and Other Odd Persons(1964), and Colonel Marke-
san and Less Pleasant Persons(1966, with Mark
Schorer). Derleth also published several short sto-
ries that were described as collaborations with H. P.
Lovecraft, although it seems likely that they were
entirely written by Derleth. These were published
in book form as The Survivor and Others(1957),
The Mask of Cthulhu(1958), and The Trail of
Cthulhu(1962), but oddly enough the quality of
these stories is inferior to that of both Lovecraft
and of Derleth’s own work.
Derleth also edited several excellent antholo-
gies of horror stories, including Sleep No More
(1944), Night’s Yawning Peal (1952), When Evil
Wakes(1963), and Over the Edge(1964). Although
his influence as a writer is peripheral, as an editor
and publisher he was one of the more significant fig-
ures in the early development of the horror genre.
“Descending” Thomas M. Disch(1964)
One of the most effective techniques in a short
story, particularly fantasy and horror, is to take a
familiar object or situation and alter it in such a
way that the reader becomes momentarily disori-
ented. There are few activities more prosaic than
descending an escalator, but Thomas M. Disch
transforms that simple act into a nightmare in this
story from early in his career.
The protagonist, whose name we never
learn, is on the verge of bankruptcy. He has no
job and no prospects, his family has indicated it
cannot or will not help him any longer, and the
rent on his apartment is due shortly and he has
no means of paying it. Discouraged and perhaps
not entirely sane, he decides to indulge himself
on one final splurge, charging for gourmet gro-
ceries, some books, and an excellent restaurant
meal. With his purchases bundled awkwardly in
one arm, he decides to return to his apartment,
leaving a department store by descending its en-
closed escalators to the ground floor and reading
during the descent.
Lost in his book, he loses track of time, finally
recollecting himself when he realizes that he has
been descending for much longer than should have
been necessary. There are no doors back into the
building on any of the landings, no features at all,
not even signs to indicate where he is. Disoriented,
he continues to descend, counting more than 40
floors before accepting that something is seriously
wrong. Initially, he attempts to rationalize the ex-
perience, although it is clearly impossible for there
to be more than 30 stories below street level. Nev-
ertheless, he decides to reverse the process and
climb back up, which proves to be more difficult
than he expected since there is no “Up” escalator.
The first signs of panic strike. He abandons most of
his purchases after eating some of the groceries
and drinking from the water fountains, which are
thoughtfully provided at every 10th floor.
Exhausted physically and emotionally, he
sleeps for a while and then resumes his climb, al-
though the lack of discernible progress is so dis-
couraging that he soon begins descending again. It
is so much easier to go down that he ignores his
misgivings and is rewarded when he returns to his
abandoned goods and can eat again. Some of the
items prove inaccessible, since he has no way to
open the cans. His subsequent attempts to affect
his fate are perfunctory, and as delirium and
hunger overwhelm his senses, he concludes that he
is en route to hell itself. The reader realizes that
this has been simply a reenactment of his life, a
constant drop in expectations and decline in his
personal fortunes, interrupted by brief and futile
attempts to escape the inevitable.
Disch created a bleak snapshot of a life. The
reader senses very early on that there is no hope
for the protagonist and that he is as doomed now
as he has been throughout his life. The story sug-
gests that it might be instructive for each of us to
find an appropriate metaphor for our own life.“The Devil and Daniel Webster”Stephen
Vincent Benét(1936)
If one were to compile a list of classic deal-with-the-
devil stories, one of the first titles to appear would
almost certainly be this classic by the poet and au-
thor Benét, who wrote a fair number of fantastic
stories, including two less interesting sequels to this
one. Properly speaking, although the story does, in
fact, involve efforts to avoid a contract between a
foolish farmer and the devil himself, Benét’s story is
not typical of the form, which usually focuses on“The Devil and Daniel Webster” 87