The Monster of Lake LaMetrie
Encyclopedia
"The Monster of Lake LaMetrie" is a short story
by Wardon Allan Curtis. It was originally published in September 1899 in Pearson’s Magazine and collected in Michael Moorcock
's anthology England Invaded
.
McLennegan had been studying Lake LaMetrie, a lake within the mountains of Wyoming. With him was a sickly boy named Edward Framingham, who came along in hopes of recovering from dyspepsia
. McLennegan’s reason for studying the lake is for its remarkable property of prehistoric life washing ashore from it, such as tree-like ferns
and placoderms. McLennegan believes that the lake is connected to an “inner earth
” from which the plants and animals come.
One night, a loud roaring brings McLennegan’s and Framingham’s attention to the lake. The roaring is the result of the lake’s rapid rising, which forces McLennegan and Framingham out of their makeshift house. The next morning, the lake’s level is back to normal as the result of a whirlpool. McLennegan knows this to be one of the lake’s discharges of strange life, and discovers what seems to be a short, thick log with a long root attached to it. The next day, while walking along the shore, McLennegan finds that the “log” is actually a live Elasmosaurus
. The beast attacks him, but McLennegan slices the top of its head off with a machete and removes its brain, which is found to be remarkably a lot like a human’s. Despite the brain’s removal, the creature’s body continues to operate.
The next day, Framingham almost succumbs to death, with only his mind still functioning. Using his knowledge and skills of surgery, McLennegan removes Framingham’s brain and grafts it into the Elasmosaurus’s head. Seven days later, the beast begins to stir, and five days after that, starts to interact with McLennegan – the beast can understand him, and later is able to speak somewhat rudimentarily.
Although the situation is peaceful at first, Framingham’s behavior has significantly changed a year later to that of the animal his mind controls. McLennegan’s last entry indicates that he will be leaving.
The narrative is then revealed to have been found by a military captain, Arthur Fairchild, who discovered the beast eating McLennegan while searching for Native Americans
who left their reservation. He had ordered the team to fire upon the creature, killing it, and found the manuscript with McLennegan’s remains.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Wardon Allan Curtis. It was originally published in September 1899 in Pearson’s Magazine and collected in Michael Moorcock
Michael Moorcock
Michael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
's anthology England Invaded
England Invaded
England Invaded, a collection of imaginative fiction, including invasion literature, from the Victorian and Edwardian periods edited by Michael Moorcock. Originally published in hardback by W.H...
.
Plot
The story is told through the extracts of a diary written from 1896 to 1897 by a professor and medical doctor named James McLennegan, addressed to a colleague, Professor William G. Breyfogle.McLennegan had been studying Lake LaMetrie, a lake within the mountains of Wyoming. With him was a sickly boy named Edward Framingham, who came along in hopes of recovering from dyspepsia
Dyspepsia
Dyspepsia , also known as upset stomach or indigestion, refers to a condition of impaired digestion. It is a medical condition characterized by chronic or recurrent pain in the upper abdomen, upper abdominal fullness and feeling full earlier than expected when eating...
. McLennegan’s reason for studying the lake is for its remarkable property of prehistoric life washing ashore from it, such as tree-like ferns
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
and placoderms. McLennegan believes that the lake is connected to an “inner earth
Hollow Earth
The Hollow Earth hypothesis proposes that the planet Earth is either entirely hollow or otherwise contains a substantial interior space. The hypothesis has been shown to be wrong by observational evidence, as well as by the modern understanding of planet formation; the scientific community has...
” from which the plants and animals come.
One night, a loud roaring brings McLennegan’s and Framingham’s attention to the lake. The roaring is the result of the lake’s rapid rising, which forces McLennegan and Framingham out of their makeshift house. The next morning, the lake’s level is back to normal as the result of a whirlpool. McLennegan knows this to be one of the lake’s discharges of strange life, and discovers what seems to be a short, thick log with a long root attached to it. The next day, while walking along the shore, McLennegan finds that the “log” is actually a live Elasmosaurus
Elasmosaurus
Elasmosaurus + σαυρος sauros 'lizard') is a genus of plesiosaur with an extremely long neck that lived in the Late Cretaceous period , 80.5 million years ago.-Description:...
. The beast attacks him, but McLennegan slices the top of its head off with a machete and removes its brain, which is found to be remarkably a lot like a human’s. Despite the brain’s removal, the creature’s body continues to operate.
The next day, Framingham almost succumbs to death, with only his mind still functioning. Using his knowledge and skills of surgery, McLennegan removes Framingham’s brain and grafts it into the Elasmosaurus’s head. Seven days later, the beast begins to stir, and five days after that, starts to interact with McLennegan – the beast can understand him, and later is able to speak somewhat rudimentarily.
Although the situation is peaceful at first, Framingham’s behavior has significantly changed a year later to that of the animal his mind controls. McLennegan’s last entry indicates that he will be leaving.
The narrative is then revealed to have been found by a military captain, Arthur Fairchild, who discovered the beast eating McLennegan while searching for Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
who left their reservation. He had ordered the team to fire upon the creature, killing it, and found the manuscript with McLennegan’s remains.
External links
- "The Monster of Lake LaMetrie" at Project Gutenberg Consortia Center's World Public Library Collection
- "The Monster of Lake LaMetrie" at Strane Ark's Cryptofiction