
A hopeful poet arrives in the bustling metropolis, chasing the glittering promise of inspiration among its towering spires and winding alleys. The city dazzles at first—sunset bridges, lantern‑lit canals, and towering stone that seem to echo distant legends—but daylight soon strips away the romance, revealing cramped streets, hostile strangers, and a suffocating sense of decay that gnaws at his spirit. Disillusioned, he retreats into the night, seeking refuge in the quieter, forgotten corners where old façades still whisper of a vanished past.
In one of those shadowed courtyards he encounters a gaunt, ancient figure whose eyes burn with a strange, guttural warning. The man’s cryptic mutterings and unsettling presence hint at hidden histories lurking beneath the city's surface, drawing the poet deeper into a labyrinth of mystery and dread. As the night stretches on, the narrator is compelled to confront the uncanny undercurrents that pulse through the stone‑walled streets, setting the stage for a chilling journey into the heart of an urban nightmare.
Language
en
Duration
~25 minutes (24K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: Popular Fiction Publishing Company, 1926.
Credits
Roger Frank
Release date
2022-07-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1890–1937
A master of cosmic horror, this American writer turned fear of the unknown into some of the most influential weird fiction ever written. His stories introduced readers to ancient beings, fragile sanity, and a universe far larger—and colder—than humanity would like to believe.
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