The writing accompanying this oddity was, aside from a stack of press cuttings, in Professor Angell’s most recent hand; and made no pretense to literary style. What seemed to be the main document was headed “CTHULHU CULT” in characters painstakingly printed to avoid the erroneous reading of a word so unheard-of.

Excerpt: Weird Tales/Volume 11/Issue 2/The Call of Cthulhu

By HPL

Primrose turned to Hank after the others left and went their separate ways. “So what do you need to shop for?” Hank hesitated, started to speak a few times, then he gave up and just shrug his shoulders. “Ah, how I love a man of many words and a decisive personality.”

Hank laughed at this. He is nervous, but at least he loosened up a little bit. "Now what?" Hank spoke up and interrupted her thoughts. “The others seemed like they had things in mind, I don’t really need much right now, other than some clothes. You’re new in town, I thought I could, you know, maybe be a guide.” Hank shrugged his shoulders. “We have wares from all over the world for sale inside the walls.”

“I need clothes as well,” she said, “and books. You can be my knight in shining armor. Lets go, you can show me all the wonders of Rime,”

Hank looked at her awkwardly, “Oh I don’t wear armor. Uh, oh I get it. Forget that I just put my foot in my mouth, that went right over my head. Primrose, right this way your highness,” he said with a half bow, his face was shades of red. “We can go to Hastings. Old Claudette may be losing some speed, but there isn’t anyone better when it comes to quality. If it doesn’t fit she can fix it right there. Or ship it to you at the academy. I know some boys that worked as runners for her making deliveries. She is the best. Is that okay?”

Primrose nodded, the seamstress did sound great. “It sounds perfect.” She said as she followed Hank through the city, lost in her own thoughts. My father would scold me for following a boy I just met. He’d say I’m too trusting, she thought. She marveled at the inner part of the city. It was beautiful inside the walls. Not all of the buildings featured the white marble that you saw above the walls outside. The smaller buildings were well built, though not quite the luxurious look of the white marble. She caught up to Hank so they could talk easier. “Lythel is much different than this. Our architecture is more grand and pompous. Our roads are spacious, the stone work like art. I hated it.”

Hank laughed. “It sounds like where you come from has a lot of high end artisans and crafters. Maybe lots of coin as well.” Hank gestured toward a seamstress sign on a shop near the end of the road. “Almost there.”

“Yes, our trade is heavily based on the arts and crafts of the city. But it’s a terrible place, so impersonal. Everyone is always trying to outdo the other. Seldom do people work together, they don’t want someone they view as lesser holding them back. It has wealth and comfort, but only if you take comfort in wealth. I wanted more than that, my father saw that. After I had issues with my Alpha Ability, leaving was the best option. My father gave me the opportunity to make a new start and to try to find a better life than Lythel had to offer me.”

Hank listened intently as they walked. “He must be a man of means as well. If you don’t mind me asking, what issues did your ability have?” Primrose looked the other way, not wanting to meet the boys eyes.

They arrived at the front of the shop, and she used that fact to change the subject. “Looks like we are here!” Prim could smell fresh bread baking in the distance. “Wow that bread smells so good.” She studied the shop now that they had stopped. The shop looked nice and the dresses in the window were very pretty. “Sorry, I got distracted. Yes, my father does well for himself and no I don’t want to talk about it.” She said firmly. “This place looks fantastic. Look how pretty these dresses are. Lets go have a look. Thank you so much for bringing me here! This place looks perfect and exactly what I had in mind.” Primrose said with excitement. She rushed into the shop, a little bell on the door rang announcing her presence. The inside of the shop smelled like flowers, the perfumed scent was everywhere. A small old woman sat in a padded chair, enjoying some sun that came in the window. “Hello miss, your shop is wonderful. Everything looks so pretty and it smells delightful in here.”

The old woman chuckled as she rocked in her chair. “I think I spend half my profits on flowers. It’s to drown out that blasted bread smell. I can’t be smelling that all day, it makes me hungry. Then I keep eating and get fat. It doesn’t do for a seamstress to not fit well in her own dresses. I don’t have the time to be letting my own seams out. Time is money, you understand?” The old woman stood and walked over to Primrose. “The names Claudette Hastings, what can I do for you today miss? Judging by your apparent age, I’d say you’re heading to the academy. It is that time of year.”

Primrose smiled at the kind woman. “Yes Mistress, you found me out. I’m Primrose and this is Hank. I’m from out of town, I’ve come here from Lythel to attend the academy and traveled light. I would like to get a few dresses, some blouses, skirts and slacks.” She told the woman, giving her the break down of how many of each from her shopping list..

“Okay well lets take a look at you.” The old woman pulled a measuring tape from her pocket. “Well you certainly are a pretty little thing aren’t you.” She took various measurements. “I can make up the items you asked, I’ll leave a little extra material in the seams so they can be resized later. I don’t think you’ve quite grown into your womanly figure just yet. You can come back to old Claudette and I can let them out as needed.” Hank snickered at this statement. “Your brother I assume? They are a pain for a lifetime? It will never change, but that isn’t a bad thing.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Primrose shook her head, “No he is a friend and fellow student. We decided to do some shopping together. He knew his way around and offered to help. He is the one that recommended your shop to me.” Primrose said.

“Well he is husband material then of course, great taste.” Claudette said with a laugh. “So he is your knight in shining armor helping the damsel in distress,” Claudette said. Primrose and Hank went into a bout of laughter, unable to hold it in. “What did I say? I was never much of a comedian.”

“She called me the same thing when I offered to escort her about today. It must be a woman thing, the whole Knight concept. Maybe I should start wearing armor?” Hank said offhandedly. “But while were on the subject, do you have any shirts on the cheaper end. Maybe some damaged material?

“That is funny, and what an insightful thought. Maybe you are husband material after all. For you, I’ll give a discount. Check the rack over there.” The old woman continued to take measurements as she talked. She had Primrose hold her arms up and pose different ways. “Now that you have yourself under control again, the houses of the academy have colors that represent each house. I’d bet my last coin that you’re a blue for sure.” Primrose didn’t know anything about the house colors, but if this woman was so sure, who was she to argue.

“If I’m not in the blue what then?” Primrose asked the woman. “I can’t afford a second wardrobe. I have other supplies to buy.”

“You’ll know soon enough. You send word as soon as you know or come see me when you take a weekend to the city and we can sort it out. If’ I’m wrong, I’ll start over. I can take whatever I’ve made to that point and put it for sale in the shop, but Old Claudette is seldom wrong.” They finished up and Primrose placed her order, adding Hank’s shirts to her account. She paid the coin for all the items the delivery fee.

“Thank you Claudette for all your help. I’m sure everything is going to be perfect.” She told the old woman as she gave her a hug. Her face was glowing, the new dresses brought her great happiness. It had been too long since she had a nice dress. A girl has the right to feel pretty.

Hank smiled at the woman. “How much for the shirts I picked out?

Claudette laughed. “A little dense and easily distracted too? Definitely husband material.” She winked at him before she continued. “Young man, the shirts are free. I included them on your friends bill for accounting purposes, but the sale that you brought my shop was a good one. Call those shirts your commission.” Hank was shocked by the generosity and hugged the old woman as well.

They left the seamstress and made there way to the book shop. The shop had a small sign out front. It said Buckeye Book Shop. The name meant little to Primrose. It must be a local thing maybe? She entered the store, like the seamstress shop, a bell rang out. “Hello hello welcome to my shop. How might I help you?” The old man behind the counter asked. He wore glasses, had a balding head, and an inviting way about him that only book shop owners can have.

“Hello I’m Primrose. I have a book and I was wondering if maybe you had something that could help me translate it?” she asked the gentlemen.

“Of course. Where are my manners. I am Arthur Quillin and if anyone has something to aid you, it would be I, and the collection of books in my shop. May I see the book?” he said. Primrose’s spellbook appeared in her hand. I hope that didn’t look too forward, she thought. She sat it carefully on the counter for him to look at it, but didn’t give it to him. she didn't trust anyone with the book, it was a part of her. “Oh my. Young lady where did you get this?” He leafed through the pages carefully. I couldn’t even put a value on this. Do you know what this is?” She nodded. He walked out from behind the counter and paced his shelves, looking for something. “Sorry, this isn’t a topic I normally get asked about. I think I have a book that can help, but it will cost you. Very rare indeed.”

“I understand” she said.

“Aha, here it is.” He brought over a small book. It had similar markings, runes, and letters as seen in her spellbook. “This is possibly an old journal or training manual. That language is very old. It appears mostly in areas where the Old Ones were in power, back at the time they walked the world. The author isn’t listed, it’s their personal notes and transcriptions on the other content within the book that you might be able to use. I bet it might help decipher the language. Their notes are a key of sorts to this book, which looks to be the same language, possibly from the same region as your spellbook. It’s impossible to say for sure, you understand? Whoever wrote those notes existed closer to the Old Ones time and this language than they did to us, yet even they couldn’t fully decode it. Due to the nature of the writings, transcribing it is near impossible. Meaning I only have this one original work.”

Primrose listened patiently as the description kept raising the price that she would be willing to pay for the book. Arthur drove a hard bargain and Primrose paid more than she wanted. This book is priceless to me, I needed it. I had to pay it. Her thoughts were not of the overpayment, but of the necessity. She left the shop happy, with no buyers remorse at all. “So did you think of anything else you wanted to look at?” She asked Hank. Hank was in shock by the amount of void essence she had spent for the book. Void Essence, he couldn’t believe it!

Hank thought about it, then he replied. “Not really, the shirts I got at the seamstress were all I really wanted. Other than that, I’ve already bought what I needed.” Primrose frowned at him as she thought back on the day. Here I am spending all this coin and void essence and he likely doesn't have any extra to spend himself. Primrose you need to be more conscious of your friends and their feelings! She berated herself routinely, because she wanted to break the cycle developed from her homeland. Well, going and buying all those fancy dresses isn’t the way to do it, she berated herself.. They were nice dresses though, so maybe just this once. Hank interrupted her thoughts, “I do have to stop at a friends house and talk to them before I head up to the school. Can you find your way back to the square on your own or do you need me to guide you?”

She smiled in a mischievous way. “No I think I can release my knight of his services. Thank you again so much. I couldn’t have gotten so much accomplished in such a short time without you. You were a real life saver today, I mean it.”

“Anytime. That’s what brothers do,” he said and winked at her before he left.

Primrose laughed openly and loudly at this. The two then went their separate ways. She made her way back to the market square. It was just a little bit longer and she would finally be on her way up to the academy. I can’t wait.