The Alchemy of Nightmares

 Thumbnail Synopses

“A Traveler’s Diary.” A mentally unstable tourist on a visit to England and Wales finds himself confronted by alien entities who appear in his photos of prehistoric sites.
Read it.

“In The Mind, In The Meadow.” Nature is the protagonist
in this chilling backpacking tale of a failing businessman who learns that there is more to reality than meets the eye.

“The Eyes of Lewis Thule.” An optometry patient’s grotesque eyes reveal the mysteries of personal evolution.

“Magistellus.” Black magic figures in a tale of occult extortion and murder by entities invoked out of the vast dimensions of the mind.

“Remember for Me, My Sweet.” An expert in the science of memory uses a machine to make the human body "remember" shadowy images of prehistoric fossils, and gets more than he bargained for.

“Powerful Art.” An art agent uncovers a race of vampiric creatures who use the souls of human artists to create a pigment for the art of their world.

“The Horror at Santa Alma.” An estranged son returns home to heal old childhood wounds, but finds an unimaginable transformation instead.

“Modern Love: Decoded.” An installation artist tries getting revenge on an unfaithful lover by “installing” her inside his latest exhibition — but his victim is more powerful than he realized.

“Athyrian.” An 8-yr old boy who misses his lost father discovers the fantastic origin of his birth.

“A Woman with Certain Qualities.” A madman finally possesses the woman of his dreams – then learns what it will take to love her.

“Heart’s Desire.” A man joins a dating service that promises 100% satisfaction, and finds sexual bliss — then terror — on the archetypal plane.

“Chaos, My Love.” The hideous Necronomicon figures in this tale of impish curiosity and lost happiness.

“Shimmering Thing.” A shape-shifting creature stored in a jar is the only thing that can make a San Francisco millionaire – and his chauffeur – experience sexual intimacy.

“A Family Illness.” A romantically cynical woman heals her emotional wounds in a werewolf tale like no other.

“The Work of Dennis Hobbs.” A literary critic visits a horror novelist’s home, but finds himself acting out a plot in the author’s dark and murderous world.

“Apartment D.” A dead inventor leaves behind a strange contraption which gives the man who discovered his body quite a surprise.

“The Infernal Library.” Monstrous books that feed off of the thoughts and memories of people are left with one final meal: the mind of a library’s last prisoner.

“Out of the Earth.” A resident from a city where storytelling is a crime tries contacting the guardians of stories and freeing the world of its dark dreams.

“Finished.” A struggling writer befriends a sickly old neighbor, only to lose the definition of his own identity.

  Publication History

“A Traveler’s Diary,” first published in Crypt of Cthulhu, August, 1994.

“In The Mind, In The Meadow,” first published in Night Terrors, 2, 1996.

“The Eyes of Lewis Thule,” first published in Haunts, 24, Fall/Winter 1992.

“Magistellus.” Previously unpublished. 1996.

“Remember for Me, My Sweet,” first published in Terminal Fright, 11, Spring 1996.

“Powerful Art,” first published in Lore, vol. 1/no. 6, Autumn, 1996.

“The Horror at Santa Alma,” first published in The Scream Factory, No. 6, 1990.

“Modern Love: Decoded,” first published in Gothic.Net Webzine, November 1997.

“Athyrian,” first published in Aura, Spring/Summer 1996. Republished in Horrorfind, Oct.2004.

“A Woman with Certain Qualities.” Previously unpublished. 1996.

“Heart’s Desire,” first published in Haunts, 29, Spring/Summer 1995.

“Chaos, My Love,” first published in Cthulhu Codex, No. 9, November 1996.

“Shimmering Thing,” first published in Nightmares, vol. 1, no. 4, Fall, 1996.

“A Family Illness.” Previously unpublished. 1996.

“The Work of Dennis Hobbs,” first published in the anthology Terminal Frights, 1997.

“Apartment D.” Previously unpublished. 1995.

“The Infernal Library,” first published in Symphonie’s Gift, Issue #7, 1997.

“Out of the Earth.” Previously unpublished. 1997.

“Finished.” Previously unpublished. 1995.

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