The Beast in the Cave

A man and his guide enter the vast, labyrinthine Mammoth Cave. However, this is not an advert for Visit Kentucky, so you can predict the next plot line.

The man loses his guide. Then his torch goes out. Lost in the pitch dark, he hears "non-human" footsteps approaching...

'The Beast in the Cave' was written by HP Lovecraft when he was 14 years old.

The ending belies his age, though, with a shocking twist to make spines tingle.

The story has echoes of the Greek myth 'Theseus and the Minotaur', set in the Labyrinth of Crete, but will also appeal to fans of JRR Tolkien's 'The Hobbit'.