Notebook Found in a Deserted House
Encyclopedia
"Notebook Found in a Deserted House" is a Cthulhu Mythos
short story
by Robert Bloch
. It was first published in a 1951 issue of Weird Tales
. Many consider it to be a predecessor to the film The Blair Witch Project
.
found in an empty house. The notebook is written by Willie Osborne, a farm boy who had lived with his grandmother until she died.
During the time he lived with his grandmother, she told him about entities she called "them ones", which apparently live in the mysterious forest around the farm that his Aunt Lucy and Uncle Fred own. “Them ones” seem to be most active during Halloween
, as Willie’s grandmother claims people have heard the sound of drums coming from the forest at that time.
After his grandmother’s death, Willie goes to live with his aunt and uncle who live in the purportedly haunted woods. His ideas about strange beings inhabiting the forest are supported by the fact that his aunt and uncle always lock the doors at night and never enter the woods after dark. Even more strangely, the forest seems to be devoid of animal life. Willie thinks the answer is that a cult
of Druid
s, possibly having come over from before the time of Columbus, lives in the woods.
In October, Willie has a disquieting experience in the forest. Getting late in the day, he hears something coming towards him. Hiding behind a rock, Willie smells an awful stench and hears an unearthly voice say something in an equally unearthly language, in which is the word "shoggoth
". Willie investigates the spot where the entity went by and discovers what appear to be hundreds of hoof marks and a foul-smelling slime, not unlike that which comes out of a mysterious old well on the farm. For many nights after, he dreams of the creature that made the hoof-prints.
Things take a turn for the worse as Halloween nears. Willie’s cousin, Frank, was supposed to come visit for Halloween. When the buggy that Fred went out in to bring him to the farm comes back empty, Lucy faints. A few days later, on Halloween, Lucy disappears herself.
When Willie tries to escape, the situation is compounded when a man claiming to be Cousin Osborne shows up, saying that he did not arrive earlier due to business. Willie explains to him the situation, wisely leaving out his experience in the woods and his idea of what might be out there. When Osborne shows knowledge of Willie’s experience anyway, and claims to be from Arkham
when Willie knows him to be from Kingsport
, it becomes obvious that he is an impostor. Cousin Osborne, claiming to have custody of Willie, orders him to stay indoors. Later, when the mailman, Cap Pritchett, arrives, the fake Osborne insists that Willie is not home. Willie immediately shows himself and asks to be ridden into town. Pritchett, seeing that Cousin Osborne was lying about Willie’s presence, agrees to Willie’s request. Cousin Osborne warns Willie as he leaves that he is making a mistake.
As Pritchett and Willie go some way, Willie tells him about the recent going-ons and asks Pritchett if he knows what a shoggoth is. When Pritchett tries to answer, a black, log-like creature appears in the road and attacks the horse, pulling Pritchett out as he identifies it as a shoggoth. Willie escapes and comes to a clearing where he sees a cult of people he presumes to be the Druids sacrificing cattle, as well as some people, on an enormous rock with two enormous black marks on its sides. The shoggoth reappears, the same from Willie's nightmares. More terrified than ever, Willie runs away, screaming, and ends up back at the house. He barricades himself inside and writes most of the titular notebook.
The next day, Willie sees Cousin Osborne talking to someone, speaking of getting into the house through an unused well in the backyard, which Willie realizes is an entrance to the underground world where the "Druids" live. The last thing he writes is "The door is banging o–"
frequently takes sources from Lovecraftian authors and adapts the beings into ones to suit its roleplaying games, based in the Cthulhu mythos. The company felt that it would take the creatures featured in Bloch's story, clearly shoggoths in the writer's piece, and adapt them into children of Shub-Niggurath.
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Robert Bloch
Robert Bloch
Robert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer, primarily of crime, horror and science fiction. He is best known as the writer of Psycho, the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock...
. It was first published in a 1951 issue of Weird Tales
Weird Tales
Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
. Many consider it to be a predecessor to the film The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
.
Sypnosis
As the title implies, the entire text is that of a notebookNotebook
A notebook is a book or binder composed of pages of notes, often ruled, made out of paper, used for purposes including recording notes or memoranda, writing, drawing, and scrapbooking....
found in an empty house. The notebook is written by Willie Osborne, a farm boy who had lived with his grandmother until she died.
During the time he lived with his grandmother, she told him about entities she called "them ones", which apparently live in the mysterious forest around the farm that his Aunt Lucy and Uncle Fred own. “Them ones” seem to be most active during Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
, as Willie’s grandmother claims people have heard the sound of drums coming from the forest at that time.
After his grandmother’s death, Willie goes to live with his aunt and uncle who live in the purportedly haunted woods. His ideas about strange beings inhabiting the forest are supported by the fact that his aunt and uncle always lock the doors at night and never enter the woods after dark. Even more strangely, the forest seems to be devoid of animal life. Willie thinks the answer is that a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
of Druid
Druid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
s, possibly having come over from before the time of Columbus, lives in the woods.
In October, Willie has a disquieting experience in the forest. Getting late in the day, he hears something coming towards him. Hiding behind a rock, Willie smells an awful stench and hears an unearthly voice say something in an equally unearthly language, in which is the word "shoggoth
Shoggoth
A shoggoth is a fictional monster in the Cthulhu Mythos. The being was mentioned in passing in sonnet XX of H.P...
". Willie investigates the spot where the entity went by and discovers what appear to be hundreds of hoof marks and a foul-smelling slime, not unlike that which comes out of a mysterious old well on the farm. For many nights after, he dreams of the creature that made the hoof-prints.
Things take a turn for the worse as Halloween nears. Willie’s cousin, Frank, was supposed to come visit for Halloween. When the buggy that Fred went out in to bring him to the farm comes back empty, Lucy faints. A few days later, on Halloween, Lucy disappears herself.
When Willie tries to escape, the situation is compounded when a man claiming to be Cousin Osborne shows up, saying that he did not arrive earlier due to business. Willie explains to him the situation, wisely leaving out his experience in the woods and his idea of what might be out there. When Osborne shows knowledge of Willie’s experience anyway, and claims to be from Arkham
Arkham
Arkham is a fictional city in Massachusetts, part of the Lovecraft Country setting created by H. P. Lovecraft and is featured in many of his stories, as well as those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers....
when Willie knows him to be from Kingsport
Kingsport (Lovecraft)
Kingsport is a fictional town in the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. The town first appeared in Lovecraft's short story "The Terrible Old Man"...
, it becomes obvious that he is an impostor. Cousin Osborne, claiming to have custody of Willie, orders him to stay indoors. Later, when the mailman, Cap Pritchett, arrives, the fake Osborne insists that Willie is not home. Willie immediately shows himself and asks to be ridden into town. Pritchett, seeing that Cousin Osborne was lying about Willie’s presence, agrees to Willie’s request. Cousin Osborne warns Willie as he leaves that he is making a mistake.
As Pritchett and Willie go some way, Willie tells him about the recent going-ons and asks Pritchett if he knows what a shoggoth is. When Pritchett tries to answer, a black, log-like creature appears in the road and attacks the horse, pulling Pritchett out as he identifies it as a shoggoth. Willie escapes and comes to a clearing where he sees a cult of people he presumes to be the Druids sacrificing cattle, as well as some people, on an enormous rock with two enormous black marks on its sides. The shoggoth reappears, the same from Willie's nightmares. More terrified than ever, Willie runs away, screaming, and ends up back at the house. He barricades himself inside and writes most of the titular notebook.
The next day, Willie sees Cousin Osborne talking to someone, speaking of getting into the house through an unused well in the backyard, which Willie realizes is an entrance to the underground world where the "Druids" live. The last thing he writes is "The door is banging o–"
Chaosium
Bloch's story features shoggoths, but gaming company ChaosiumChaosium
Chaosium is one of the longer lived publishers of role-playing games still in existence. Founded by Greg Stafford, its first game was actually a wargame, White Bear and Red Moon, which later mutated into Dragon Pass and its sequel, Nomad Gods...
frequently takes sources from Lovecraftian authors and adapts the beings into ones to suit its roleplaying games, based in the Cthulhu mythos. The company felt that it would take the creatures featured in Bloch's story, clearly shoggoths in the writer's piece, and adapt them into children of Shub-Niggurath.