"Alan Dean Foster - Some Notes Concerning A Green Box" - читать интересную книгу автора (Foster Alan Dean)

expected that there might be something on the horizon. This is blatant nonsense, since a
quick glance at any map of the Pacific will suffice to show even the casual observer that
there is nothing present in that section of ocean for hundreds of miles in any direction, let
alone due south! It is interesting to note, though, that diis course was taking them almost
directly down the center of the subsurface mountain mass known as the Easter Island
Cordillera.
The next letter carries in its margin the words, "Turned east, following Cook instruc." Once
again consulting the Research Library files, I found that Captain James Cook had indeed
passed this same section of sea in 1773 on his return voyage to England. What is more
interesting is the fact that the following year the captain, usually a dead-accurate navigator,
spent some considerable time wandering about in the area between 40 and 50 degrees
latitude, and 120 and 130 degrees longitude. Certainly he could not have been
32
Some Notes Concerning a Green Box
there searching for something, as the area is as desolate a stretch of ocean as exists on
this world.
The next legible note reads, "129 W, Bob discouraged, turning back w. current." This can
only mean that Professor Nolan did indeed expect to find something in this empty piece of
sea and, as one would anticipate, he had not. Also, the reverse side of the letter contains
the admonition, "coord wrong? check Sydney Bulletin." At the time, this reference held no
meaning for me.
There remained only one last notation of any consequence, and I have come to regard that
one as the key to the entire baffling matter. It is at once the clearest and most mystifying of
them all, and consists of three parts. The words, "check Lvcrft ref," some cryptic symbols in
Professor Turner's hand, and one word, written underneath:
"CTHULHU"
The reference to a "Lvcrft" puzzled me utterly, until I chanced to mention it to a fellow student.
He informed .me that my "Lvcrft" was possibly H. P. Lovecraft, a writer of the 20's and 30's
who wrote weird-fantastic stories. Searching out an index of the man's work,- I was both
surprised and pleased to encounter a tale containing mention of the odd word "Cthulhu,"
entitled The Call of Cthulhu. Procuring a book containing the indicated story, I read it with
what was at first avid interest. My interest quickly flagged. I was disappointed! Here I had
thought I had unearthed some potentially great scientific discovery which for some unknown
reason certain parties were trying to suppress, when in actuality all I was doing was wasting
my time with the childish fantasies of two grown scholars who presumably should know
better!
Still...
Further along in the story I found references not only to that same Sydney Bulletin, but also to
a certain mythical island or coastline that supposedly was found at "latitude 47 d, 9', and
longitude 126 d, 43' "! If only as a source of some little humor, these coinci-
33
WITH FBIENDS LIKE THESE . . .
dences piqued my lagging interest considerably. I subsequently wrote to a newspaper friend
of mine in Melbourne, who promised to locate for me a copy of the Bulletin for the date
indicated in the story (April 18, 1925). Several weeks later I received a letter from my friend
apologizing, in which he informed me that the only known complete file of the Sydney Bulletin
had perished in the Sydney University fire of 1929. I found this an especial curiosity since
Lovecraft's story had been written in 1928.
Additional research turned up more disturbing facts. I must add that I continued to pursue
these tiresome researches because I have to date been unable to uncover any information