Through Obscure Glass

"Through Obscure Glass" is a short Cthulhu Mythos story by American author Jeffrey Thomas, set in W. H. Pugmire's fictional Sesqua Valley locale. It was first published in the chapbook collection Avatars of the Old Ones by Imelod Publications in 1999.
==Synopsis==
After the collapse of her new relationship, Judith seeks out her ex-husband Robert in a desperate attempt to rekindle their relationship. Robert, who has returned to his family home in the Pacific Northwest's Sesqua Valley, has taken up a mantle of guardianship which has been the responsibility of his bloodline for generations, a fact of which Judith is unaware.
Upon reaching her destination, Judith's attempts at reconciliation are rebuffed, although Robert allows her to spend the evening before she must leave. During the night, Judith hears strange noises coming from the basement and, upon investigating, discovers an enormous lens which offers viewers a look into the Dreamlands. Unfortunately, her observations attract the attentions of a tribe of Gugs, one of which passes through the portal in search of her. Although Robert is able to return the creature to its own plane and close the gateway, he is mortally wounded during the encounter; as the last of his line, there is now nobody left to protect the Dream Lens.
The following morning, Judith resolves to take up guardianship of the portal as both penance and tribute to her late lover.
==Publication History==
*Avatars of the Old Ones (1999)
*Terror Incognita (2000)
*Unholy Dimensions (2005)
*Geschichten aus dem Cthulhu-Mythos (2012, German-language translation)
==Trivia==
*Robert's family surname, Fuseli, and his being described as an unrecognised artist would appear to be a nod to Swiss painter Henry Fuseli, many of whose works involved supernatural elements and whom H. P. Lovecraft mentioned in at least two of his short stories.
Category:Jeffrey Thomas works
Category:Expanded Mythos Works