Death Is an Elephant

"Death Is an Elephant" is a horror short story by Robert Bloch (credited by his pen name "Nathan Hindin"), first published in the February 1939 issue of Weird Tales. It is the second story in the Stellar Brothers Circus series, following "Fangs of Vengeance", and incorporates elements from the Cthulhu Mythos.
==Synopsis==
As with "Fangs of Vengeance", the story is narrated by the press agent for the Stellar Brothers Circus, who claims that the events are true, although he had to alter the names of those involved in order to get it published.
At the end of 1936, the circus owner and the press agent travel to Singapore, and are told that they might find a new attraction for next year's show in the nearby principality of Jadhore. This small nation, although under the jurisdiction of the British Empire, is ruled by a rajah who, according to Hindu tradition, possesses a magnificent and sacred white elephant. While the rajah refuses to sell the animal, he agrees to rent it to the circus for a season, provided that he himself comes along to guarantee the safe and proper treatment of the holy animal. Also accompanying them is Leela, the high-priestess of the temple of the god Ganesha.
Aboard the ship, the rajah reveals himself to be a genial and educated man, but warns the circus men to be cautious around Leela, who disapproves of the whole enterprise. The rajah tells them that the white elephant is in fact an incarnation of the primal god Ganesha, who has also been worshiped under the name Chaugnar Faugn in Tibet, and Lord Tsathoggua in prehistory. As high-priestess, Leela is the god's consort, and presides over human sacrifices whenever those are needed to placate the deity. Later on, a ship passenger who had spent too much time staring at the elephant kills himself by jumping into the sea.
After the arrival, the rajah befriends the circus performers, particularly Captain Dence, the elephant trainer, but the artists show fear of Leela, who never leaves the stall where the elephant is kept. The rajah is increasingly worried and has seconds thoughts about the ordeal. At one point, both the rajah and Captain Dence show up drunk and plead the circus owner to forget about the contract and allow the elephant and Leela to be returned to Jadhore. Two days later, Dence's body is found hanging from a rope, having committed suicide.
Despite the somber atmosphere, the narrator notices that some of the artists spend a lot of time in the stall, whether fascinated by the majestic elephant, the beautiful Leela, or both. An acrobat named Alonzo Corbot, a clown named Jim Dolan, the equestrian director Rizzio, and the knife-thrower Captain Blade are all frequent visitors. On the opening day's performance, Corbot falls to his death in the middle of the show, and his partner later claims that "his eyes were dead" right before it happened. The narrator notices that Leela seems satisfied. On the following day, Dolan slits his own throat before a horrified audience during his act, and on the next one, Rizzio jumps in front of the horses and is trampled to death.
The narrator seeks help from the rajah, who tells him that he believes Leela can hypnotise people and make them kill themselves, her motive being that she hates the indignation of having her god and consort presented as part of a circus spectacle. The rajah promises that he'll put an end to it, and the narrator orders the guards not to allow Leela inside the tent during the performances.
On the next show, the knife-throwing act ends in tragedy as Captain Blade accidentally kills his assistant. When the lights turn off, the elephant roams through the stage, with Leela on its back, and charges towards the audience. The rajah jumps in front of the animal and throws a knife that seemingly kills Leela, and the monarch is brutally killed by the enraged beast before the guards shoot it to death.
However, the narrator later learns that the rajah's knife didn't in fact kill Leela, as she had already been shot dead by one of the guards when she invaded the tent. He can only wonder about whether she hypnotized the elephant into attacking them, or whether the elephant's body really was the vessel of a god, pursuing a vengeance of his own.
Category:Lovecraft Circle Works
Category:Robert Bloch works