Chapter 1 Part 2
The captain, having taken a liking to me, accompanied me to the local pub. The establishment had the very generic name of "The Ye Old Fisherman." The captain sighed, shaking his head. He said, rasply, "Do be careful. Innsmouth is easy for a person such as you to get lost." His concern had a tone of doubt to it. It was as if he made the full implication that I wouldn't leave Innsmouth. I nodded, indebted to him, handing him a few notes. He left, slowly, as if he was expecting something to happen to me. Despite his friendliness, I knew that he accepted who I was.
As I entered the pub, the patrons drew silent, offering me long, drawn out stares. I sat down, a man tossing his drink on me. He laughed, his stingy face toothless and unshaven. I turned my attention to the pub's keeper, and he telling me harshly, his bald head gleaming in the pub's dim light, "We don't serve free rounds here." I slammed down a few coins, and he grabbed them with a thud on the counter. He drew out his cheapest lager, it's odor dank and repugnant. I sipped it's foul taste, and asked the tender, my tone calm to not disturb the pub, "Do you know anything of the Cartwright disappearance?" The keeper shook his head, pointing a finger to a table where a well kept lady sat with two men. I got up, and approached with caution. Her black hair and blue eyes did not hide her scowl. I focused on her, and asked, "What's a woman like you doing here?" She spit on my face, and said, "Not a lady." I wiped her spit wad off my face, and didn't give up. I asked, my tone firm, as I wouldn't go away, "Do you know of the Cartwright heir?" She laughed now, and said, "Don't waste your time." I had no choice but to leave here.
In the street by the water, I noticed a whale carcus that looked quite odd. Two watchmen stood by it, keeping the town away. The whale was not unlike a human and a fish. Large chunks were missing from it. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. They saw me, and I recognized a young man who I had dealt with in Boston. Ben Edington put his hands on his belt, and asked, "What on earth are you doing here, Henry?" I answered, relieved to see a helpful face, "I'm investigating the Cartwright disappearance." Ben's stout face became bleak, and muttered, "You best not bother." Behind me, I heard a noise in the nearby warehouse. Ben and his partner didn't leave their post, not wanting anyone to touch the whale. I slipped away, and saw that the two men with the unruly woman had positioned themselves by the back of the large building. A confrontation with the two would lead surely to my own end. I went to the back of the warehouse, and found a loose grate that would take me beneath the main storage. I pulled at the grate, it not budging. I glanced around, finding a rough looking bar. I grabbed it, prying at the grate, until it cracked ever so slightly open. I tightly slipped in, falling promptly into the water. I would have to swim to access the storage. I began to slowly paddle, intrigued by the cavernous surroundings. As I made it nearly to the dock near the storage, I felt a pull at my leg, going under.
My eyes beheld a beast. It was not whale nor octopus, but a resemblance of both. Its large red eye stared dangerously at me, and it offered a tentacle across my chest. It retreated, and I was suddenly above the surface, as if I had not been submerged. I climbed to the dock, turning quickly to see a large tentacle splash ominously on the water.
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