Halpin Chalmers

Curator of Archeology at the Manhattan Museum of Fine Arts until his retirement. [FBL Hills (online text)]

Chalmers was the author of several recondite books on occult themes, and a member of the Bibliographic Guild. He resided in Brooklyn, then late in life moved to an apartment above the jewelry store of Smithwick and Isaacs, 24 Central Square, Partridgeville. His book collection included St. Thomas Aquinas, Frenicle de Bessy, Emanuel Moscopulus, Plotinus, and pamphlets about mediaeval sorcery and witchcraft. He was also studying the work of a contemporary physicist, probably Einstein. In an effort to see outside of time, he took the Liao drug and contemplated mathematical symbols. At the beginning of creation, he observed the Hounds of Tindalos, who scented his presence. After returning from his vision, he was convinced that the Hounds were hunting him, but they were only capable of moving through angles. He tried to protect himself by using plaster to round off all the edges and corners in his room, assisted by his skeptical friend Frank (1). Chalmers was killed when allies of the Hounds, called Doels, caused an earthquake that broke the plaster, revealing corners that allowed the Hounds to enter. Chalmers was found decapitated and covered with blue slime. Memorable quote: "When one knows, as I do, that time and space are identical and that they are both deceptive because they are merely imperfect manifestations of a higher reality, one no longer seeks in the visible world for an explanation of the mystery and terror of being." [FBL Hounds (online text)]

On another occasion, there was a man who was researching time-transcendence through the use of ancient, far-Eastern drugs. He lived in an old brownstone house with his niece, who was also his secretary and co-worker. He imbibed a drug that took him on a long and dangerous journey. He returned by emerging, with flaming beard and clothes, from a painting/gateway where he was being chased by the Hounds of Tindalos. Part of the incident was witnessed by Thomas Granville, another researcher in time-transcendence. Granville and the niece had previously discussed the theory that every human life repeats itself over and over, with minor variations. Granville experienced memories of knowing the niece and her uncle in some previous existence. It seems implied that the uncle was an alternate version of Halpin Chalmers, and Granville was alternate version of Chalmer's friend Frank (1). It is not clear whether Chalmers and the niece escaped from the Hounds in this version of their lives, but it is known that their house burned down. [FBL Gateway]

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