Beside Myself

"Beside Myself" is a short Cthulhu Mythos story by American author Ron Shiflet. It was published in his collection Looking for Darla: Stories of Mythos Noir by Elder Signs Press in September 2008.
==Synopsis==
A down-on-his-luck security guard who has inherited a collection of mystical grimoires - including the notorious Unausperechlichen Kulten [sic]- from his eccentric uncle accidentally summons a doppelgänger one night while drunk. At first, this seems like a godsend to him, as the double takes over the daily drudgery of work and household chores, but things soon begin to change, and the being becomes increasingly abusive towards his it’s supposed master.
As things get worse, the man realises that the creature intends to kill him, and begins to put into action a plan to get rid of the malevolent being. He eventually manages to uncover the spell he needs in the Unausperechlichen Kulten, and summons a Shoggoth, which consumes his duplicate in a bloody frenzy. Although he loses his house in the ensuing carnage, the man's life soon returns to the mundane grind that it had been prior to his accidental brush with magic.
== Trivia ==
* One of the books bequeathed to the narrator is The Ohm-Dhari Chronicles. The Ohmdari are a slug-like species of eldritch abomination who are referenced in a number of Shiflet's works.
Category:Ron Shiflet works
Category:Expanded Mythos Works