The Clerk E-Book

Bernhard Höfellner

• Herausgeber: neobooks
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Deutsch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Seitenzahl: 21

Beschreibung

The clerk of a secret institution under the vault of a world-famous, but remote university, goes about his business as usual. He saves the world. Every day. He is fully absorbed in this activity. But today he becomes aware of something. Something is different than usual.

Leseprobe

Bernhard Höfellner

The Clerk

A Lovecraftian short story

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Inhaltsverzeichnis

Titel

The Clerk

Impressum neobooks

The Clerk

Randolph Phineas van der Burgen woke up, stretching his tired limbs. He rose from his bed, feeling the stiffness in his joints. At once the cold of his small rental room enfolded him. His gaze was directed at the window, outside of which he saw a dance of snowflakes. Even more snow. Randolph hated wintertime but what he hated most about it was the snow. He sighed and went over to a small cabinet by the opposite wall, on which stood a wash bowl. He tried to dip his hands into it but touched a thin coating of ice instead. With a fast blow of his fist he crushed it, dousing his hands in the cold water, splashing it into his face and then drying himself. From the mirror, a scraggy, beardless head gazed at him, whose few grey hair stuck out stubbily in all directions. With the aid of a brush and a small amount of hair grease he corrected that aesthetic mistake of his sleeping habits and labouriously put on his clothes. When he was finished, he brushed the dusted from his frock coat, put it on, reached for his leather bag and left the room.

The enchanting smell of freshly brewed coffee permeated from downstairs. Mrs Calbraith greeted him in the dining room of her small boarding house.

"You are looking quite dapper this morning, Mr van der Burgen. As usual."

"Thank you, Mrs Calbraith."

"Did you like the hair grease I sent up to your room yesterday?"

"It serves its purpose, thank you."

"You look just like Rudolph Valentino!"

Randolph had taken a seat while Mrs Calbraith served coffee and some pastries, without being asked. She also put jam and clotted cream onto the table.

"I am not familiar with any gentleman of that name. Is it a new tenant? A quiet fellow, I hope?"

Mrs Cailbraith shook her head.

"Valentino is the most beautiful man in the world. He is a movie star! Everyone knows Rudoph Valentino!"

Randolph´s eye-lid fluttered. Movie star. He did not enjoy movies very much.

"I don not enjoy movies very much."

"How can you not enjoy movies?"

"I think that this kind of dispersion will no stand the test of time. In a few years this whole moving picture nonsence will come to an end, and we will finally be able to spend a comfortable evening again, listening to the radio or reading a good book."