My arrival in Arkham is almost trivial. No horrors are waiting for me upon my exiting the train, no madmen walk up to me and spout nonsense, no sense of dread other than that I fill myself with. I make my way out of the station and begin to inquire about a place to stay while I conduct the search for Ella. I ask a young lady who had been on the train if she might know a place. She said that she was headed in the direction of Ma's Boarding House. Apparently she has also lost someone, her sister, and has come to Arkham to find her. I share with her my story of Ella going missing, replacing the ghouls who destroyed my town with a wandering band of thugs. She offer her condolences and we journey to Ma's.

The boarding house appears to be adequate. The caretaker, an older woman who insisted we address her as Ma, showed me to my room. I threw down my ruck sack and began contemplating how to begin the search for Ella. I pray that she is safe wherever she may be. I can't allow myself to remember the beast that held her as they faded before my eyes. Suddenly my door bursts open and a rough looking man barges in. He bellows at me, "What are you doing in my room?" He appears intoxicated, and smells like he has been swimming in the sewer. I begin stammering my reply, when he falls face down on my floor. Ma appears behind him, and rolling her eyes, asks if I will help haul the now unconscious man back to his room. "Poor man, ever since he lost his friend to that thing, he has been hitting the bottle pretty hard. Claims a river monster came up and grabbed his friend. Course we all think he's been touched in the head, but I never turn away someone in need." We drag the man into his room and heave him on the bed. As I turn to leave, I notice a very large weapon sitting next to the door. Startled I look to Ma for an explanation. "McGlen's a kitty cat if you're his friend. Course I've always been a friend of his. Can't say much about them that weren't." With that, Ma heads off down the stairs, leaving me to head back to my room. I make my way into my room and sit down on the bed. "What am I going to do?" I ask the room at large. "For starters you can go with me to the police station, sugar." Jenny, the woman from the train, walks into my room, and holds out her hand. Taking it, I stand and follow her out into the town. We head up the roadway towards the police station. Jenny tells me more about her sister. The final note regarding men in cloaks, monsters lurking about the woods, and hoofprints made by an enormous goat are enough to give me the shivers even in the bright sunlight. She tells me that she is meeting a private detective at the police station. He might be able to find her sister and my Ella. Outside the station a scruffy looking man sits with his dog. He appears to be staring at something in the distance, and as we walk by, he never blinks. Inside Jenny meets up with a man by the name of Diamond. She explains everything to him and then mentions myself. I recount my story to him, once again replacing the terrors from my memory with mere men. He listens and when I am finished he pauses, "Is there anything you aren't tellin' me?" How could he know, I begin to hope that he might have seen the creatures himself. "Reason I ask, you left town in a hurry. Local ruffians might take someone, but the police, thick as they are, would investigate it. So why come to me if it is just some street thugs?" I open my mouth to explain, when the man and his dog burst into the police station. "You!" He points at me, and begins to walk towards me. "You are the one in my dreams. The creatures are chasing you. Even now they are their way." With that prophetic statement, he is grabbed by two police officers. I ask them to hold up, and I ask the man what he means. "I'll tell you more, if'n you spot me a meal." Jenny and Mr. Diamond smooth things over with the police officers, and the four of us head to a nearby diner. Entering Velma's, we find a table and sit down. The man introduces himself as Pete, his dog is introduced as Duke. He begins telling us of his dreams. Each tale fills my soul with horror, and I dread the mention of my part in these abominations. "The colors are real bright, and I'm almost blinded by them. I stand up and see this nice little town. Library on the corner, kids running about, you know nice. I start to walk into town, when I see's 'em. Thick beasties, long arms ending in sharp claws. They start loping into town, snatching up people. Biting 'em, ripping in to 'em. I try to run forward, but my body won't move. I swear I tried to save 'em. I swear I did, but I could only watch as they was all ripped to pieces. As they begin moving into the houses, I see a guy head off into the woods. I watch him head out like the hounds of hell are on his heels, which givin' what was behind, I suppose is right. I woke up down by the river. Duke was lickin' my face to wake me up. Duke is the only thing keeping me around anymore." Pete says this last with tears in his eyes. I am filled with utter terror as Pete recants the tale of the attack on my home. Mr. Diamond looks around to see if anyone is listening in. Fortunately for us, there aren't very many people in the diner. An older lady with a red hat sits reading from a large tome at her table, a man in full top hat and tails sits quietly nursing a glass of wine, and a few dock hands sit trading stories at the far end of the restaurant. I listen as Mr. Diamond tells us of his encounters over a statue, the likes of which brought him to the town of Arkham. As his tale unfolds, the man in the top hat walks over to our table. He introduces himself as Dexter Drake, a magician of some renown. He asks if he may join us and our discussion. Slightly confused, we make room for him at our table. He begins telling us of his time touring the country as a magician. All of us are befuddled as to why he is telling us this, until he begins telling of a book. The book he entitled The Necronomicon. The very name reeks of evil, and saying it seemed to draw the warmth from the room. He then tells us of the powers he witnessed, and the draw towards the town of Arkham. He intended to find out more from the proprietor of Ye Olde Magick Shoppe, yet when he arrived, it's door were barred and the store dark. All of these elements seem to be happening too close together. I feel the room getting smaller, and I can no longer seem to keep my eyes open.