The Reading: Three Variants on a Theme

"The Reading: Three Variants on a Theme" is a short Cthulhu Mythos story by American author James Dorr. It was published in the Deadman's Tome anthology Deep Fried Horror Cthulhu Cheese Burger in January 2020.
== Synopsis ==
A unnamed poet who has agreed to give a reading of his works to the Ladies Library Culture Committee must deal with a bad case of pre-performance jitters. This is followed by three branches of the story: in the first, he massacres his audience with an automatic weapon so that he doesn’t not have to perform and be judged; in the second, his stumbling reading accidentally mimics a ritual which summons the Great Old One Cthulhu; the third features Cthulhu as the poet as he approaches the lectern, scared half to death at the prospect of the forthcoming recital.
Category:James S. Dorr works
Category:Expanded Mythos Works