The Horror from the Middle Span

"The Horror from the Middle Span" is a short story by August Derleth based on the notes of H. P. Lovecraft and billed as a "posthumous collaboration."
==Synopsis==
When Ambrose Bishop travels to Dunwich, Massachusetts to claim his missing great-uncle's property for himself, his arrival triggers the return of the sorcerous relative from imprisonment beneath the titular "middle span" and the resumption of his sacrifices to dark powers. Despite the intervention of the locals, the pair seem to survive to continue their work...
==Characters==
*Ambrose Bishop, a young man on a mission to reclaim his family's estate.
*Septimus Bishop, an old wizard in the service of the dark gods.
*Tobias Whateley, the elderly proprietor of Dunwich's sole general store.
==Behind the Mythos==
Written by August Derleth years after H. P. Lovecraft's death, "The Horror from the Middle Span" was based on story notes left by Lovecraft and presented as a posthumous collaboration. It was first published in the anthology Travellers by Night in a run of 2,486 copies by Derleth's own publishing house, Arkham House, in 1964. It was later included in the collection of posthumous collaborations between Lovecraft and Derleth The Watchers Out of Time and Others, also by Arkham House, in 1974.
==Mythos Connections==
*The story is set in Lovecraft's iconic backwoods town of Dunwich, Massachusetts. The towns of Aylesbury and Arkham, other creations of Lovecraft, are also mentioned.
*The surnames of Bishop and Whateley are commonly used by both Lovecraft and others when discussing the inhabitants of Lovecraft Country.
*Wilbur Whateley, one of the primary antagonists of "The Dunwich Horror", is noted to have been a correspondent of Septimus Bishop's.
*The Outer God Azathoth is made mention of.
*Septimus Bishop was apparently held prisoner beneath the middle span through the use of the Elder Sign. The artefact known as the Shining Trapezohedron is also referenced.
Category:H. P. Lovecraft works
Category:August Derleth works
Category:Lovecraft Circle Works