The Dreams in the Witch House (Lovecraft): Difference between revisions
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Short Summary
Arkham, Massachusetts, 1920s. A mathematics student rented a room in an old house where a witch was said to have escaped from jail in 1692.
As Gilman studied advanced mathematics and folklore, he began experiencing bizarre dreams where he encountered an elderly witch and her rat-like familiar in strange geometric spaces.
His dreams grew more intense, and he found himself sleepwalking. During Walpurgis Night, he dreamed of being taken to a dark ceremony where he was forced to sign a book in blood. The next morning, he discovered he had actually been wandering the town, and a child had disappeared. His condition worsened until one night, after a terrifying dream encounter with the witch and Brown Jenkin, he was found dead in his room.
It would be barbarous to do more than suggest what had killed Gilman. There had been virtually a tunnel through his body—something had eaten his heart out.
Years later, when the house was demolished, workers discovered human bones in a sealed space, including those of children and a bent woman. They also found a strange skeleton of an abnormally large rat with features resembling both rodent and human characteristics, alongside various occult objects and books. The discovery confirmed the terrible truth of Gilman's experiences, but the full nature of what occurred remained a mystery.
Detailed Summary
Division of the summary into chapters is conditional.
Strange Dreams and Mathematical Studies
A mathematics student at Miskatonic University found himself caught between fever and disturbing dreams, unsure which had caused which.
Whether the dreams brought on the fever or the fever brought on the dreams Walter Gilman did not know. Behind everything crouched the brooding, festering horror of the ancient town.
Gilman had deliberately chosen to live in the old Witch House in Arkham, where a notorious witch had once resided. The building's history fascinated him, particularly the story of its former occupant who had escaped from Salem Gaol in 1692.
Non-Euclidean calculus and quantum physics are enough to stretch any brain; and when one mixes them with folklore... one can hardly expect to be wholly free from mental tension.
His studies of advanced mathematics and quantum physics became increasingly intertwined with local folklore and witch legends. His professors at Miskatonic had urged him to slow down, but their warnings came too late. Gilman had already discovered disturbing connections between his mathematical formulas and ancient magical knowledge.
Encounters with the Supernatural
In his increasingly vivid dreams, Gilman encountered a hideous familiar spirit that served as the witch's messenger. This creature, known as Brown Jenkin, had haunted Arkham's legends for centuries.
His neighbor, a superstitious Polish loomfixer, constantly warned him about the approaching Walpurgis Night and urged him to wear a protective crucifix.
His fellow student and friend tried to help him cope with his deteriorating condition, offering him a place to sleep in his room.
The dreams were wholly beyond the pale of sanity... He did not walk or climb, fly or swim, crawl or wriggle; yet always experienced a mode of motion partly voluntary and partly involuntary.
Descent into Cosmic Horror
As April approached, Gilman's dreams became more intense. He encountered a tall, dark figure in his visions, who appeared alongside the witch and Brown Jenkin.
What kept him from going with her and Brown Jenkin... was the fact that he had seen the name 'Azathoth' in the Necronomicon, and knew it stood for a primal evil too horrible for description.
During this period, a two-year-old child disappeared from the neighborhood. The mother claimed she had seen Brown Jenkin lurking around before the disappearance.
The landlord attempted to address the increasing rat problem in the building, though his efforts seemed futile.
The abysses were by no means vacant, being crowded with indescribably angled masses of alien-hued substance, some of which appeared to be organic while others seemed inorganic.
The Final Horror
On Walpurgis Night, Gilman's nightmares reached their terrifying climax. In his dream, he found himself in a space where the witch and Brown Jenkin attempted to sacrifice a small child. He fought against them, managing to save the child but sustaining injuries in the process.
When he awoke, he was found with marks on his throat and a rat bite on his ankle. A local doctor was called to treat him.
That night, Gilman met a horrific end. His friend Elwood was awakened by terrible screaming and found Gilman's bed soaked in blood. Something had eaten through his body, leaving a tunnel-like wound. A large rat-like creature was seen fleeing the scene.
The aftermath revealed even more disturbing details. When the house was finally demolished years later, workers discovered a witch's altar, children's bones, and the grotesque skeleton of an abnormally large rat with features suggesting both rodent and human characteristics. The skeleton showed signs of disease and had long brownish fur still clinging to it. Among the debris were also found various books on black magic, and a damaged stone replica of the strange artifact Gilman had once discovered. The true nature of what occurred in the Witch House remained a mystery, though the locals continued to whisper about old Keziah Mason and her familiar, Brown Jenkin, long after the building was gone.