Playing in the realm of Horror, in the speculative spaces of the Weird, one is always tempted to try their hand at those grand standards of the classic Universal stable. Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolfman, Creature of the Black Lagoon... the reanimated body, Dr. Victor Frankenstein's monster. This is very dangerous territory to be tempted into, one which, well, it is just too damned tempting!
I have sought to resist this urge as best I can. For example, zombies are an ever-present... and changing... creature to feature. Their aspect of late seems not to do with the outre, supernatural curses and invocations, but generally some virus, either created in a lab, a mutation of nature, or the fallback standard of some space spore arrived somehow. They tend to prefer a specific palette for reasons that really make no gastronomical sense. They are also extremely limber, able to ward off the effects of stiffening cells with unending endurance.
You don't find these up on the Bajazid.
Vampires are today another tough one to touch, outside the fact that they are ticklish and prefer not to be touched. With the profusion of different fanged undead inhabiting creased pages or electronic color palettes (only memories it seems remain of those shadows on silver screens in these days of distancing), what is left? As of yet, I know of no such seeker of simply blood up on the Bajazid, though I fear it would not go well for such happening to arrive from outside. That Which Damned has tricked Gods before... and as you can see, there are things I've been hearing, whispers from those visitors at my bedside.
Oh, the lycanthropes! Don't we all just want to play with, or gosh and golly, be a furry half-person prancing around in our furry skin and howling at the moon... or maybe curling up to purr... after ripping a complete stranger apart and feasting on their flesh? Or maybe, you know, just write about a shape-shifter? Yeah, thing is, tricky road there. For one, if you try, as I was tempted to look at due to local geography, the concept of the "skin walker", a Navajo legend, then you're looking to fail conceptually. It did not take much research to realize this is one that does not belong in the realm of lycanthropy nor under any pen not touching carefully. As for the classic werewolf and attendant were-creatures, it seems a tricky venture always because of, like the vampire and zombie, such depth of interpretation that finding a comfortable or original (either would work) concept beyond cliche is a tough nut I've yet to crack. I have no doubt that perhaps such may be on the Bajazid, either originated there unique or having wandered in, but I have heard no rumors as of yet.
There is no sea or natural body of water that would offer harbor for any creatures of aquatic means. I mean, this is on a mountaintop at the edge of one of the great deserts of the world. This as well prevents me from even daring to play with Lovecraft's dear delight so beloved of pastiche. Hell, I dare Cthulhu to try to reign here... I'm sure the coyotes would enjoy some stale seafood before the desert sands render it but a cosmic memory. The Bajazid is a place unique and thus any introductions from beyond, such as wandering wolfmen or children of the night, let alone wayward elder things, would be here the victims.
Now, I have played with zombies and other diverse undead. Mummies are really quite common and basically, just very stale zombies. The Strawman does qualify as such in his own unique way. I have discovered that one of my favorite characters is basically a Wendigo, that discovery made after his introduction... and after That Which Damned determined his distinct course (that's all three, by the way). Mama Death, a zuvembie, that most wonderful addition to the world of the undead by Robert E. Howard, is a very well known inhabitant of these valleys as well. I even know where there is an unborn female child, stilled and buried in the womb... These are all minor players on the edges of Horror, generally comfortable that the others are getting the limelight and thus they get to retain their mystery.
I have no idea what to do with wolfmen and vampires on the Bajazid though and really have kept my thoughts from such as much as possible (writing up above was distracting enough).
What is the other big one from the prime Universal trilogy? Ah yes, Frankenstein's monster! Or, if we look at the nature and genre specific which that story spawned, the mad scientist and his perverse creation. Well, I at first saw no possible application for such here on the Bajazid, no possible means for such to occur for the stretch of the town was between 1867 and 1990... in a frontier mining town. Knowing that there were no more modern establishments in that valley beyond the 1930s, and those being rudimentary structures and one company mine with a seriously hard labor relations issue, there just wasn't any logical place for a mad scientist's lab or an ancient castle. It seemed this tree was dead, knocked over, half-rotten and definitely not one worth barking over.
Sigh...
Now, back when I was just a wee little kid in the early 1970s, every
Saturday morning, after the cartoons turned crappy, came the local
channel's movie line-up. You know, Action Theater and Adventure Theater and just lots of action and adventure theater. My favorite was called World Beyond
and they hosted mostly 1950s schlock horror films, which was perfect
for a child to absorb... like that one with all the arms and legs on the
walls that haunted me for years. As I grew older, well, I was never one for the 80s slasher fads, be it killers in masks or puppets on a rampage though the cultural absorption of the reanimation of the dead was long seared into my cells. It wasn't until I met my wine-selling Lovecraft-pusher friend that the story of Herbert West joined direct into my understandings in association with Victor Frankenstein insofar as importance to this legacy. These two fellows are just tops!
Um, as these stories progressed, I became more familiar with how the town rose, how quick and violent. Knowing the possibilities of what was available even in such frontier places... Tombstone had fresh seafood shipped from the Sea of Cortez!... opportunities began appearing. See, in my very first story, "Where Lies Hope", I made mention of a few in the background. Two of those mentioned, not by name, were the two doctors attending this family in their crisis. One was a private physician and the other, the company doctor. Within the year of the first tragedy to hit the Goff household, the company doctor was alone in his puzzlement as to what had returned. This doctor was mentioned as well in "I'll Always be With You, Boys", a passing comment that cemented the identity of this company doctor. He never left my mind.
In September of 2018, as I was struggling with restoring life to a Tale born dead, that doctor came knocking, asking if he could help in this process. I chastised him saying that considering his magnificent, well, after what he did, I would do this myself. Seriously, the guy could set a bone... or saw through one... as good as any, er, sawbones with battlefield experience and a curious mind. I just, well, Mengyao's journey was his and Raymond Paulk, he had his own journey, one which he all of a sudden just started pouring out. Seriously, the guy was non-stop. I was trying hard, real hard to bring "All Dreams Must Conclude" to where it is now, but all the while I was doing this, Dr. Paulk just wouldn't stop telling me what he discovered in the notes left him by the other physician, a rather flamboyant individual who has yet to reveal himself beyond what is seen in the result of Paulk's constant badgering though there is historical precedent at that time in Arizona for someone of such eccentricity and disposable wealth... a template who gave name to the Phoenix risen in the desert below.
"The Obsession of Doctor Paulk" is the narrative badgered to me as I was trying to do respectable work. I honestly cannot fault the good doctor for his insistence as it has given me this most delightful story. A great history of the town is revealed here as well as a host of characters known elsewhere making sure Paulk's story is rich and well expanded. This allowed me, beyond the horrors of the plague that swept through the year following the discovery of the fungus that took Hugh Goff and his family, a wide range of influences to add to this Tale. The Widow Jackson, last seen in "Twelve-Thirtyfour" strengthens her legacy and good old Percy and Marcus stop by as well, or are visited in truth. Others, not named (but with known numbers, according to Percy) are seen as well, including some of the vaunted Sultans. Indeed, Paulk's social and professional routines made him a rather well known individual, enough to belay any considerations beyond those known.
He just didn't pay attention to one thing...
"The Obsession of Doctor Paulk" will be released in the upcoming anthology Lovecraft in a Time of Madness by Sentinel Creatives. The production for this release looks amazing and I am truly excited for what is coming.
Oh, this Tale ended in a funny way which I did not plan. When I was satisfied with my edits, I looked to my word count to see where I was and what I needed to do to get to the limit I had set for myself and realized I was at 5,000 words exactly. "Waiting For Ants" as well ended on this number and with that as well, I was not trimming but looked up and said "Oh!" (I might have added a little to that knowing my inner vocabulary). This challenge I had given myself to write within that limit was proving itself as these Tales were basically appearing right where they needed to be. To this point, 11 stories into my goal of 12, not one had exceeded that limit. I guess practice and setting goals do have some merit. I mean, seriously, who would have guessed?
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