The Colour out of Space (Lovecraft)
Short Summary
West of Arkham, Massachusetts, in the late 1880s, a meteorite crashed near Nahum Gardner's farm. Three professors from Miskatonic University examined the strange object, which displayed unusual properties and contained a globule of an indescribable color before mysteriously disappearing.
Following the meteor's impact, strange phenomena began occurring on Gardner's farm. Vegetation grew unnaturally large but inedible, emitting a faint glow. Animals mutated and died, while the Gardner family's mental and physical health deteriorated. Nahum's wife went mad and was locked in the attic, followed by his son Thaddeus. His younger son Merwin disappeared near the farm's well.
It was just a colour out of space—a frightful messenger from unformed realms of infinity beyond all Nature as we know it; from realms whose mere existence stuns the brain and numbs us with the black extra-cosmic gulfs
The horror culminated when Ammi Pierce discovered Nahum's wife had disintegrated in the attic, and Nahum himself dissolved before his eyes, revealing that something in the well was draining life from everything around it. Police investigation found remains of the missing boys in the well. The entity finally erupted into the sky, leaving the land permanently blighted.
Detailed Summary
Division of the summary into chapters is conditional.
The Blasted Heath and Its Mystery
West of Arkham, in a wild and densely wooded area, there lay a strange region that locals called the blasted heath. A surveyor visited this place to plan for a new reservoir and encountered an atmosphere of dread and unease. The locals warned him about the evil nature of the place, but he initially dismissed their concerns as mere superstition.
It was not because of anything that can be seen or heard or handled, but because of something that is imagined. The place is not good for the imagination, and does not bring restful dreams at night.
Upon discovering a desolate five-acre patch of grey wasteland where nothing grew, the surveyor sought out Ammi Pierce, the only local who would speak about the strange events that occurred there. Ammi lived alone in an ancient cottage and reluctantly agreed to share the story of what happened to the Gardner family and their farm.
The Meteor and Its Effects
In June 1882, a meteorite crashed on Nahum Gardner's farm near a well. The strange rock caught the attention of three professors from Miskatonic University who conducted tests on it. The meteorite exhibited bizarre properties - it was unnaturally soft, refused to cool, and displayed unknown colors in its spectrum. Most peculiarly, it gradually shrank and eventually disappeared completely, leaving only a colored globule that burst when struck.
The trees near it were sickly and stunted, and many dead trunks stood or lay rotting at the rim... there was no vegetation of any kind on that broad expanse, but only a fine grey dust or ash
Following a thunderstorm that repeatedly struck the meteorite's landing site, the stone vanished completely. However, its effects on the surrounding area began to manifest in disturbing ways. The vegetation grew unusually large but inedible, with strange colors that seemed to match those observed in the meteorite. Animals began behaving oddly, and the winter brought mysterious tracks in the snow that didn't quite match any known creature.
The Gardner Family's Decline
The Gardner family's tragedy unfolded gradually. First, the vegetation on their land grew strangely and bore inedible fruit. Then the livestock began to exhibit disturbing changes, growing grey and brittle before dying. The family members themselves started showing signs of deterioration. Mrs. Gardner was the first to succumb to madness.
Thaddeus, the middle son, went mad after visiting the well and had to be locked away. He died mysteriously in the attic, leaving behind something so horrific that Nahum had to bury it immediately.
The youngest son, Merwin, disappeared while fetching water from the well one night. Only his lantern and pail were found, both partially melted.
Zenas, the eldest son, vanished next, presumably near the well.
The Final Horror
When Ammi visited the farm one last time, he found Nahum in a terrible state. The dying farmer revealed his final understanding of the horror that had consumed his family.
The colour... it burns... cold an' wet... but it burns... it lived in the well... I seen it... a kind o' smoke... jest like the flowers last spring... the well shone at night... everything alive... suckin' the life out of everything
After Nahum's death, Ammi alerted the authorities. A group including police officers, a coroner, and a medical examiner investigated the farm. They discovered horrific remains in the attic and well. While examining the property at night, they witnessed an otherworldly phenomenon: trees moving without wind, and a strange luminescence that seemed to possess a conscious malevolence.
It was just that. Only a wooden ripping and crackling, and not an explosion... there burst up from that doomed and accursed farm a gleamingly eruptive cataclysm of unnatural sparks and substance
The horror culminated in a spectacular display as the alien presence shot into the sky through a perfectly round hole in the clouds, leaving behind only a blasted and lifeless patch of grey earth. The investigators fled in terror, and Ammi alone witnessed a final, faint remnant of the color sink back into the well.
The Aftermath and Lingering Effects
The next day, investigators found little evidence of what had occurred. Only the chimney bricks, cellar stones, and the well remained. The five-acre plot became a dead zone where nothing would grow. Local tales suggested that the blight was slowly spreading, and strange phenomena continued to occur in the vicinity.
People say the colour of the neighbouring herbage is not quite right in the spring, and that wild things leave queer prints in the light winter snow. Snow never seems quite so heavy on the blasted heath
The narrator concluded his investigation, resigned from his surveying job, and expressed relief that the new reservoir would soon cover the cursed land. However, he resolved never to drink Arkham water. The horror that fell from the stars had forever tainted the land, leaving behind a mystery that defied scientific explanation and continued to spread its influence year by year, foot by foot, across the countryside.