A man, newly arrived in New Work, learns that a reclusive doctor lives in the apartment above his own. While suffering a heart attack, he is taken to the doctor's door, and soon becomes friends with the bizarre and isolated man who claims he must live in a refrigerated environment for his health. But as the man spends more time with the doctor, he begins to understand the horrifying truth about his friend's strange medical condition.

H.P. Lovecraft's writing served as the basis for what is now called "The Cthulhu Mythos," a universe created by Lovecraft and subsequent writers—most famously Lovecraft's publisher August Derleth—that centered around the horror of "The Great Old Ones." The Cthulhu Mythos has become influential in popular culture and has inspired numerous books, comics, films, and games.

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