We Went Mountain Climbing Together

After leaving Miskatonic University, Nancy drove very fast.

Her driving style was nothing like Elizabeth's; she didn't pursue smoothness, but rather speed.

Nancy knew she was getting a little nervous, just as she had said, she had never been to Dunwich.

Arbor, shrubs, dense grass, dim light, and strange, noisy bird calls----

Suddenly a rumbling sound came from afar, Nancy tensed up, while Wilbur reassured her that it was just the sound of water flowing from a distant waterfall.

Just the sound of flowing water----

Nancy suddenly realized that Wilbur was very close to her. His huge body leaned in and he suddenly reached out and put his hand on Nancy's shoulder.

Nancy shuddered.

"Don't be afraid," Wilbur said. "Turn left ahead, we'll be there soon."

"Would you like to go and see the forest?" Wilbur asked.

Nancy looked out into the darkness, and some images began to form in her mind:

Ape-man, a witch's hut, a legendary Monster, a road whose destination is unknown----

She shook her head.

But Wilbur didn't seem to care about her answer. Wilbur said, "Not now. I have things to do today. Let's do it later. When we have time, I'll take you inside."

"I don't want to go," Nancy said stubbornly.

"Actually, I haven't explored the forests around Dunwich either. Who knows what's in there?" Wilbur replied, "My grandfather always told me not to be curious, but how can one resist curiosity? Those who aren't curious are already dead. Look over there, do you see that mountain?"

Nancy looked out the car window at the huge black shadow in the distance; the mountain Wilbur had mentioned looked like a giant Monster.

Her thoughts wandered, imagining it might be a legendary behemoth, its footprints stretching for hundreds of meters—

She has a portrait of a giant beast, but the beast in the painting is not as tall as her. To make the beast stand out, the people in the painting are depicted as her fingernails.

She nodded, indicating that she had seen the thing.

Wilbur seemed pleased. "That's Sentinel Hill. I've never climbed it before. The people of Dunwich are terrified of it, but I don't care—are you scared?"

"Of course I'm not afraid," Nancy said.

"That's wonderful! I think we can go up that mountain together. They say there's a sacrificial site for the Yellow-Skinned Ghost natives there, with lots of—" Wilbur paused, his voice lowering, "Lots of native—bones. You know, those hairless monkeys can't tell the difference between a sacrificial site and a graveyard."

The Yellow-Skinned Ghost native—the hairless monkey— Wilbur's rude language made Nancy frown.

Of course she knew those Indigenous People —she always referred to them as Indigenous People —her father was very friendly to Indigenous People.

She had met the Indigenous People who now lived in the city—"some rude guys, their witchcraft was interesting, but still very rude"—

Nancy realized that Wilbur's rude way of addressing her was somewhat accurate.

She didn't realize she was smiling.

She was very reluctant to desecrate the dead—but since they were just some yellow-skinned monkeys—her father said it was because these white people had taken over the Indigenous People's land—

But she didn't believe it. She was surrounded by polite gentlemen and ladies, while the despicable ones were always those— Yellow-Skinned Ghost.

Wilbur's hand remained on Nancy's shoulder.

Even for open-minded young people, it is somewhat impolite for a man to place his hand on the shoulder of a woman who is not his lover for so long.

A well-mannered woman would, at this point, remove the hand from the man's shoulder and then appropriately express her anger, rebuking the man for his insolence.

Nancy is the daughter of a wealthy businessman and is undoubtedly a well-mannered young lady from a prominent family.

But she didn't do that.

She had forgotten that she still had a hand. She wondered if she would see a skull with holes in it on Sentinel Hill. She had read in books that Indigenous People chiefs would drill holes in the skulls of their people to destroy their brains and turn them into mindless fools who didn't know how to resist, in order to maintain their rule.

"It seems you'll like it there," Wilbur said softly.

The red car drove out of the dark forest and into the desolate land.

Unlike the wild vitality of the forest, this land has neither Arbor nor shrubs, and even the wild grass is withered and short.

This appears to be a saline-alkali land.

Nancy tried to explain the desolation here using scientific knowledge.

The unease this place brought her was even greater than in the forest; the lifeless land seemed like the paradise of death.

She saw the house, which could be described as tall and spacious, but was also dilapidated and strangely shaped.

The windows on the second floor of the house were all boarded up. These boards were patches on the house and looked out of place and particularly ugly.

"We're here," Wilbur said. "This is it."

"I thought—you would live on a farm," Nancy said.

"This is indeed a farm."

"But—" Nancy looked out the window at the land, which was clearly unsuitable for growing any crops.

"It's a ranch," Wilbur said. "If you'd like, I can show you the cattle, although many have already been sold."

The car was parked in front of the house.

Wilbur took his travel bag off the bus and noticed that Nancy hadn't turned off the engine; the car was preparing to leave.

"Get out!" Wilbur said to Nancy. "You need some water, and your car needs a rest."

Nancy looked at the strange house, her gaze sweeping over the small, separate room outside.

She shook her head. "I have to go back quickly, it's getting late."

"Yes, it's late enough," Wilbur agreed. "But since it's so late anyway—ah, I have something I want to show you, I think you'll be interested."

Nancy asked him what it was.

Wilbur didn't answer, but instead asked Nancy what she wanted to drink—only water and cheap coffee.

The red car stopped roaring, and Nancy got out.

Hope listened to the sounds, but the people in the car didn't move towards him.

He hesitated for a moment, then returned to Old Williams House to retrieve his black raincoat. Although a quarter of the sleeves had been lost at the Skull Museum, it was still one of Hope's best pieces of equipment.

A few seconds later, Hope came into the living room, reloaded the old shotgun, and slung it over his shoulder.

"Hope launched Uncertainty" and appeared in Old Whateley's room.

After Old Whateley died, no one lived here anymore, and Hope wasn't sure if it was just Hope imagination, but he felt that the room smelled of Old Whateley's corpse.

Hope stood by the wall, her ear pressed against it, trying to make out the sounds coming from the other side.

The walls were made of Wood rather than brick, which made it somewhat easier for Hope to eavesdrop.