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Q: Mysterious Horror Story from Long Ago ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   4 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Mysterious Horror Story from Long Ago
Category: Arts and Entertainment > Books and Literature
Asked by: federma-ga
List Price: $25.00
Posted: 09 Jul 2005 15:23 PDT
Expires: 08 Aug 2005 15:23 PDT
Question ID: 541641
I am searching for the title and author of a story I read as a child
but whose name I have forgotten.  From what I remember, which may be
inexact, the story is told from the perspective of a blind English man
whose friend has happened upon an ancient Egyptian tomb.  In doing so
the friend unleashed a creature which is tracking him.  The friend
must keep relocating as this "thing" searches for him.  It does so to
a great degree by a sense of smell.  The friend has advised him that
if he, the blind man, should ever encounter this "thing" coming after
the friend that he should remain very still since the "thing" is only
after him.  In the final scene, the man is sitting in the friend's
apartment in a city where the friend has gone out to get groceries
after a fresh rain.  When the friend returns he is panicked since he
has heard the "thing" coming. The blind man heards this thing coming
up the stairs and into the room sniffing and dragging what sounds like
a club foot.  The man hears the friend crash through the upper story
window to try and avoid the "thing" and hears him hit the pavement far
below.  Making his way down to the street, the blind man feels around
until he finds his friend's body lying on the pavement where it fell
and then lifts his head to listen.  Then he hears his friend running
with this "thing" chasing him.  With the curse, this thing chases him
even after death.
Answer  
Subject: Re: Mysterious Horror Story from Long Ago
Answered By: pinkfreud-ga on 16 Jul 2005 21:54 PDT
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
The story you're looking for is "Footsteps Invisible." It was written
by Robert Arthur.

Here is a brief summary of the plot:

"In 'Footsteps Invisible' there is a blind man named Jorman who sells
papers on the streets. He recognizes people by their footsteps. Many
people cannot even tell he is blind. One man named Sir Andrew is being
chased around the world by something that always tracks him down. He
asks Jorman to come to the hotel room with him. He explains the
situation and Jorman agrees to help him out by recognizing the
footsteps. The footsteps are coming, but Sir Andrew can't get out
because the door is jammed. He has no choice but to jump out the
window. Jorman hears him and runs out the door and finds Sir Andrew
dead. The mysterious thing is that Jorman still hears double
footsteps."

Cortland Schools: Potpourri
http://www.cortlandschools.org/eng8_3/potpourri.html

An even briefer summary:

"Arthur, Robert 
'Footsteps Invisible'  
1968: Monster Mix, ed. Robert Arthur: New York: Dell 
A blind newspaper reporter is told by an explorer that he (the
explorer) is being pursued by an invisible Egyptian demon."

ANCIENT EGYPT IN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY 
http://members.aol.com/wenamun/EgyptSFF.html 

If you'd like to purchase a book in which this story appears, here are
some reasonably-priced options:

Abebooks: Monster Mix
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=robert+arthur&y=0&tn=monster+mix&x=0

Abebooks: Ghosts and More Ghosts
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=robert+arthur&y=0&tn=ghosts+and+more+ghosts&x=0

This was a puzzler. I knew I had read the story long ago, but its
title and the name of its author had slipped out of my mind entirely.
I tried many different search strategies, and this was the Google
search string that led me to the site containing the first quote that
I posted above:

Google Web Search: "blind man" chased footsteps
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22blind+man%22+chased+footsteps

I hope this is precisely the information you need. If this is not the
correct story, or if anything is unclear or incomplete, please request
clarification; I'll gladly offer further assistance before you rate my
answer.

Best regards,
pinkfreud
federma-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars and gave an additional tip of: $5.00
The answer was right on target.  This is the story and I just went
online have have a hold already placed for the book through our
library system here in Phoenix.  I did a similar search trying out
many different combinations using quotation marks as well but you came
through.  Thank you so very much. This was exactly what I was looking
for!

Comments  
Subject: Re: Mysterious Horror Story from Long Ago
From: pinkfreud-ga on 09 Jul 2005 21:00 PDT
 
I remember having read a story that sounds very much like the one
you've described. If memory serves, the story was written by one of
H.P. Lovecraft's friends or followers. Clark Ashton Smith, Frank
Belknap Long, Robert Bloch, one of that group. I believe I read the
story in a collection of non-Lovecraft Cthulhu Mythos stories.
Subject: Re: Mysterious Horror Story from Long Ago
From: damelac-ga on 11 Jul 2005 07:40 PDT
 
Definately sounds like a HP Lovecraft story, or a story by one of his
friends and followers, as suggested in pinkfreud's comment.
If it *is* by HPL, you might be able to find it by browsing through
his work at this site:
http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/index.html.
Good luck.
Subject: Re: Mysterious Horror Story from Long Ago
From: federma-ga on 11 Jul 2005 11:51 PDT
 
Thank you for your comments.  I've just spent about an hour searching
but nothing yet. My recollection is that the story is set in the past
perhaps in England and not in the future or on some far away distant
planet.
Subject: Re: Mysterious Horror Story from Long Ago
From: pinkfreud-ga on 18 Jul 2005 10:35 PDT
 
I'm glad to have been able to help you identify your story. Thank you
very much for the five-star rating and the generous tip!

~pinkfreud

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