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The Marmoset · Short Ghost and Horror Stories Collection

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  Speaker 1: The Marmoset by Mark L. Shorer and August W. Deerlith.
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  Speaker 1: The dark figure of a man slunk silently through the
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  Speaker 1: byways and alleys of Florence. He kept the clutching shadows,
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  Speaker 1: avoiding the moonlight as much as possible. Once, when he
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  Speaker 1: unwittingly stepped into a bright patch of light, the rays
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  Speaker 1: of the moon beamed brightly on something visible below the
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  Speaker 1: belt of his doublet, but he hastily drew back into
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  Speaker 1: the shadows, and the gleam vanished. Once he halted and
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  Speaker 1: listened attentively because he thought he had heard a sound,
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  Speaker 1: but it was only a cat. Again, a bat swept
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  Speaker 1: by him in the darkness, and he shuddered, and it
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  Speaker 1: flew out into the moonlight and wheeled about in the
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  Speaker 1: calm summer air, casting a grotesque shadow upon the paving
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  Speaker 1: stones in the patch of light. He watched it fascinated.
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  Speaker 1: A moth whirred out of its retreat into the moonlight,
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  Speaker 1: and before he quite grasped the rapidity of the thing,
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  Speaker 1: the man saw the bat sweep downward, and the moth
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  Speaker 1: was no longer there. He smiled in secret admiration of
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  Speaker 1: the feet like a bat. He would accomplish his objective.
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  Speaker 1: Under the sheltering robe of night, he glanced eagerly down
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  Speaker 1: the street. A single feeble illuminated window greeted his gaze,
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  Speaker 1: but it was a window in a house to which
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  Speaker 1: he was directed. He fumed impatiently and glanced up at
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  Speaker 1: the moon, which was already starting its descent into the westward.
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  Speaker 1: For quite some time he stood there in the shadows.
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Mary was late in retiring, but no matter. The
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  Speaker 1: watching man could attain his objective if weight he must
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  Speaker 1: until morning. The window was dark now, but he must
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  Speaker 1: bide his time and give the magician a space in
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  Speaker 1: which to fall into slumber. There was no doubt that
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  Speaker 1: it was Monsieur Murray who had bewitched his daughter, and
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  Speaker 1: now she was gone. His hand wandered to the hilt
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  Speaker 1: of his dagger, and he grasped the weapon to make
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  Speaker 1: certain that it was still firmly in its place. What
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  Speaker 1: was it he saw in the door of the magician's
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  Speaker 1: squat residence. He gazed intently at it. It was naught
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  Speaker 1: else but the figure of the wizard. Leaving the house
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  Speaker 1: and starting down the street. Monsieur Como watched the magician
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  Speaker 1: silently and wondered where he could be going. Suddenly he
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  Speaker 1: was seized with the idea of entering the house and
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  Speaker 1: secreting himself therein in Monsieur Mary's absence. He slunk forward again,
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  Speaker 1: and soon he was pushing at the door of the house.
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  Speaker 1: It yielded to his touch, and Monsieur Como entered. There
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  Speaker 1: was a patch of moonlight on the floor, and monsia
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  Speaker 1: Como searched for a hiding place. He noticed glowing embers
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  Speaker 1: in the grate and wondered for what Monsieur Mary had
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  Speaker 1: needed a fire on such a warm night. Something shot
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  Speaker 1: across the patch of moonlight, and a second later Monsieur
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  Speaker 1: Como felt it brushing against his legs. A cat perhaps.
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  Speaker 1: He reached downward and struck the furry mass. At his action,
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  Speaker 1: the injured creature started to glib demonically. It was gone
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  Speaker 1: now and sat in the moonlight, shaking its tiny furry
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  Speaker 1: fist at monsia Como. It was a marmoset, and its
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  Speaker 1: big eyes caught and reflected the moonlight as it blinked
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  Speaker 1: them furiously at Monsieur Como. Monsier Como went over to
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  Speaker 1: it and attempted to pacify it, but his efforts only
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  Speaker 1: so to increase the fury of the little beast. It
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  Speaker 1: glibed incessantly, and Monsieur Como apprehensively wondered how quickly Monsieur
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  Speaker 1: Mary would return. For a minute, he considered dispatching the animal,
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  Speaker 1: but then he thought better of it and drew back
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  Speaker 1: into the shadows, leaving the marmoset to itself. For a
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  Speaker 1: short space. The creature remained silent, and Monsieur Como was
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  Speaker 1: about to breathe a sigh of relief when it again
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  Speaker 1: started to clatter, more vehemently than before, and at the
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  Speaker 1: same time Monsieur Como heard a step resound in the court.
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  Speaker 1: Without he half unloosed his dagger and felt his other
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  Speaker 1: weapon in the bosom of his doublet. The marmoset glibed
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  Speaker 1: shrilly and jumped up and down on the stone floor
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  Speaker 1: in its anger. The door opened and Monsieur Mary entered.
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  Speaker 1: He halted at the threshold and stared at his bet ah.
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  Speaker 1: He said, something has disturbed my little pet. Is it
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  Speaker 1: not so chiero? He walked over to the candles in
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  Speaker 1: the brackets. Perhaps, he continued, perhaps we have a visitor.
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  Speaker 1: He removed a candle and walked over to the fireplace.
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  Speaker 1: We shall see Chiero in a space. He lit the
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  Speaker 1: candle at the embers, and without glancing around him, walked
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  Speaker 1: to the scans and ignited the remaining flambeaux. He turned
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  Speaker 1: and his eyes fell upon misser Como, standing quietly near
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  Speaker 1: the entrance, his hand guiltily clutching the hilt of the dagger.
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  Speaker 1: The magician glanced at the marmosette. You see, Cheiero. I
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  Speaker 1: was correct, We have a visitor. The animal blinked solemnly
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  Speaker 1: back at him, and at intervals it gibbered excitedly. Monsieur
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  Speaker 1: Mary continued, Sit down, Monsieur Como, sit down. I am
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  Speaker 1: sure that your intentions are the best, even though your
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  Speaker 1: hand rests upon your dagger. Possibly a habit, Monsieur Como,
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  Speaker 1: Most probably a habit. He turned to the animal on
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  Speaker 1: the floor again. It is most fortunate that he comes, Hey, Chiro.
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  Speaker 1: The creature moved forward and caught at Monsieur Mary's robe,
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  Speaker 1: and in a few seconds it was perched upon his shoulder.
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  Speaker 1: In a monotone Monsieur Maury spoke a few words to
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  Speaker 1: his pet. The monkey jumped to the floor and raced
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  Speaker 1: over to Monsieur Como, and almost before Monsieur Como was
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  Speaker 1: aware of it, the marmoset was running off with his dagger,
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  Speaker 1: but he contented himself with the thought that he still
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  Speaker 1: had another dagger in the form of a stiletto in
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  Speaker 1: the bosom of his doublet. The wizard addressed Monsieur Como. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Como, it is so fortunate that you have come.
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  Speaker 1: I am so in need of someone to aid me.
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  Speaker 1: It is kind of you, he smiled sardonically. Monsieur Como
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  Speaker 1: strove to answer, but he was totally unnerved by the
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  Speaker 1: calm of his would be victim. Ah. Yes, Monsieur Como.
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  Speaker 1: Today I have compounded two liquids, both poison. One should
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  Speaker 1: kill within a quarter hour, the other not for two months.
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  Speaker 1: I am very much in need of someone to test
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  Speaker 1: these for me, monsieur. He smiled, but the glint in
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  Speaker 1: his eyes belithed the smile. He continued, First, I think
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  Speaker 1: we shall try the more deadly of the two. He
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  Speaker 1: moved over to a shelf near the fireplace, from which
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  Speaker 1: he removed two files. Meanwhile, Monsieur Como sat He uttered
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  Speaker 1: not a sound, but stared at the magician fascinated. All
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  Speaker 1: his plans of vengeance had dissolved into thin air, and
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  Speaker 1: his one thought was escaped from this fiend who threatened
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  Speaker 1: his existence. Was seated near the open door, But Monsieur
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  Speaker 1: Mary's marmoset, which was between him and the door, was
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  Speaker 1: fingering the dagger it had stolen, and once in a space,
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  Speaker 1: it glared evillly at Monsieur Como. Undoubtedly the animal could
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  Speaker 1: not kill, but even a scratch from the weapon would
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  Speaker 1: suffice to dispatch one, for Monsieur Como had taken the
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  Speaker 1: precaution to dip the end of the blade into a
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  Speaker 1: deadly compound. The window, as a means of escape, was
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  Speaker 1: far too distant. Dully, he watched the wizard at his
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  Speaker 1: task of removing the files. Monsieur Murray walked over and
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  Speaker 1: stood before him. He held aloft a file and spoke, this,
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Como, is the more deadly. The liquid was as
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  Speaker 1: colorless as the glass that contained it. A drop, Monsieur,
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  Speaker 1: or two drops, will plunge you into the most excruciating
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  Speaker 1: panes you can experience. While you will not be consciou
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  Speaker 1: of any exterior pain, you will nevertheless suffer most horribly.
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  Speaker 1: He uncorked the file as he spoke. First, Monsieur Como,
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  Speaker 1: there will be a terrible burning feeling as the liquid
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  Speaker 1: travels down the gullet. But that, Monsieur, is not compared
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  Speaker 1: to the gnawing pain in the vitals. A thousand times
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  Speaker 1: you will wish yourself dead. A thousand times you will
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  Speaker 1: regret that you had ever been born. Then, Monsieur, it
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  Speaker 1: will attack your brain in a most subtle manner. All
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  Speaker 1: you will see will appear a bright, glaring red, and
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  Speaker 1: suddenly you will go blind. He looked at Monsieur Como suggestively.
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Como's forehead was covered with a cold sweat of terror,
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  Speaker 1: but continued the wizard. If I should see that the
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  Speaker 1: poison is beginning to take effect, I shall possibly give
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  Speaker 1: you a few drops of a mixture which I have
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  Speaker 1: concocted to counteract its effect, possibly, Monsieur. The ominous accent
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  Speaker 1: on the word possibly did not escape Monsieur Como's notice.
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  Speaker 1: And Monsieur, if you but taste the other liquid here
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  Speaker 1: he removed the stopper of the remaining file, You will
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  Speaker 1: wish to be back in the tortures of the first poison.
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  Speaker 1: The first poison is merciful in comparison to the latter.
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  Speaker 1: For two months, Monsieur, you will live upon a rack.
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  Speaker 1: Everything you touch will seem like hot coals. Everything you
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  Speaker 1: eat will taste like putrefied flesh. But enough of my
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  Speaker 1: inadequate description, you shall see for yourself. Monsieur Como seemed
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  Speaker 1: to have shrunk in his clothes, for he sat immobile,
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  Speaker 1: staring at the marmoset that had defeated his purpose. The
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  Speaker 1: magician was advancing toward him. The files containing the fatal
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  Speaker 1: poisons grasped firmly in his hands, but at that moment
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  Speaker 1: the wizard's pet leaped away from the door with a
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  Speaker 1: hoarse cry. Monsieur Cuomo flung himself into the court without calmly,
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  Speaker 1: the magician poured the water in the files out upon
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  Speaker 1: the flagstones at the threshold. He stood in the doorway
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  Speaker 1: and chuckled excellently to himself. The marmoset clinging to his
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  Speaker 1: doublet as he watched Monsieur Cuomo run swiftly down the street.
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  Speaker 1: It was simple, he reflected, so simple to play upon
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  Speaker 1: this man's imagination. He had come to murder him. Hattie
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  Speaker 1: the Wizard laughed. Poison he had none in his residence,
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  Speaker 1: for that very day the Duke de Medici had purchased
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  Speaker 1: his entire stock. He laughed again and stared after Monsieur Cromo,
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  Speaker 1: almost out of sight down the long street. But the
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  Speaker 1: fury of Monsieur Cuomo was too much for him to contain,
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  Speaker 1: so he halted, half turned, and saw the magician standing
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  Speaker 1: in the doorway. In the space of a second, Monsieur
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  Speaker 1: Como had formulated a plan. He left the center of
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  Speaker 1: the street and melted into the shadows on the side.
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  Speaker 1: He grasped the stiletto in his bosom. The blade of
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  Speaker 1: this tool had been poisoned, so Monsieur Mary would poison him. Eh, well,
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  Speaker 1: he would show him. He would give him a generous
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  Speaker 1: taste of his own medicine. Hidden in the shadows, he
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  Speaker 1: crept toward the magician's house. He was close enough now
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  Speaker 1: he could easily reach the wizard with his weapon. From
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  Speaker 1: where he stood. He drew the stiletto from his doublet and,
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  Speaker 1: raising his arm through it with all his strength, then
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  Speaker 1: turned and fled fleetly down the street. There was a
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  Speaker 1: brilliant flash in the moonlight, a shrill, piercing scream. The
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  Speaker 1: magician crumbled to the flagstones before his house. For days afterward,
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  Speaker 1: people wondered at the significance of the cold body of
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  Speaker 1: the magician with the stiff marmoset impaled to his breast
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  Speaker 1: by the long bladed stiletto. The end of the marmoset