When the Stars Are Ripe

"When the Stars Are Ripe" is a short Cthulhu Mythos story by American author Stanley C. Sargent.
==Synopsis==
After the discovery of ancient tunnels predating complex life on Earth, a pair of scientists begin their research into the phenomenon. After hearing reports of similar burrows beneath the ground in Yucatan, the two go investigating. There, they discover a nesting site of the Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath and manage to snatch a newborn specimen, but only one of them makes it out of the tunnels alive.
==Characters ==
*Ernest, a professor of cultural anthropology at Miskatonic University.
*Dr. Peter Worthy, a professor of palaeontology at Arkham State University and Ernest's lifelong friend.
==Publication History==
*Nightscapes (December 1997)
*Tales of Lovecraftian Horror #10 (November 1998)
*Al-Azif #4 (December 1998)
*Ancient Exhumations (1999)
*Dreaming in R'lyeh #1 (January 2003)
*Ancient Exhumations +2 (July 2004)
==Trivia== 
*The character of Dr. Peter Worthy likely takes his name from Peter A. Worthy, an author, editor and artist who has worked on many Cthulhu Mythos publications.
*"When the Stars Are Ripe" was prefaced by a passage from Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Conquerer Worm".
Category:Expanded Mythos Works
Category:Stanley C. Sargent works
Category:Pastiches