A strange old man, "so old that no one can remember when he was young, and so taciturn that few know his real name," lives alone in an ancient house on Water Street in the town of Kingsport. Even among the locals, few know the details of the old man's life, but it is believed that he once captained East Indian clipper ships in his youth and accumulated great riches throughout his life. Those who had visited the property had seen bizarre collections of stones in the front yard and observed the old man carrying on conversations with mysterious bottles on his table, which make "certain definite vibrations as if in answer." Most locals take care to avoid the man and his house. Angelo Ricci, Joe Czanek and Manuel Silva, three robbers, learn about the old man's supposed hoard of treasure and resolve to take it. Ricci and Silva go inside to "interview" the old man about the treasure, while Czanek waits outside in the getaway car. After waiting impatiently for a long time, Czanek is startled by an outburst of horrific screaming from the house but assumes that his colleagues have been too rough with the old man during their interrogation. However, the gate of the house opens, revealing the old man "smiling hideously" at him. For the first time, Czanek takes note of the man's unsettling yellow eyes. The mutilated bodies of the three robbers are later found by the seaside, "horribly slashed as with many cutlasses, and horribly mangled as by the tread of many cruel boot-heels." The people of Kingsport talk about the discovery, as well as about the abandoned car and the screams heard in the night, but the old man shows no interest in their gossip.
The Haunter of the Dark (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 63)
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audiobookThe Shadow out of Time (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 62)
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audiobookThe Book (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 61)
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audiobookThe Evil Clergyman (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 60)
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audiobookThe Thing on the Doorstep (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 59)
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audiobookThe Dreams in the Witch House (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 58)
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audiobookThe Shadow over Innsmouth (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 57)
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audiobookAt the Mountains of Madness (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 56)
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audiobookThe Whisperer in Darkness (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 55)
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audiobookThe Dunwich Horror (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 54)
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audiobookIbid (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 53)
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audiobookThe History of the Necronomicon (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 52)
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The Tomb (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 1)
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audiobookDagon (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 2)
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audiobookPolaris (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 3)
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audiobookBeyond the Wall of Sleep (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 4)
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audiobookMemory (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 5)
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audiobookOld Bugs (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 6)
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audiobookThe Transition of Juan Romero (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 7)
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audiobookThe White Ship (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 8)
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audiobookThe Doom That Came to Sarnath (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 9)
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audiobookThe Statement of Randolph Carter (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 10)
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audiobookThe Terrible Old Man (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 11)
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audiobookThe Tree (The Work of H. P. Lovecraft, Episode 12)
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