The Witness in Darkness

"The Witness in Darkness" is a short Cthulhu Mythos story by American author John Shirley. It was first published in the S. T. Joshi-edited anthology The Madness of Cthulhu by Titan Books in October 2014.
== Synopsis ==
The story is told in the form of a transcript taken from a statement by scholar and explorer William Dyer. Dyer had returned to Antarctica years after the disastrous Pabodie expedition and had encountered an Elder Thing, this one conscious and active. The being then uses Dyer's mind and vocal chords to recount the history of its species, from their origins amongst the stars, to their coming to Earth, to their wars with the Cthulhi and Shoggoths, then finally to their eventual downfall and subsequent scattering.
The Elder Thing goes on to describe the expedition's discovery of it and its fellows in a hibernation chamber, and the role it played - unseen by any of the party - in the events related in At the Mountains of Madness. It ends its monologue by stating that intends to retreat to the oceans and propagate, before issuing a warning not to enter the ruined city again, as the Shoggoth may no longer be as hopelessly trapped as the Elder Thing left it…
== Publication History ==
Since its first appearance, "The Witness in Darkness" has also appeared in the Hippocampus Press collection of Shirley's own works Lovecraft Alive!, published in 2016.
Category:John Shirley works
Category:Expanded Mythos Works