Before I headed for the hills, I went to the Esoteric Society to invite the Professor, only to receive no response after knocking his office door. Perhaps he went on to study it himself. I moved on and made my way to the hills. A brief but strong gust of wind welcomed me as I left the Society, its howl echoing through the narrow street. As I walked into the forceful air, I thought I caught a glimpse of something before I closed my eyes in waiting for the gust to end. Once I opened my eyes, I saw nothing out of the ordinary, as if whatever I believed to see simply vanished into the ether. Dismissing this as nothing but a result of my small period of sleep, I continued onward.

Around an hour later, I reached the tops of the mounts bordering the western edges of Providence. I recalled the path I took for the stone circle and maintained my balance over the rough surface of the unbeaten path, but not before I looked back over the city, and saw that the fog had lessened a little. The cityscape I was so familiar with became slightly more visible. That familiar feeling of comfort I loved so returned to me.

I passed a tree that I did not remember seeing during my first journey, undoubtedly due to the profound darkness of the night. It was a most desolate thing, gnarled and crooked, standing tall yet bent over the path nearby. It looked as if all life was taken from it, leaving only a wooden husk that stood as a memorial of its unfortunate placement at the time of its untimely fate. I looked unto the sorry-looking sentry of the hilltop one last time, before I continued my stride.

The circle looked a little different when I saw it for a second time. The fog that pervaded the city yet was thinner here during my last visit was much thicker this time, as if it all returned to its point of origin.

Perhaps to the place beyond the Threshold...?

I headed straight to the altar in anticipation. I was so eager that I failed to notice the hulking frame of the beast standing just outside the circle.

I was seized with panic! I was finally facing this thing, and yet I was unprepared, for what could I hope to do to such a creature?

Then it finally hit me as I realised what was happening as I stood in desperate thought.

The beast was not moving. And its piercing lamp-like eyes were not visible.

I was no longer terrified, but still apprehensive as I stepped precariously towards the cryptid.

I was standing right in front of it before I knew it. I touched its front, awaiting some form of response.

Nothing.

The beast was huge, as tall as the shrivelled tree I passed. It was bent over, staring at me with the blackness where its eyes once were, a deep patch of nothing that was almost cloaked with its thick fur.

As I inspected the thing, I came across something strange. It was a flap of thick skin covered with fur. I then realised it was covering something; it was a cavity in the creature's gut, a deep chasm in its body that, in spite of my initial revulsion, did not feel fleshy. It was soft but not soaked in blood. Disgust flowed through me as I remarked on how unnatural this was. Swallowing my reluctance, I lifted the flap to see what was inside.

It almost felt like a hanging mass of thin tentacles, except I highly doubt that tentacles would naturally be as tough as these. Except for the mass of these strange things, the space inside was hollow. There was no reaction from the creature. Was it dead?

I continued to feel through, examining the texture of the "tentacles" further. I gripped one.

I lurched and was thrown out of the creature as it moved suddenly.

As I lay back on the ground, struggling to regain my footing, I was looking at two harsh lights inside a great and hairy mass that towered over me.

I scrambled to get back on my feet. When I did, the beast walked towards me, its hands outstretched in a motion to take hold of me. I turned and ran. Noticing the altar, I went to climb on top of it, hoping the Threshold would be open to me and would take me in. It seemed a much better chance of escape to me than an endless run through the wilderness, where I would run a high risk of being caught before I could reach Providence. Without hesitation, I ran across the altar and jumped.

The instant I did this, the voices returned, harsher than ever.

"YOU...DARE...!"

"...PUNY...!"

"...INFERIOR...!"

"TRESPASS...!"

I fell as they filled my head, echoing horribly. It was worse than before, as if I could never escape from it. I felt like I was struggling to no avail as insanity seized me. I saw faces float before me. My mother, my father, my grandfather, the faces I saw in my dreams twisting into identities beyond recognition, followed by that ghastly entity that haunted me so.

This time, however, I could hear the scream, and how terrible it was! It was an unearthly roar, filled with both outright rage and sheer hate. At least that was the closest I could identify it as, it was so inhuman.

And then, as I was close to succumbing, the voices and the images ceased, and I stood in complete darkness.

I began to feel around for something, hoping that, wherever I ended up, there was at least something of a material nature, and that I was not alone. I hoped that the story of the Threshold was true, if only so I could be certain that there was at least something that existed here.

I finally touched something, and I immediately began to wish that my hopes had not come to pass.