Perchance to Dream

"Perchance to Dream" is a Cthulhu Mythos short story by Lin Carter, featuring his occult investigator character Anton Zarnak. It was first published in 1988 in the magazine Crypt of Cthulhu.
==Synopsis==
A wealthy young man named Parker Winfield reluctantly consults occultist Anton Zarnak, and tells him about recurrent nightmares involving an undersea city named R'lyeh, and a mysterious portal. Winfield reveals that his grandfather was a merchant who operated on a ship in the Pacific Ocean and acquired all kinds of artifacts, some of which Winfield has unpacked recently to decorate his new apartment. Zarnak asks to see the collection and visits Winfield on the next day. He recognizes an idol of Ythogtha and asks Winfield's permission to take it home and examine it.
Back on River Street, Zarnak reads about Ythogtha and examines the idol, noting its unnatural weight and electromagnetic properties. When he places a five-pointed star-stone on it, the idol and the star-stone are both reduced to dust. Satisfied, Zarnak phones Winfield, who tells him that he was having a nightmare about a portal opening in sunken R'lyeh, but saw a golden light flash and woke up. Zarnak informs Winfield that he won't have any more dreams of R'lyeh from now on. Winfield is grateful enough that he doesn't mind the destruction of the idol, and plans to donate the rest of his grandfather's artifacts to the Sanbourne Institute of Pacific Antiquities in California.
==Characters==
* Dr. Anton Zarnak, an occult investigator.
* Ram Singh, Zarnak's loyal servant.
* Parker Winfield, a wealthy man who inherited several artifacts from his grandfather.
* Rufus, Winfield's butler.
Category:Expanded Mythos Works
Category:Lin Carter works