Dreams in the Witch HousE A Lovecraftian Rock Opera

THE LIBRETTO Dreams in the Witch House A Lovecraftian Rock Opera Libretto

A witch stood trial for being godless GILMAN Act One Sentenced to be hung at dawn The night, so fraught with sound On the prison walls she’d drawn It never subsides, nor goes away Lines and curves, then she vanished! I strain to concentrate Her disappearance never was explained And find the answers which help equate Be it Satan’s work or sorceries attained Dimensions of reality Stay the night and soon you’ll be aroused There’s got to be a way W Some say she lingers still in the Witch House To step deliberately from earth To points beyond in space THE CONFESSION / ARKHAM OVERTURE MAZUREWICZ I will go higher Benedictus dominus I’ll make it there, no time to spare ELWOOD Benedictus dominus I’m losin’ self control In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, I will go higher bless me, Father for I have– ARKHAM CHOIR To comprehend, I must descend FATHER IWANICKI Within these moldy dank walls, a newborn baby cries Might even sell my soul Yes, my son. Go on. When was your last confession? A wicked rat roams, it’s the devil in disguise But I’ll go high ELWOOD I’ll go high Five weeks, Father. Thirty-seven days ago. That’s GILMAN Behind these slanting walls, a lurking place MAZUREWICZ eight hundred ninety one hours. My last confession Holy Spirit, lead me to a better understanding of the was fifty-three thousand, four hundred sixty minutes Cross of Christ! ago. More or less. ELWOOD FATHER IWANICKI Unbounded void transcending time and space The night so cursed, the Witch’s Sabbath is near Alright. What do— I kneel to pray ELWOOD GILMAN + ELWOOD Beware Walpurgis Night Three million, two hundred seven thousand, six Just stay the night, and soon you’ll be aroused The slaves of Satan, I keep at bay hundred seconds… Some say she lingers still in the Witch House Brandishing this crucifix FATHER IWANICKI Of silver in my hand It’s alright, begin your confession. WITCH The ghosts which haunt my hallowed room ELWOOD Behind these slanting walls, a lurking place Forever will be damned Father, I’ve seen evil. Evil incarnate. Unbounded void transcending time and space Fight fire with fire FATHER IWANICKI Stay the night and leave no room for doubt Transfixed upon this crucifix Men do terrible things my son. You’ll suffer fevered dreams in the Witch House Until the break of dawn Fight fire with fire ELWOOD ELWOOD No, no, I’m not talking about men. I mean evil. Evil He was a genius. Truly gifted. beyond you, me, mankind. Real evil. Supernatural evil. GILMAN FATHER IWANICKI I hear his prayers from down the stairs Malevolent and eternal. You understand what I mean? Who, my son? FATHER IWANICKI Why must he carry on? ELWOOD I will go higher! I do. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under My friend, Walter Gilman. We were classmates at your feet. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.” Miskatonic and rented rooms in the same house. They MAZUREWICZ ELWOOD call it the Witch House. No, I don’t think so. Not this time, Father. Fight fire with fire FATHER IWANICKI Forsake evil deeds with rosary beads FATHER IWANICKI Ah yes. Legend has it the accused witch, Keziah “Our Father, who art in heaven…” This evil, tell me, where was it? Mason once lived there. Why would you choose such ELWOOD a place? Here. Right here, Father. All around us. GILMAN ELWOOD In these walls I see beyond boundaries FATHER IWANICKI Poor students can’t afford to be picky. Here? I will go higher! FATHER IWANICKI I’ll make it there, no time to spare, I’m losing self ELWOOD True. Here. In Arkham. control ELWOOD I will go higher! It was cheap, but Walter really wanted to live there DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE because of its history. ELWOOD FATHER IWANICKI Between Mazurewicz’s unrelenting prayers and Wal- It’s a dark history, unholy. ter’s fanatical devotion to his mathematical studies, he ELWOOD ELWOOD didn’t get much rest. The longer we lived in the house, There’s a haunted town full of whispered tales Walter had no fear of that. The story of Keziah Father, the more obsessed he became. The strain on About a creaking house of mystery fascinated him. Soon after we moved in he began to him was terrible. The doctor said he had some kind of This brooding, moldy tomb hear strange noises there. He called it the endless “brain fever,” but Walter swore it had something to With a crooked garret room cacophony. All I heard were the constant prayers of do with the irregular shape of his garret room. Hides a devilish history our neighbor, Mr. Mazurewicz. GILMAN Behind its slanting walls, a lurking place There’s something ‘bout these walls Unbounded void transcending time and space HIGHER FIRE / BREAKING ME DOWN Geometric and so strangely mathematical Stay one night and leave no room for doubt Hypnotizing You’ll suffer fevered dreams in the Witch House Mesmerizing MAZUREWICZ I spend all night analyzing GILMAN May the Lord bless me, protect me from evil and bring Angles and curves hide secrets so surprising Centuries ago in a pious, fearful town me to everlasting life! Esoteric Asymmetric There’s a bridge to the stars There my mind truly soars Disguising something epic Dimensions near and far Cognizance exposing every door It’s slowly breaking me down! We could walk where no man has walked before There’s a bridge to the stars Geometrical, mathematical, I step deliberately BRIDGE TO THE STARS Fantastical, dimensional, through cryptic boundaries ELWOOD + GILMAN Improbable, impossible, abyss I must transcend And places very far FATHER IWANICKI Such frequency, a mystery too deep to comprehend Expand your mind, the world’s ours to explore Your friend does sound troubled, my son. ELWOOD BROWN JENKIN MISKATONIC STUDENT CHOIR The worst of it was his strange, terrible dreams. Crawlin’ across the floor There’s a bridge to the stars FATHER IWANICKI Hellish beast men abhor Dimensions near and far An intelligent man studying both mathematics and Lurkin’ insidiously We could walk where no man has walked before occult folklore… no doubt it triggered his imagination. Mongrel monstrosity! There’s a bridge to the stars ELWOOD It wasn’t his imagination, Father. I think he made some MAZUREWICZ UPHAM kind of deal with the Devil. He’d gained abstract math- O bone et dulcissime Iesu Mister Gilman that’s quite intriguing ematical knowledge beyond human comprehension! Ante conspectum tuum genibus We were all astounded by it, especially our teacher, Me provolvo! MISKATONIC STUDENT CHOIR Professor Upham. BROWN JENKIN To explore So here I come, you’ve seen me before Ahhhh Prepare yourself for what’s in store! PROFESSOR UPHAM There’s a bridge to the stars! So many questions Science is a vast frontier ELWOOD BROWN JENKIN + Of theory scrutinized Other students whispered about Walter in the hall- RATS IN THE WALLS CHOIR Deep exploration ways. Even the faculty were concerned for him. The So blasphemous, calamitous, you’ve everything to Of concepts we hold dear learning … he was coming unhinged. fear We equate and we describe FATHER IWANICKI I’m merciless, nefarious, the screeching that you Perhaps Gilman ought not to have studied so hard. hear UPHAM + ELWOOD + STUDENTS ELWOOD So deafening, this reckoning Our calculations never end It wasn’t only that, Father. Walter lived in the very room where Keziah herself performed black magic. GILMAN GILMAN FATHER IWANICKI It’s driving me insane! I’ve insight you can’t comprehend My son, witchcraft and science are two sides of the There’s a bridge to the stars same coin. Man has always hungered for the unknow- RATS IN THE WALLS CHOIR Dimensions near and far able, the divine. Unsettling and menacing I will go to a cosmos more immense ELWOOD There’s a bridge to the stars But Father, this isn’t divine at all. This knowledge was, BROWN JENKIN I don’t know… profane? Unholy? These dreams destroy your brain! PROFESSOR UPHAM FATHER IWANICKI Son, your notion’s quite bizarre Your friend Walter’s soul was in peril, my son. Yours MAZUREWICZ too, perhaps. The Lord of Darkness is always present O bone et dulcissime Iesu ELWOOD and can take many forms. Ante conspectum tuum genibus Walter, you’re not making any sense ELWOOD Yes, Father. Walter heard strange, unearthly voices GILMAN GILMAN in the house. He said there was a creature, a horrible Ahhhhhhhhh! Just hold on! thing bound to the Witch. Mankind’s perceptions are constricted by his fears FATHER IWANICKI Blindness soothes your mind It is said witches had familiars, evil spirits in the form of animals. NO TURNING BACK PROFESSOR UPHAM ELWOOD Bold speculation, but your theory thus implies Yes! That’s it exactly! He saw it, in his dreams. Flesh and blood of man survives FATHER IWANICKI GILMAN Such entry to another realm Dreams can be a battlefield, where the holy and unholy The Lord is my rock wage war for the soul. In him shall I trust? ELWOOD ELWOOD Is he the shield and horn of my salvation? Bound creatures, we’d be overwhelmed Walter’s dreams were now becoming terrifying nightmares. WITCH UPHAM + ELWOOD Don’t look away, the time has come On your bridge to the stars To abandon absolution Dimensions near and far THE NIGHTMARE Your body shivers, the quest begun Penetrate God’s grand delusion UPHAM I’m here, your fantasy I’m impressed, but it’s just a metaphor GILMAN In my dreams I see cubes and prisms Oh there’s no turning back GILMAN Idols shrieking cacophonous rhythms From all your sensual discoveries There’s a bridge to the stars Tentacles drag me deep into a labyrinth I can give you what you lack And places very far We’ll consummate a new reality It’s actual, and I can show you more Indescribably vile behaviors You’ll see! Ravage me, oh Lord, where’s my savior? ELWOOD Am I trapped in purgatory? Why don’t you run? Walter strode up to the black board and effortlessly My God! solved numerous Riemannian equations, which seemed Why do you feel like a prisoner in your own body? These monstrous visions, so surreal to demonstrate the possibility of man literally stepping Atop, cyclopean spires from one dimension to others of infinite remoteness. I find your passion sensuous and bawdy Rising, take me ever higher I want you desperately Professor Upham was astonished. I was baffled at first, Above, beyond infinity but soon I could see… Come on! Oh, there’s no turning back ELWOOD You took a vow, before you now For now you’ve woken up an entity There was something… a presence not of this world Three cosmic entities Demonic giant, lean and black on the other side of that door, Father. We didn’t know From worlds beyond he crawls relentlessly towards what to do! Mazurewicz handed me a crucifix and BROWN JENKIN you prayed the rosary. His hands were shaking. Desrochers This is more than dream There’s no turning back peeked through the keyhole and it was as if that Nothing’s what it seems From a luscious world of blasphemy strange violet light had burned his eye, for he fell back Faith’s a lie As your nightmare fades to black in utter terror! Fate draws nigh! Come with me, abandon sanity FATHER IWANICKI Did you enter the room, my son? WITCH + BROWN JENKIN WITCH + GILMAN ELWOOD Nothing you can do will cleanse your soul anew There’s no turning back! Yes. Nothing you can say can keep the truth at bay There’s no turning back! By the power of God… ELWOOD WITCH ELWOOD + DESROCHERS Empty room, where did he go? No, there’s no turning back …thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of… MAZUREWICZ Through these walls the Witch Light glows DESROCHERS + MAZUREWICZ Souls! DESROCHERS SIGNUM CRUCIS House of sorrow, house of woe ELWOOD A thing inside his room, we all saw it! A hideous ELWOOD GILMAN creature like a huge rat, but with the face of a man. Nothing I can do will cleanse my soul anew The old witch had become so real to him father, I Walter’s nightmares had somehow become real! was afraid she might appear to me. It got worse as May Eve approached, and our superstitious neighbors WITCH + BROWN JENKIN worried about Walter’s strange behavior. He was BROWN JENKIN Nothing you can say can keep the truth at bay sleepwalking, and there were screams at night, and Mankind fails to see the truth that strange light that glowed from beneath his door. Your faith poorly misconceived WITCH + BROWN JENKIN + FATHER IWANICKI Dare you step into the violet light ELWOOD + MAZUREWICZ + You saw a light? You’ll see that you’ve been deceived DESROCHERS ELWOOD Revelations he defends Not just me. We all saw it… a weird violet color. FATHER IWANICKI NOTHING I CAN DO WITCH + BROWN JENKIN In nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti Science proves ELWOOD ELWOOD + FATHER IWANICKI + MONKS Then it vanished into the wall. Mazurewicz said the creature was Brown Jenkin, the Witch’s familiar. Can MAZUREWICZ + DESROCHERS Throughout the ages While faith condemns Virtuous sages such things be, Father? Spoke of a violet light FATHER IWANICKI The Devil assumes many shapes, my son. BROWN JENKIN + WITCH Waxing primeval In the end we all descend Causing upheaval ELWOOD Come every Walpurgis Night Walter wasn’t there. We found bloody footprints on ELWOOD the floor, but they stopped halfway across the room. It The evil had engulfed him, Father. And I felt it was ELWOOD was as if he vanished before reaching the door! Was it going to consume me as well. Walter went too far Our neighbor, Desrochers, woke me. He had heard witchcraft? The Devil? Where could he have gone? down the path. I want to turn back, but I’m afraid it stranger than usual thumping coming from Walter’s might already be too late for me. room up above. I lit a candle, and we climbed the stairs GILMAN FATHER IWANICKI following the eerie noises. We found Mr. Mazurewicz Blistering, brilliantly It’s never too late to turn back to God, my son. already listening outside Walter’s door. Glittering, gorgeously ELWOOD MAZUREWICZ Minarets and pinnacles, as far as eyes can see I want to believe that. In nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti!

High above, sky aflame ELWOOD MAZUREWICZ + ELWOOD Vibrant hues, none the same Nothing I can do, that’s why I turned to you Cracks ‘round his doorway Far below, a city glows beyond the balustrade Nothing I can say, has faith led me astray? In his quest to comprehend, mighty God did he offend? MAZUREWICZ + DESROCHERS Is this just a dream? Walter was my faithful friend. Fatefully glowing In terror, I scream God on high MAZUREWICZ + Hear my cry DESROCHERS + ELWOOD Dreadful footsteps amplify Nothing I can do will cleanse my soul anew Nothing I can say can keep the truth at bay MAZUREWICZ Breaking down from my despair Ominous talkin’ Rising up I say a prayer DESROCHERS Where is God and does he care? Somnolent walkin’ WITCH FATHER IWANICKI + ELWOOD + Menacing minstrelsy MAZUREWICZ + DESROCHERS Swelling up rhythmically There is a Devil inside From below, an overflow of piping symphonies My God! Maddening melodies Rapturous rhapsodies THE SLEEPWALKER The evil in this room afflicts us all Turn to your crucifix ELWOOD Act Two Somehow Keziah escaped. They found mystical lines ‘Tis April’s awful Sabbat and curves on the walls of her empty cell. Foul Walpurgis Night FATHER IWANICKI Lines and curves like the ones your friend Gilman DOMBROWSKI studied? We hear the chants from Meadow Hill ELWOOD Exactly, Father! Maybe Walter learned her secret. DOMBROWSKI + MAZUREWICZ V Maybe he followed in her footsteps. And pray to know God’s holy will MEADOW HILL CULTIST CHOIR GILMAN Nyarlathotep Veni Veni ELWOOD Am I dreaming? Daemonia Ia Yog Sothoth There’s something about the house itself, Father. It’s Am I walking barefoot down the streets of Arkham? Ars Magister, Clavicula always been cursed. Through these misty alleyways Gel Sabaoth, Nyarlathotep FATHER IWANICKI Beguiled, my mind in disarray Do you believe in curses, my Son? The starlight beaming ELWOOD + ELWOOD Figure gleaming, here in my hand MAZUREWICZ + DOMBROWSKI I believe that there are forces that can corrupt even Exotic and damned, God forsake me Blessed are the faithful the most innocent. I imagine that the witch, Keziah For Hell’s on the horizon Mason, was pulled into that trap herself. She wasn’t The Devil has a thousand tricks born evil, was she? BLESSED ARE THE FAITHFUL But can’t defeat a crucifix

LEGENDS & LORE ELWOOD ‘Tis April’s awful Sabbat The neighbors knew Walter was in trouble. With May Foul Walpurgis Night! Eve approaching, they were all terrified of what might When winds bear chants from Meadow Hill WITCH happen. We knew that supernatural forces were at We must pray for God’s holy will Long ago light was elusive work, and there was so much gossip in the town. In the Darkness brought me dreams intrusive with morning I visited Walter with Joe Mazurewicz and the MAZUREWICZ Legends and lore landlord, Dombrowski. Benedictus dominus Legends and lore Benedictus dominus DOMBROWSKI Women then lived in God’s shadow We’ve heard you walking in your sleep DOMBROWSKI + ELWOOD Drawn by men into a hallowed holy war Blessed are the faithful MAZUREWICZ For Hell’s on the horizon And when my first born died And seen that rat-faced creature too Evil’s here and we predict I was cruelly brought to trial It’s time to wield your crucifix My innocence denied, I couldn’t ignore ELWOOD The legends and lore The dreams you’ve had have touched on something ‘Tis April’s awful Sabbat deep Foul Walpurgis Night! JUDGE HATHORNE And now it seems they’re coming true When winds bear chants from Meadow Hill In these times of superstition We must pray for God’s holy will Guilty by your own admission GILMAN Faith must be restored ELWOOD Help, what am I to do? You Devil’s whore We wanted to help him, Father. Mazurewicz gave Walter a crucifix, and said that you’d blessed it. DOMBROWSKI Here you stand Keziah Mason FATHER IWANICKI Blessed are the faithful Our misfortunes you have hastened with your Yes, I remember that. Joe’s a good man. For Hell’s on the horizon Legends and lore ELWOOD Dombrowski promised to cover the rat holes in MAZUREWICZ Now I shall sentence thee Walter’s room with tin, and spread poison everywhere. The evil in this room is thick As I’ve sentenced all the others FATHER IWANICKI You should have this crucifix! We can’t show leniency I see. Faith must be restored ELWOOD ELWOOD + MAZUREWICZ Amidst legends and lore I told Walter he could come downstairs and sleep in my ‘Tis April’s awful Sabbat room meanwhile. I’d keep watch during the night. ELWOOD Foul Walpurgis Night! FATHER IWANICKI Judge Hathorne and the others didn’t understand The winds bear chants from Meadow Hill That was good of you, my son. Keziah. She saw into the beyond, and they feared her. So pray to know God’s holy will ELWOOD FATHER IWANICKI No, Father. I failed him! Fear has always driven men to desperate acts. Where DOMBROWSKI FATHER IWANICKI fear comes, evil follows. Hey, have you heard about the child? I’m sure you— Young Ladislas vanished last night ELWOOD A pair of drunken townsfolk saw it all WITCH We talked late into the night about Keziah and Brown And in the dark of night Jenkin, and about the possibility of traveling to other MAZUREWICZ While the frenzied town was sleeping dimensions. I only made things worse! Now I hear shrieking through your walls There came a violet light The Devil’s at our door Which opened a door To legends and lore ELWOOD + MAZUREWICZ + Legends and lore CRAWLING CHAOS DOMBROWSKI Legends and lore Blessed are the faithful Legends and lore FATHER IWANICKI For Hell’s on the horizon How could you have made things worse? ELWOOD GILMAN WITCH We talked about the Black Man, Father, the emissary My God, what have I done? Weaving through it means we must appeal to of terrible powers. Azathoth FATHER IWANICKI We followed lines and curves and now they’ve Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. brought us here ELWOOD AZATHOTH To share his awesome might beyond the spheres And then we were both so tired. I was supposed to protect Walter, but I fell asleep. WITCH + BROWN JENKIN + REVELERS FATHER IWANICKI CRAWLING CHAOS Oh, oh, oh, whoa! You’re only human, my son. Bow before him, face the master of the night ELWOOD Now behold the Daemon Sultan at his height BROWN JENKIN I failed him, and inhuman forces found Walter that Here you shall revel Walpurgis Night is here! night. Succumb, pay homage, he is Prime We bow in prostration An ancient evil That lurks beyond all space and time WITCH SLAVE CHOIR Space and time Now before us lies a naked babe Ia Nyarlathotep! Sened Nyarlathotep! BROWN JENKIN Azathoth! Ia Nyarlathotep The blood of innocence flows in his veins All appalling truths revealed Sened Nyarlathotep! Azathoth! Ia Nyarlathotep WITCH Writhing madness unconcealed Oosur Nyarlathotep! To know the truth we have to pay this price Azathoth! He shall be our sacrifice At the throne of chaos, yield to Azathoth! BROWN JENKIN Azathoth! WITCH + BROWN JENKIN Our Lord is near The time has come I must admit, you’ve conjured us quite brilliantly GILMAN You kneel in fear I fear this book before me may be filled with lies WALPURGIS REVELERS And understand that we are the true Trinity I hear the sound of terror in a baby’s cries Ia! Yeah! I must awaken Soon we shall be cut from the same cloth WITCH + BROWN JENKIN but something holds me to this ground Yeah! This must be done I am forsaken Mortal, sign the book of Azathoth I signed the book, my soul is bound WALPURGIS REVELERS It’s bound GILMAN Ia! To Azathoth! Ahhhhhhh! At the throne of chaos, yield WITCH + BROWN JENKIN + REVELERS Azathoth! We chant aloud in exultation WITCH Is this just a dream, surreal? Our Lord is real And now you’ll see Azathoth! With your own eyes the power of Divinity Now in my own blood I kneel to Azathoth! WALPURGIS REVELERS Awake, like me, Azathoth! Ia! To his commands across gulfs of infinity ELWOOD WITCH + BROWN JENKIN ELWOOD Walter awoke the entire house with his screaming, To him we kneel The Black Man appeared to Walter that night, Father. Father. Nyarlathotep! The Crawling Chaos himself! At his FATHER IWANICKI WALPURGIS REVELERS command Keziah and her familiar showed Walter the He sounds like a tortured soul. Ia! Book of Azathoth. They wanted him to sign it in his ELWOOD own blood! WITCH Yes. I think he was dreaming even when he was FATHER IWANICKI I raise my knife awake. My God! FATHER IWANICKI ELWOOD BROWN JENKIN + REVELERS May God have mercy on him! He tried to resist… Fhtagn! ELWOOD There was no mercy for him the next night, Father. GILMAN GILMAN May Eve itself had finally arrived! The neighbors And bring damnation! Now that the truth is so clear whispered about the missing child, and believed that How do I get out of here? Walpurgis revelers would gather down in the ravine ELWOOD I lost myself in temptation beyond Meadow Hill. Mazurewicz insisted that Walter Gilman was horrified, Father. He saw the missing baby Forever a sinner wear the silver crucifix that he had given him and Wal- there on the witch’s altar, a huge knife, a ritual bowl, ter put it on. Then came the worst nightmares of all! and something in him finally snapped free. WITCH FATHER IWANICKI You must sign! Thank God for that! You must sign!

THE SACRIFICE / NO TURNING BACK GILMAN SLAVE CHOIR I see now it’s madness Ia Nyarlathotep! (reprise) My heart fills with sadness Sened Nyarlathotep! This evil consumes me Forbidden knowledge only dooms me BROWN JENKIN + WITCH WITCH Bow to the Chaos before you As night falls and day ends WITCH Vow, let his power restore you The veil drops, our path bends Don’t forget you signed your soul away Your world is lost in temptation The stars turn, aligning Here dream and truth are intertwining God’s light, growing dimmer BROWN JENKIN BROWN JENKIN Never dream that you’ll forget the things you’ve seen BROWN JENKIN today You will sign! The fabric of the cosmos is a ragged cloth GILMAN BROWN JENKIN Oh I prayed that God would bring deliverance! God I never thought the truth would be a curse to You’ll never win! Atterete dominatum learn But demons came at night instead GILMAN Denique interimo WITCH Forgive my sin Poor Walter didn’t know the difference You can travel space and time but you cannot return She senses death Benedictus qui venit And takes her final breath! When he said GILMAN In nomine Daemon Sultan No! No! Oh, no, no, no! WITCH Don’t look away, the time has come GILMAN BROWN JENKIN Can’t you see I’m your reflection? I want something more than life! We’re gonna see him bleed! My spirit withers, this life undone ELWOOD GILMAN My demise, our intersection The worst came that night, Father. We heard Walter The spell is now broken Kill me and I will ascend shrieking in terror. The quest for knowledge shouldn’t be denied And in my place you’ll descend FATHER IWANICKI Until it turns into the sin of pride There’s no turning back What happened? The Devil’s curving lines will not bind me There’s no turning back ELWOOD I’ll trust a holier geometry He was writhing in agony, covered in blood! Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name! WITCH + GILMAN There’s no turning back FATHER IWANICKI To God I pray Oh my God! GILMAN ELWOOD BROWN JENKIN There’s no turning back A horrible rat-like creature had attacked him. It You’ve lost your way emerged from his chest and escaped! BROWN JENKIN GILMAN FATHER IWANICKI Don’t think you’ll prevail This crucifix is my salvation Brown Jenkin! As her breath exhales ELWOOD WITCH Soon, when I return It killed him, Father! Walter was dead! No turning back Your soul will burn FATHER IWANICKI Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual WITCH + BROWN JENKIN light shine upon him! We will attack! BETWEEN REALITY AND DREAMING ELWOOD GILMAN Between reality and dreaming Thy Kingdom come ELWOOD Evil consumed his beating heart! Thy will be done! He failed to save the child, Father. Brown Jenkin bit through the baby’s wrist and completed the sacrifice! For me there’s nothing that’s redeeming WALPURGIS REVELERS FATHER IWANICKI MONKS Ia! But my son, it was all just a dream. ELWOOD Atterete dominatum MAZUREWICZ No! Don’t you see? The baby vanished in real life too! DESROCHERS Nomine It was all real! This house is vile and sinful! Ia! FATHER IWANICKI WALPURGIS REVELERS It’s a tragic coinci— MONKS Azathoth ELWOOD Denique interimo We found Gilman on the floor of his room, nearly cata- MAZUREWICZ tonic. There were bruises on his throat and his crucifix MAZUREWICZ Patris was gone! He had gone stone deaf: both eardrums Hail the master of the night! ruptured. The doctors couldn’t explain it! Walter truly WALPURGIS REVELERS ELWOOD Ia! went somewhere in his dreams that night, Father. And I haven’t told you the worst yet. I prayed that God would bring deliverance MAZUREWICZ FATHER IWANICKI But now I’ll never sleep again! Filii I’m sure you did all you could. The sin isn’t yours. I envy those who live in ignorance ELWOOD WALPURGIS REVELERS DESROCHERS But I have sinned, Father. The sin of despair. I don’t This house is vile and sinful! Ia! Yog Sothoth know what’s true anymore! ELWOOD MAZUREWICZ Walter? ELWOOD I give unto the violet light! Reality, I always thought it had finality FATHER IWANICKI Walter sacrificed himself, Father. Even as he heard the But now I doubt its actuality …perpetual light shine upon him... may his soul and chanting coming from Meadow Hill, he wrenched the knife And nothing is what it might seem the souls of all the faithful departed… through the from the old woman’s claws, sending it clattering away mercy of God... rest in peace... my God! into some nether world within his dream. She and Brown Nonentity, I’ve lost all sense of my identity Jenkin fought back with tooth and nail, and as she choked The only thing I feel with certainty CRAWLING CHAOS him he felt the chain of the crucifix grinding into his neck. Is that the world is just a dream Bow before him face the master of the night He pulled it free and his own hands reached out for the FATHER IWANICKI + MONKS witch’s throat. Before she saw what he was doing he had ELWOOD Faith in God restores man’s life the chain of the crucifix twisted around her neck! Am I dreaming? ELWOOD GILMAN Belief in God is a delusion! MONKS Don’t back away Atterete dominatum There’s hell to pay, yeah! A soothing fairy tale I chose The time has come Denique interimo This must be done But so are science’s conclusions, God knows And now you’ll know extermination! Atterete dominatum Denique interimo MADNESS IS MY DESTINY

GILMAN Now the night is dawn, darkness drifts away Enlightenment shines, intervening Life now conveyed, a mere masquerade Cloudless, my mind seeks the meaning

Spirit now withdrawn, this figure fades away Vanquished, my soul cries out screaming Condemned to a plight to terrorize the night As a violet light faintly gleaming

The most merciful thing in the world is blindness towards reality False perception, deep deception led to my insanity Dreams eternal, life infernal Madness is my destiny

And who was I to strive for more than men should know? We’re all oblivious souls in a cosmos that’s all aglow In an everlasting state, the world I contemplate Fear’s just of the flesh and it poisoned man long ago

The most purposeful shroud in the world, credence in the Trinity? False perception, deep deception led to my insanity Dreams eternal, life infernal Madness is my destiny

BROWN JENKIN Madness is your destiny!

GILMAN False perception, deep deception led to my insanity Dreams eternal, life infernal Madness is my destiny Madness is my destiny In black seas of infinity!

Executive Producer Dreams in the Witch House Mike Dalager

A Lovecraftian Rock Opera Cover art by Carlos Garcia Rivera Music by Chris Laney Anders Ringman Lennart Östlund Lyrics by Mike Dalager Andrew Leman Book by R Sean Branney Andrew Leman © 2013 Platform West, LLC Based on “The Dreams in the Witch House” by H. P. Lovecraft All rights reserved.