my confused and reluctant mind was now an awful certainty.<<timed 5s t8n>> I was lost, completely, hopelessly lost in the vast and labyrinthine recesses of the Mammoth Cave. <<next>>Turn as I might, in no direction could my straining vision seize on any object capable of serving as a guidepost to set me on the outward path. <<next>>That nevermore should I behold the blessed light of day, or scan the pleasant hills and dales of the beautiful world outside, my reason could no longer entertain the slightest unbelief.<<next>> Hope had departed. <<next>> [[I remained calm]] [[I shouted for help]] <</timed>> <<set $rocks to 0>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire loop play>> <<audio song1 volume 0.8 loop play>>

&emsp;Yet, indoctrinated as I was by a life of philosophical study, I derived no small measure of satisfaction from my unimpassioned demeanour;<<timed 5s t8n>> for although I had frequently read of the wild frenzies into which were thrown the victims of similar situations, I experienced none of these, but stood quiet as soon as I clearly realised the loss of my bearings.<<next>> &emsp;Nor did the thought that I had probably wandered beyond the utmost limits of an ordinary search cause me to abandon my composure even for a moment.<<next>> If I must die, I reflected, then was this terrible yet majestic cavern as welcome a sepulchre as that which any churchyard might afford;<<next>> a conception which carried with it more of tranquility than of despair. <<next>> [[I continued to wait]] [[I shouted for help]] <</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire loop play>>

&emsp;As the last fitful rays of my torch faded into obscurity, I resolved to leave no stone unturned, no possible means of escape neglected;<<timed 5s t8n>><<audio shout play>> so summoning all the powers possessed by my lungs, I set up a series of loud shoutings, in the vain hope of attracting the attention of the guide by my clamour.<<next>> Yet, as I called, I believed in my heart that my cries were to no purpose, and that my voice, magnified and reflected by the numberless ramparts of the black maze about me, fell upon no ears save my own. <<next>> [[I listened for any response]] <</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire stop>> <<audio song1 volume 0.8 loop play>> <<audio beastwalks stop>>

&emsp;Starving would prove my ultimate fate; of this I was certain.<<timed 4s t8n>> Some, I knew, had gone mad under circumstances such as these, but I felt that this end would not be mine.<<next>> My disaster was the result of no fault save my own, since unbeknown to the guide I had separated myself from the regular party of sightseers;<<next>> and, wandering for over an hour in forbidden avenues of the cave, had found myself unable to retrace the devious windings which I had pursued since forsaking my companions. <<next>> [[I further contemplated my situation]] [[I shouted for help]] <</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire loop play>>

&emsp;Already my torch had begun to expire; soon I would be enveloped by the total and almost palpable blackness of the bowels of the earth.<<timed 5s t8n>> As I stood in the waning, unsteady light, I idly wondered over the exact circumstances of my coming end.<<next>> I remembered the accounts which I had heard of the colony of consumptives, who, taking their residence in this gigantic grotto to find health from the apparently salubrious air of the underground world, with its steady, uniform temperature, pure air, and peaceful quiet, had found, instead, death in strange and ghastly form.<<next>> I had seen the sad remains of their ill-made cottages as I passed them by with the party, and had wondered what unnatural influence a long sojourn in this immense and silent cavern would exert upon one as healthy and as vigorous as I. <<next>>Now, I grimly told myself, my opportunity for settling this point had arrived, provided that want of food should not bring me too speedy a departure from this life. <<next>> [[I shouted for help]] [[I accepted my fate]] <</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire loop play>> <<audio scrawl stop>>

@@.typed;&emsp;The last fitful rays of my torch faded into obscurity. It was, as I staggered blindly through this pitch and winding cavern, that I began to lose all sense of self and civility. Coming upon the black waters of the cave, I sated myself upon the eyeless and sickly pale fish and bats and the strange fungi with whom I share my labyrinthine tomb. The cave has educated me on the proper movements to traverse its winding depths and I no longer walk as a man but instead scuttle, lurch, and climb like some primordial and malformed ape. I scrawl this text now, on the floor of my new home, as a final act of humanity before it is lost entirely to me. I can feel the animal nature of this dark underworld calling to me, like a faint but familiar melody; distant yet growing ever closer. I no longer wish that any person shall find me in these infernal depths, for anyone who does will not speak of encountering a man but instead of facing <i> THE BEAST IN THE CAVE</i>. @@ <<timed 60s>>[[Credits]] [[Restart|The Beast in the Cave]]<<audio scrawl fadeout>><</timed>><<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire stop>> <<audio scrawl volume 0.3 loop play>>

&emsp;All at once, however, my attention was fixed with a start as I fancied that I heard the sound of soft approaching steps on the rocky floor of the cavern.<<timed 5s t8n>> Was my deliverance about to be accomplished so soon?<<next>> Had, then, all my horrible apprehensions been for naught, and was the guide, having marked my unwarranted absence from the party, following my course and seeking me out in this limestone labyrinth?<<next>> Whilst these joyful queries arose in my brain, I was on the point of renewing my cries, in order that my discovery might come the sooner, when in an instant my delight was turned to horror as I listened;<<next>> for my ever acute ear, now sharpened in even greater degree by the complete silence of the cave, bore to my benumbed understanding the unexpected and dreadful knowledge that these footfalls<<next>> <i>were not like those of any mortal man</i>. <<next>>In the unearthly stillness of this subterranean region, the tread of the booted guide would have sounded like a series of sharp and incisive blows.<<next>> These impacts were soft, and stealthy, as of the padded paws of some feline. <<next>>Besides, at times, when I listened carefully, I seemed to trace the falls of <i>four</i> instead of <i>two</i> feet. <<next>> [[I remained still and silent]] [[I fled]] <</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<set $distance to 6>> <<audio beastwalks volume 0.2 loop play>> <<audio song1 fadeout>> <<audio song2 stop>> <<audio song3 stop>>

&emsp;I was now convinced that I had by my cries aroused and attracted some wild beast, perhaps a mountain lion which had accidentally strayed within the cave. <<timed 5s t8n>>Perhaps, I considered, the Almighty had chosen for me a swifter and more merciful death than that of hunger. <<next>>Yet the instinct of self-preservation, never wholly dormant, was stirred in my breast, and though escape from the oncoming peril might but spare me for a sterner and more lingering end, I determined nevertheless to part with my life at as high a price as I could command.<<next>> Strange as it may seem, my mind conceived of no intent on the part of the visitor save that of hostility.<<next>> Accordingly, I became very quiet, in the hope that the unknown beast would, in the absence of a guiding sound, lose its direction as had I, and thus pass me by.<<next>> But this hope was not destined for realisation, for the strange footfalls steadily advanced, the animal evidently having obtained my scent, which in an atmosphere so absolutely free from all distracting influences as is that of the cave, could doubtless be followed at great distance.<<next>> <<set $distance -= 1>> [[I searched for a weapon]] [[I waited for the beast to come near]] [[I fled]] <</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio beastwalks volume 0.3 loop play>> <<audio song2 volume 0.5 loop play>>

&emsp;Though I knew I had little chance of escaping the creature in its own home, reasoning had given way to primal fear and I ran with full haste from the direction I estimated as its approach.<<timed 4s t8n>> Immediately I realized the folly of this plan.<<next>> No doubt, each loud footfall only made the thing surer of my position.<<next>><<audio fall play>><<audio beastwalks stop>> Tripping on the uneven ground, I fell quite hard and lay upon the cold surface of the cave. <<next>> [[I tried to stand up]] <</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio beastwalks volume 0.6 loop play>> <<audio song2 fadeout>> <<timed 5s>><<audio song3 volume 0.3 loop play>><</timed>>

&emsp;Seeing therefore that I must be armed for defence against an uncanny and unseen attack in the dark, I grouped about me the largest of the fragments of rock which were strown upon all parts of the floor of the cavern in the vicinity, and, grasping one in each hand for immediate use, awaited with resignation the inevitable result. <<timed 6s t8n>> [[I waited for the beast to come near]] [[I threw a rock]] [[I fled]] <</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<set $rocks to 2>> <<set $distance -= 1>> <<audio rockpile volume 0.5 play>> <<audio song3 stop>> <<audio song2 volume 0.5 loop play>>

<<if $distance lt 2>><<audio beastwalks stop>><<audio rockhit play>>&emsp;I discharged my missile, most effectively, for with a flood of joy I listened as the creature fell in what sounded like a complete collapse, and evidently remained prone and unmoving. <<timed 5s t8n>>Almost overpowered by the great relief which rushed over me, I reeled back against the wall. <<next>><<audio panting fadeout>>The breathing continued, in heavy, gasping inhalations and expirations, whence I realised that I had no more than wounded the creature. <<next>> [[I ran away]]<</timed>> <<else>>&emsp;I doubted if my right arm would allow me to hurl its missile at the oncoming thing when the crucial moment should arrive.<<timed 5s t8n>> Now the steady <i>pat, pat,</i> of the steps was close at hand; now, very close.<<next>><<audio beastgrowls volume 0.5 play>> I could hear the laboured breathing of the animal, and terror-struck as I was, I realised that it must have come from a considerable distance, and was correspondingly fatigued.<<next>> Suddenly the spell broke.<<next>><<audio beastwalks stop>> My right hand, guided by my ever trustworthy sense of hearing, threw with full force the sharp-angled bit of limestone which it contained, toward that point in the darkness from which emanated the breathing and pattering, and, wonderful to relate, it nearly reached its goal, for I heard the thing jump, landing at a distance away, where it seemed to pause.<<audio rockmiss play>><<next>> <<set $distance -=1>> <<if $rocks gt 0>>[[I threw the other rock]]<<else>>[[I searched for a weapon|I stood my ground]]<</if>> [[I fled]] <</timed>><</if>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio song2 fadeout>> <<timed 5s>><<audio song3 volume 0.3 loop play>><</timed>>

<<if $distance lt 3>><<audio beastwalks stop>><<audio rockhit play>>&emsp;Having readjusted my aim, I discharged my second missile, this time most effectively, for with a flood of joy I listened as the creature fell in what sounded like a complete collapse, and evidently remained prone and unmoving.<<timed 5s t8n>> Almost overpowered by the great relief which rushed over me, I reeled back against the wall.<<next>><<audio panting fadeout>> The breathing continued, in heavy, gasping inhalations and expirations, whence I realised that I had no more than wounded the creature.<<next>> [[I ran away]]<</timed>> <<else>>&emsp;Beginning to panic, I threw the other rock still in my offhand wildly and heard it bounce off the cave floor nearby, ineffective in its task.<<audio rockmiss play>> <<timed 4s t8n>> [[I searched for a weapon|I stood my ground]] [[I fled]]<</timed>> <</if>>

&emsp;And now all desire to examine the <i>thing</i> ceased.<<timed 5s t8n>> At last something allied to groundless, superstitious, fear had entered my brain, and I did not approach the body, nor did I continue to cast stones at it in order to complete the extinction of its life. <<next>>Instead, I ran at full speed in what was, as nearly as I could estimate in my frenzied condition, the direction from which I had come.<<next>><<audio song3 fadeout>> Suddenly I heard a sound, or rather, a regular succession of sounds.<<next>><<audio song1 loop play>><<audio guidewalk volume 0.5 play>> In another instant they had resolved themselves into a series of sharp, metallic clicks.<<next>> This time there was no doubt. It was the guide.<<next>> And then I shouted, yelled, screamed, even shrieked with joy as I beheld in the vaulted arches above the faint and glimmering effulgence which I knew to be the reflected light of an approaching torch. <<next>> [[I ran to the guide]]<</timed>> <<audio fire stop>> <<audio song3 volume 0.5 loop play>> <<audio song1 stop>> <<audio panting stop>>

&emsp;By the time he had related this to me, I, emboldened by his torch and his company, began to reflect upon the strange beast which I had wounded but a short distance back in the darkness, and suggested that we ascertain, by the rushlight’s aid, what manner of creature was my victim. <<timed 5s t8n>>Accordingly I retraced my steps, this time with a courage born of companionship, to the scene of my terrible experience. <<next>> [[We approached the creature]]<</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire loop play>>

<div align='center'><i><h1>The Beast in the Cave</h1></i> Original story by H.P. Lovecraft - Interaction fiction adaptation by Jeremy Whitson</div> <<timed 2s t8n>>[[Begin->BeastOpening]] <<next>>[[Credits]]<</timed>> <<cacheaudio "turnpage" "sounds/turnpage.wav">> <<cacheaudio "fire" "sounds/fire3.wav">> <<cacheaudio "scrawl" "sounds/scratching1.wav">> <<cacheaudio "typewriter" "sounds/typewriter.wav">> <<cacheaudio "beastwalks" "sounds/beastwalks.wav">> <<cacheaudio "fall" "sounds/fall.wav">> <<cacheaudio "beastgrowls" "sounds/beastgrowls.wav">> <<cacheaudio "beasttalks" "sounds/beasttalks.wav">> <<cacheaudio "panting" "sounds/panting.wav">> <<cacheaudio "song1" "sounds/song1.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "shout" "sounds/help2.wav">> <<cacheaudio "song2" "sounds/song2.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "song3" "sounds/song3.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "rockpile" "sounds/rockpile.wav">> <<cacheaudio "beastsound" "sounds/beastsound.wav">> <<cacheaudio "guidewalk" "sounds/guidewalk.wav">> <<cacheaudio "gasp" "sounds/gasp.wav">> <<cacheaudio "rockmiss" "sounds/rockmiss.wav">> <<cacheaudio "rockhit" "sounds/rockhit.wav">> <<audio ":playing" stop>>

&emsp;Meanwhile the hideous pattering of the paws drew near.<<timed 5s t8n>> Certainly, the conduct of the creature was exceedingly strange. <<next>>Most of the time, the tread seemed to be that of a quadruped, walking with a <i>singular lack of unison</i> betwixt hind and fore feet, yet at brief and infrequent intervals I fancied that but two feet were engaged in the process of locomotion.<<next>> I wondered what species of animal was to confront me;<<next>> it must, I thought, be some unfortunate beast who had paid for its curiosity to investigate one of the entrances of the fearful grotto with a lifelong confinement in its interminable recesses.<<next>> It doubtless obtained as food the eyeless fish, bats, and rats of the cave, as well as some of the ordinary fish that are wafted in at every freshet of Green River, which communicates in some occult manner with the waters of the cave.<<next>> I occupied my terrible vigil with grotesque conjectures of what alterations cave life might have wrought in the physical structure of the beast, remembering the awful appearances ascribed by local tradition to the consumptives who had died after long residence in the cavern. <<next>> [[I waited longer]] [[I fled]] <<if $rocks gt 0>>[[I threw a rock]]<<else>>[[I searched for a weapon]]<</if>><</timed>> <<set $distance -= 1>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio beastwalks volume 0.4 loop play>>

&emsp;Then I remembered with a start that, even should I succeed in killing my antagonist, I should <i>never behold its form</i>, as my torch had long since been extinct, and I was entirely unprovided with matches.<<timed 5s t8n>> The tension on my brain now became frightful.<<next>> My disordered fancy conjured up hideous and fearsome shapes from the sinister darkness that surrounded me, and that actually seemed to <i>press</i> upon my body.<<next>> It seemed that I must give vent to a piercing scream, yet had I been sufficiently irresolute to attempt such a thing, my voice could scarce have responded.<<next>> I was petrified, rooted to the spot.<<next>> [[I stood my ground]] [[I fled]] <<if $rocks gt 0>>[[I threw a rock]]<<else>>[[I searched for a weapon]]<</if>> <</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio beastwalks volume 0.5 loop play>> <<set $distance -= 1>> <<audio song3 stop>>

&emsp;I had lingered too long.<<audio beastgrowls play>><<timed 5s t8n>><<audio fall play>><<audio beastwalks stop>> I could feel the creature's vile hot breath wash over me just before we collided and I was sent sprawling on the damp cave floor.<<next>><<audio beasttalks play>> Its talon-like forepaws were upon me at once, tearing at my clothes and raking my face, all the while it grunted and occasionally released different utterances that sounded distinctly unlike those of any animal.<<next>> Though fear continued to paralyze my voice, I began to wriggle myself free of the beast's grasp.<<next>> In the struggle, my expired torch, which was now affixed to my belt, fell upon the ground.<<next>> In doing so, a single ember buried within the torch's head was freed.<<next>> With my attacker only inches from my face and my eyes having long since adjusted to the utter darkness, this briefest and faintest illumination was sufficient for me to at last see the form of the foul cave denizen. <<next>> [[I looked upon the beast]]<</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio song2 fadeout>> <<timed 5s>><<audio song3 volume 0.3 loop play>><</timed>>

<<audio song3 fadeout>>&emsp;Terror and bewilderment overwhelmed my mind and I passed into unconsciousness. <<timed 5s t8n>>Why the beast did not end my life then, I remain of two minds.<<next>> Without any doubt, I have that lone ember to thank but I know not whether it is because its light frightened off the creature who had become so accustom to all-encompassing darkness or that the beast that had once been a man recognized, if only briefly in that fleeting illumination, my own humanity and let me live. <<next>> [[I awoke]] <</timed>> <<audio song1 stop>> <<audio fire stop>>

&emsp;I awoke, pain-stricken but alive and, to my great surprise, could see the features of the cave around me illuminated softly and hear the reassuring voice of the guide who was standing over me.<<timed 5s t8n>> The guide related to me that he had noted my absence upon the arrival of the party at the entrance of the cave, and had, from his own intuitive sense of direction, proceeded to make a thorough canvass of the by-passages just ahead of where he had last spoken to me, locating my whereabouts after a quest of about four hours when he had heard my struggle. <<next>> [[I told the guide of my encounter]] [[I did not tell the guide of my encounter]] <</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire loop play>> <<audio song1 loop play>> <<audio typewriter stop>>

@@.typed-speed50;&emsp;I could not help but to immediately relay my remarkable story to the guide, half-hysterical as I was. I have considerable doubt that he believed a great portion of it but he was kind to humor me and listen intently. We left that wicked underworld together then and I have no inclination to ever return. &emsp;I write this account now to warn others who may wish to venture into that vast cavern of what they may encounter there. Let it be known to all that deep in the darkest recesses of that limestone expanse lurks <i>the beast in the cave.</i> @@ <<timed 40s t8n>><<audio typewriter fadeout>>[[Credits]] [[Restart|The Beast in the Cave]] <</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio typewriter loop play>> <<audio fire stop>>

<<audio typewriter loop play>>@@.typed-speed50;&emsp;I chose not to tell the guide the true nature of my encounter and instead to report some lie about being startled by a bat and falling upon the ground. I don't believe that the guide was well convinced but he did not question me further and simply helped me to evacuate that dark labyrinth at last. &emsp;I write this account now for the sake of my own sanity, though I will keep it under lock and key for the sake of others. As it was for the guide, the truth that I encountered in Mammoth Cave is too horrifying to force upon others. I will keep this truth hidden, even unto death, that a human being as ordinary as you or I could, with enough isolation, become like <i>the beast in the cave.</i> @@ <<timed 55s t8n>><<audio typewriter fadeout>>[[Credits]] [[Restart|The Beast in the Cave]] <</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire stop>>

&emsp;I ran to meet the flare, and before I could completely understand what had occurred, was lying upon the ground at the feet of the guide, embracing his boots, and gibbering, despite my boasted reserve, in a most meaningless and idiotic manner. <<timed 4s t8n>> [[I told the guide of the beast]] [[I did not tell the guide of the beast]]<</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire loop play>> <<audio song3 fadeout>> <<audio song1 loop play>>

&emsp;I poured out my terrible story, and at the same time overwhelmed my auditor with protestations of gratitude.<<timed 5s t8n>> At length I awoke to something like my normal consciousness.<<next>> The guide had noted my absence upon the arrival of the party at the entrance of the cave, and had, from his own intuitive sense of direction, proceeded to make a thorough canvass of the by-passages just ahead of where he had last spoken to me, locating my whereabouts after a quest of about four hours.<<next>> [[We returned to the beast]]<</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire loop play>>

&emsp;Though I overwhelmed my auditor with protestations of gratitude, at length I awoke to something like my normal consciousness and chose not to tell him the true nature of my encounter.<<timed 5s t8n>> The guide had noted my absence upon the arrival of the party at the entrance of the cave, and had, from his own intuitive sense of direction, proceeded to make a thorough canvass of the by-passages just ahead of where he had last spoken to me, locating my whereabouts after a quest of about four hours.<<next>> I could not bring myself to speak of that strange creature I had faced and insisted instead that my hysterics were simply the result of my being lost and a general claustrophobia.<<next>> This was not entirely untrue and we were both pleased to evacuate that dark labyrinth at last.<<next>> [[I wrote down the story of that day]]<</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire loop play>> <<audio typewriter stop>>

&emsp;Soon we descried a white object upon the floor, an object whiter even than the gleaming limestone itself.<<timed 5s t8n>><<audio gasp play>> Cautiously advancing, we gave vent to a simultaneous ejaculation of wonderment, for of all the unnatural monsters either of us had in our lifetimes beheld, this was in surpassing degree the strangest.<<next>> It appeared to be an anthropoid ape of large proportions, escaped, perhaps, from some itinerant menagerie.<<next>> Its hair was snow-white, a thing due no doubt to the bleaching action of a long existence within the inky confines of the cave, but it was also surprisingly thin, being indeed largely absent save on the head, where it was of such length and abundance that it fell over the shoulders in considerable profusion.<<next>> The face was turned away from us, as the creature lay almost directly upon it.<<next>> The inclination of the limbs was very singular, explaining, however, the alternation in their use which I had before noted, whereby the beast used sometimes all four, and on other occasions but two for its progress.<<next>> From the tips of the fingers or toes long nail-like claws extended.<<next>> The hands or feet were not prehensile, a fact that I ascribed to that long residence in the cave which, as I before mentioned, seemed evident from the all-pervading and almost unearthly whiteness so characteristic of the whole anatomy.<<next>> No tail seemed to be present. <<next>> [[We further inspected the creature]]<</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire loop play>>

&emsp;The respiration had now grown very feeble, and the guide had drawn his pistol with the evident intent of despatching the creature, when a sudden sound emitted by the latter caused the weapon to fall unused. <<timed 5s t8n>><<audio panting fadeout>><<audio beasttalks volume 0.4 play>>The sound was of a nature difficult to describe.<<next>> It was not like the normal note of any known species of simian, and I wondered if this unnatural quality were not the result of a long-continued and complete silence, broken by the sensations produced by the advent of the light, a thing which the beast could not have seen since its first entrance into the cave.<<next>><<audio beasttalks volume 0.4 play>> The sound, which I might feebly attempt to classify as a kind of deep-toned chattering, was faintly continued.<<next>> All at once a fleeting spasm of energy seemed to pass through the frame of the beast.<<next>> The paws went through a convulsive motion, and the limbs contracted. <<next>>With a jerk, the white body rolled over so that its face was turned in our direction.<<next>> For a moment I was so struck with horror at the eyes thus revealed that I noted nothing else. They were black, those eyes, deep, jetty black, in hideous contrast to the snow-white hair and flesh.<<next>> Like those of other cave denizens, they were deeply sunken in their orbits, and were entirely destitute of iris.<<next>> As I looked more closely, I saw that they were set in a face less prognathous than that of the average ape, and infinitely more hairy. The nose was quite distinct. <<next>> [[We looked on in horror]]<</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire loop play>> <<audio panting volume 0.1 play>>

&emsp;As we gazed upon the uncanny sight presented to our vision, the thick lips opened, and several sounds issued from them, after which the thing relaxed in death.<<timed 4s t8n>><<audio beastsound volume 2 play>> &emsp;The guide clutched my coat-sleeve and trembled so violently that the light shook fitfully, casting weird, moving shadows on the walls about us.<<next>> &emsp;I made no motion, but stood rigidly still, my horrified eyes fixed upon the floor ahead.<<next>> &emsp;Then fear left, and wonder, awe, compassion, and reverence succeeded in its place, for the <i>sounds</i> uttered by the stricken figure that lay stretched out on the limestone had told us the awesome truth.<<next>> The creature I had killed, the strange beast of the unfathomed cave was, or had at one time been,<<next>> a MAN!!! <<next>> [[Credits]] [[Restart|The Beast in the Cave]] <</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire loop play>>

<<audio typewriter loop play>>@@.typed-speed50;&emsp;I have been haunted ever since that day not merely by the memory of that horrible encounter but by my choice to not investigate further the identity of my attacker. I am left still to question whether the beast in the cave was truly some lost animal or something altogether more sinister. For if the latter is true, how are we to know that such ghoulish entities cannot be found in every dark corner of existence? &emsp;I have written this account as an attempt to unlock those memories which I had pushed to the back of my conscious mind. The thing now that strikes me the most is the noise the thing had made after I landed my blow with that stone. Its gasping had not sounded like the panting of a beast but, rather, much more like the labored breathing <i> of a man.</i> @@ <<timed 45s>><<audio typewriter fadeout>><<audio panting fadein>><</timed>> <<timed 55s t8n>>[[Credits]] [[Restart|The Beast in the Cave]]<</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio fire stop>>

&emsp;As I tried to lift myself off the cave floor, I could feel the creature's vile hot breath wash over me. <<audio beastgrowls play>><<timed 5s t8n>><<audio song3 volume 0.3 loop play>>Its talon-like forepaws were upon me at once, tearing at my clothes and raking my face, all the while it grunted and occasionally released different utterances that sounded distinctly unlike those of any animal.<<audio beasttalks play>><<next>> Though fear continued to paralyze my voice, I began to wriggle myself free of the beast's grasp.<<next>> In the struggle, my expired torch, which was now affixed to my belt, fell upon the ground.<<next>><<audio beasttalks play>> In doing so, a single ember buried within the torch's head was freed.<<next>> With my attacker only inches from my face and my eyes having long since adjusted to the utter darkness, this briefest and faintest illumination was sufficient for me to at last see the form of the foul cave thing. <<next>> [[I looked upon the beast]]<</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio beastwalks stop>> <<audio song2 fadeout>>

<div align='center'><i><h1>The Beast in the Cave</h1></i> Original Story by H.P. Lovecraft - Interactive fiction adaptation by Jeremy Whitson - <b>Music</b> Low Force - Daniel Birch Plague - Kai Engel - <b>Sound effects</b> Sharpen Knife - J Bravo Typewriter - tamskp Help - vanceparley Crumbling- Mike Koenig Zombie Talking - Mike Koenig Breathing - Mike Koenig Inhaling Loudly - Mike Koenig - <b>More Games</b> https://jeremywhitson.itch.io/ [[Back to Main|The Beast in the Cave]] </div> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio song1 volume 0.8 loop play>>

<div align='center'><i><h1>Dagon</h1></i> Original story by H.P. Lovecraft - Interaction fiction adaptation by Jeremy Whitson</div> <<timed 2s t8n>>[[Begin|DagonOpening]]

&emsp;I am writing this under an appreciable mental strain, since by tonight I shall be no more. Penniless, and at the end of my supply of the drug which alone makes life endurable, I can bear the torture no longer; and shall cast myself from this garret window into the squalid street below. Do not think from my slavery to morphine that I am a weakling or a degenerate. When you have read these hastily scrawled pages you may guess, though never fully realise, why it is that I must have forgetfulness or death. [[Next]]

&emsp;It was in one of the most open and least frequented parts of the broad Pacific that the packet of which I was supercargo fell a victim to the German sea-raider. The great war was then at its very beginning, and the ocean forces of the Hun had not completely sunk to their later degradation; so that our vessel was made a legitimate prize, whilst we of her crew were treated with all the fairness and consideration due us as naval prisoners. So liberal, indeed, was the discipline of our captors, that five days after we were taken I managed to escape alone in a small boat with water and provisions for a good length of time. [[Continue]]

When I finally found myself adrift and free, I had but little idea of my surroundings. Never a competent navigator, I could only guess vaguely by the sun and stars that I was somewhat south of the equator. Of the longitude I knew nothing, and no island or coast-line was in sight. The weather kept fair, and for uncounted days I drifted aimlessly beneath the scorching sun; waiting either for some passing ship, or to be cast on the shores of some habitable land. But neither ship nor land appeared, and I began to despair in my solitude upon the heaving vastnesses of unbroken blue. [[I drifted further]]

&emsp;Though one might well imagine that my first sensation would be of wonder at so prodigious and unexpected a transformation of scenery, I was in reality more horrified than astonished; for there was in the air and in the rotting soil a sinister quality which chilled me to the very core. The region was putrid with the carcasses of decaying fish, and of other less describable things which I saw protruding from the nasty mud of the unending plain. Perhaps I should not hope to convey in mere words the unutterable hideousness that can dwell in absolute silence and barren immensity. There was nothing within hearing, and nothing in sight save a vast reach of black slime; yet the very completeness of the stillness and the homogeneity of the landscape oppressed me with a nauseating fear. [[I returned to the boat]]

&emsp;The sun was blazing down from a sky which seemed to me almost black in its cloudless cruelty; as though reflecting the inky marsh beneath my feet. As I crawled into the stranded boat I realised that only one theory could explain my position. Through some unprecedented volcanic upheaval, a portion of the ocean floor must have been thrown to the surface, exposing regions which for innumerable millions of years had lain hidden under unfathomable watery depths. So great was the extent of the new land which had risen beneath me, that I could not detect the faintest noise of the surging ocean, strain my ears as I might. Nor were there any sea-fowl to prey upon the dead things. [[I waited there]]

&emsp;For several hours I sat thinking or brooding in the boat, which lay upon its side and afforded a slight shade as the sun moved across the heavens. As the day progressed, the ground lost some of its stickiness, and seemed likely to dry sufficiently for travelling purposes in a short time. That night I slept but little, and the next day I made for myself a pack containing food and water, preparatory to an overland journey in search of the vanished sea and possible rescue. [[I explored the island]]

&emsp;On the third morning I found the soil dry enough to walk upon with ease. The odour of the fish was maddening; but I was too much concerned with graver things to mind so slight an evil, and set out boldly for an unknown goal. All day I forged steadily westward, guided by a far-away hummock which rose higher than any other elevation on the rolling desert. That night I encamped, and on the following day still travelled toward the hummock, though that object seemed scarcely nearer than when I had first espied it. By the fourth evening I attained the base of the mound, which turned out to be much higher than it had appeared from a distance; an intervening valley setting it out in sharper relief from the general surface. Too weary to ascend, I slept in the shadow of the hill.

&emsp;Though the light was exceedingly fleeting, the fear I felt in that moment has burned the image of the creature into my memory. <<timed 5s t8n>>Black were its eyes; deep, jetty black, in hideous contrast to the snow-white hair and flesh.<<next>> Like those of other cave denizens, they were deeply sunken in their orbits, and were entirely destitute of iris. <<next>>I saw that they were set in a face less prognathous than that of the average ape, and infinitely more hairy. <<next>>The nose was quite distinct.<<next>> Its hair was snow-white, a thing due no doubt to the bleaching action of a long existence within the inky confines of the cave, but it was also surprisingly thin, being indeed largely absent save on the head, where it was of such length and abundance that it fell over the shoulders in considerable profusion.<<next>><<audio beasttalks play>> As the creature let out another garbled utterance I came at once to the astonishing conclusion that the strange beast of the unfathomed cave was, or had at one time been,<<next>> a MAN!!! <<next>> [[I lost consciousness]]<</timed>> <<audio turnpage play>> <<audio song3 volume 0.5 loop play>>