The Thing in the Jar

"The Thing in the Jar" is a Lovecraftian short story by American author Carlton Herzog, first published in Vol 5, Issue 3 of the Lovecraftiana zine in October 2020.
==Synopsis==
Peter Knock, a man born with severe physical abnormalities - including a right arm which seemingly has a mind of its own - stumbles across an ancient organism buried in a jar in his back garden. Communicating telepathically with Peter, the being explains that it needs a human body with which to build a device which will allow it to return to its own people, and offers to construct Knock a new body if he will only provide him with a sacrificial form to begin the process. The desperate man agrees immediately.
When the entity demands a second body as it has worn out the first, Knock begins to realise that it has a more sinister agenda in mind. Deciding to act, he is horrified to discover that it has almost complete telepathic control over him, and renders him helpless against it. Luckily, Knock's arm decides to act of its own accord, allowing him to overpower the creature and destroy its host body.
The story concludes with Knock re-burying the creature, and wondering whether limbs with their own moral compass may be the next step in human evolution.
Category:Carlton Herzog works
Category:Mythos-Inspired Works