Southern Fried Cthulhu

From the LI Archives, a story first published December 30, 2013

By Steve Poling

Pea gravel crunching under tires roused Orrin Jennings. He looked out the window and saw a black SUV pull up and a man get out of the Land Rover. He walked with quick measured steps with his back straight and his shoulders thrown back as he climbed the steel steps two at a time. Orrin put a bookmark where he’d been reading his Bible, Job chapter 41. Then he adjusted his leather jacket and wiped dust from his cowboy boots before getting up. He answered at the second knock.

“You must be Sir Cedric Harrison,” Orrin said, opening the door. “C’mon in.”

“Thank you. Please call me Cedric.”  Sir Cedric wore a bespoke suit from either Savile Row or Hong Kong. It didn’t matter which. The effect was the same.