I put off reading this for the longest time; I don't know why. I suppose I find your writing somewhat intimidating -- awesome as well as humbling.-I cannot express how much I enjoyed (if that is the word!) this piece. The imagery is powerful, the atmosphere unremitting, the ending unsettling in itself, and more so for the style in which it is written. The echoing rhythm of the old man's speech is particularly effective.

you truly seem to be following in the footsteps of the great artist your pen name evokes. this is grotesquely effective, and kept me on the edge of my seat. i swear i almost felt a pressure on my shoulder at one point! you could actually pass this off as poe's if your vocabulary was only slightly more colorful. excellent plot idea, and quite well carried out. bravo!

Oh. Reminded me of The Pit and the Pendulum, what with the setting. I like this a lot; great job.

Whoa, that was pretty freaky, I liked it.