Rise of Thalhulla

"Rise of Thalhulla" is a short Cthulhu Mythos story by British author Joshua Robinson. It was first published in the Gavin Chappell-edited horror magazine Lovecraftiana Vol 8, Issue 2 (2023, Rogue Planet Press) Lovecraftiana Vol 8, Issue 2, Gavin Chappell (2023, July 2023).
==Synopsis==
Horror writer William travels to a remote Spanish island after being drawn there by an image of an incredible painting he stumbled across online. At the island's only hotel, he finally manages to examine the painting, and is stunned by the level of detail. The hotel's owner Angela informs him that it depicts the upcoming return of a titanic alien being named Thalhulla.
Over dinner, Angela informs William of the island's history, of how the people once worshipped the star-born Thalhulla and were rewarded with protection and the ocean's bounty. However, after witnessing the horrific appearance of Thalhulla's only son, the people slaughtered him and turned their backs on their former god. Vowing vengeance, the being slunk back beneath the waves.
After being drugged by Angela, who reveals herself to be the last priestess of Thalhulla, William is put through a horrific procedure by the woman and her daughter where he is turned into a semi-cephalopod creature and thrown into the ocean; there, he unites with the many others who have undergone this treatment to form Thalhulla's army, and witness the rising of their god, now ready to wreak its vengeance on an unsuspecting world…
==Behind the Mythos==
The story mentions that the painting seen by William remind him of H. P. Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth, establishing that Lovecraft exists in this universe. This is further reinforced when William is shown to have a tattoo of Cthulhu, acquired on his eighteenth birthday.
==References==
Category:Joshua Robinson works
Category:Expanded Mythos Works