"The Tree on the Hill" by H. P. Lovecraft / Weird Wilderness

[@HorrorBabble]

"The Tree on the Hill" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft and Duane W. Rimel, which first appeared in the magazine Polaris, in 1940. The tale tells of a tree with strange properties atop an unusual hill, in the presence of which a man finds himself experiencing powerful hallucinations. Chapters: 00:12 - Introduction 00:55 - The Tree on the Hill 28:30 - Further Listening Bandcamp link: horrorbabble.bandcamp.com/album/the-tree-on-the-hill This recording is dedicated to our Cthulhu and Yellow Level HorrorBabblers: 'General' Dipper, Bernard Mulligan, Bjorn Larsson, Brandon, Chris Epplett, Daniel C. Barker, Galen Hoffman, Jacob Louwerse, Jamie, Jessica Mari, Joanna Roye, Joshua Calvin Smiley, Kickweed, L. Harris, Logan Kilcullen, Madison Scythe, Patrick, Philip R Aden, Richard WB Feigen, Wes Sale, Zontar Zee AND Adam Beckner, Adriana Alexander, al doty, Andrew, Andrew Moffat, Ann Bassano, Art Wagner, Ausborn, Austen Jones, Charles Bossler, Dmitri Gorjatse, Dovauk, Ian Adly Bin Iskandar Dzakurnain, James Dunne, Jeffrey Bunn, John Michael, Larna Dennis, Laura, Laura Scarlett, Mark R Patterson, Miri P. Weaver, Nero, Philippe Lavoie, Quench Smith, Robert Daniel Pickard, Samuel A. Mortensen, Sean Lorentzen, Shanna Syn, Simon Eckert, SolaceInChains, Thomas Scott, Veronica LoCurto Narrated by Ian Gordon for HorrorBabble Music and production by Ian Gordon & Jennifer Gill Image by Desertrose7: pixabay.com/users/desertrose7-752536 Support us on Bandcamp or Patreon: horrorbabble.bandcamp.com www.patreon.com/horrorbabble HorrorBabble MERCH: teespring.com/stores/horrorbabble-merch Search HORRORBABBLE to find us on: AUDIBLE / ITUNES / SPOTIFY Home: www.horrorbabble.com Rue Morgue: www.rue-morgue.com Social Media: facebook.com/HorrorBabble instagram.com/horrorbabble twitter.com/HorrorBabble

[@miketenny5201]

Duane Rimel is buried in a cemetery near here( in Clarkston, WA USA).

[@obijuan5659]

Good thing about finding this channel is that I have tons of stories that I haven’t listened to yet.

[@lauralee5722]

And plenty of time to listen due to coronavirus

[@obijuan5659]

laura lee true. I haven’t listened to the 3 most recent. Waiting for one more to come out so I can listen to them all at once.

[@Vates104]

Yes. I consider myself an aficionado of weird fiction, but there are stories here that I have never encountered.

[@haillobster7154]

You have THE ideal voice for Mr Lovecraft's timeless, torturous, terrific tales. I've started reading the Lovecraft mythos in a bad imitation of your voice, sir. 😁

[@sebkorsnes]

I started listening to these Horrorbabble Lovecraft stories back around Halloween, the fact that I still listen to them in February speaks volumes of the quality of the Lovecraft’s writing and Horrorbabble’s production/voice acting.

[@tiarnan76]

unless of course you have shit taste in stories - then it wouldn't speak volumes

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

I love the voice of the narrator. It sounds like it belongs to the late 18th century, early 19th century and gives a new level of immersion to the stories.

[@TheBenjaman]

I've been looking forward to this. Waiting in darkness, the sounds of rain falling on the roof, the wind playing with the trees. And me alone in darkness waiting for the story to come. Have a good day everyone and everything here, hope you have a good listen. :)

[@slewis9602]

Nothing like a little Lovecraft with my dinner. Thanks HB for another classic story.

[@travisbrewer1641]

you're perfect for this kind of story telling, so many readers go too dramatic with it, try too hard and ruin it. but you get it just right in every story I've listened from you, just the right amount of gravitas and emotion, and you use different voices for different characters without being silly with it, it really helps with the immersion of the stories.

[@mjrchapin]

Hmmm...here I am reading this on June 23rd. Spooky!

[@babalon7778]

It amazes me how much Lovecraft wrote that I don't know about until I hear It from you, and it's always excellent, thanks again!

[@robbabcock_]

What a wonderful performance! 🙌🔥🐙

[@jamesbrown3630]

Have been listening to the babble for months now and still love now as much as the first day I discovered it proper job Ian

[@heyguysiguessthatsit4610]

Great reading of this amazing short story 👍

[@edennis8578]

Great story. Thanks!

[@HorrorBabble]

Thank you very much!

[@BryanEshbaugh]

Hi! So i found your channel a few months ago when I read the Threshold book series by Peter Clines and became enthralled in Lovecraft and tales inspired by the mythos, I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your channel 👍 and am grateful for the vast library of Lovecraft and other chilling tales that I am destined to spend many hours consuming.

[@HorrorBabble]

Thanks for listening, Bryan!

[@cristinahiguera2469]

Bryan Eshbaugh vhvjvv

[@BryanEshbaugh]

@@cristinahiguera2469 ?

[@litaholic4572]

Thank you so much for the incredible readings! I am finding myself more amazed and enamored by Lovecraft's work after learning so much about him and the influences behind his famous tales. This one is among the most entrancing I have heard today-especially with the Egyptology reference.

[@rickyhurtt8692]

Really good story. Can't believe I've never read nor heard it before.

[@beyolgrenlef5001]

I'm so glad for your channel. Used to be able to read for hours, but for the last couple years haven't went past two or three pages before having to quit or fall asleep on my book. Age has caught up to me I guess. Thanks again.

[@MrsCaranAmy]

I didn't get to listen to this amazing one until late at night which seemed to make it much better. It kind of changes ones views of lone trees on a hill. Splendid narration. Thank you Ian.

[@vivanecrosis]

WHAT YA DOIN? While I’m listening to this wondrous narration I’m doing art. It works very well, a harmony of story telling and my own creativity, with neither of them fighting for my attentions. So how about you other listens. What are doing whilst listening to this modern radio?

[@bearsagainstevil]

thank you for other great Lovecraft story, been listening to your videos for a while but now subscribing

[@johnoliva5153]

Great story,love this type of story.Your voice was perfect for this.Thank you.

[@lisahoschkeandrade9751]

I totally concur; Ian has such a soothing voice. I got other friends into Horror Babble, it was Ians voice that got one of them noticing how awesome it is to listen to bedtime stories in our golden years!!! Awesome job, Ian and Jen 😘😘😘

[@olalustig5397]

Great reading as Always, thanks

[@cobrachicken07]

I'd never seen this story before - and now I'll never be the same. Thanks HB!

[@briangreen1781]

It wasn't until my third copy of "The Complete Works of HP Lovecraft" that I stumbled upon this story. As usual, great job and thank you.

[@mortuarycookiezshane4192]

I have 4 different "complete H.P. Lovecraft" books, all slightly different. Two have his collaborations and one was printed in the U.S. and one on the U.K. but both have different stories. I wonder if it has to do with where things were originally printed or the collaborators themselves.

[@thepretender3814]

Your comment is unappreciated

[@hopelessgod7462]

Thanks for all your hard work another great job

[@jasemalvis2140]

You're officially the voice I think of when reading these stories. Thank you so much for bringing us a world of horror and entertainment to listen to. Do you still make music as well? Your part on Memory was amazing and I was wondering if you have a bandicamp for it as well

[@HorrorBabble]

Hi Jase - Ian here. Thanks! You can listen to more of my music here: iangordon.bandcamp.com

[@billl2903]

Another awesome reading per usual, thanks guys!

[@henrywebster9529]

Simply superb stuff.

[@kirthanasivakumar640]

Loved the story!

[@brandonallen8612]

Love falling asleep to these! Thanks for the newest edition!

[@lisahoschkeandrade9751]

😎❤👍👍 Thanks. Love Lovecraft for bedtime stories

[@mortuarycookiezshane4192]

Ooo I've been hopeing you would do this one. The collaborations of Lovecraft and others are usually very fun because they have a slightly new angle but still very Lovecraft in style and form. Thanks everyone at Horrorbabble!

[@crommountain2382]

Never enough Lovecraft

[@31webseries]

You know I always knew King's "N" (among other stories of his) had a strong Lovecraftian influence but it takes so directly from this it's pretty cool.

[@nonickname8292]

He has been copied and imitated by almost everyone. The man was BRILLIANT!

[@31webseries]

@@nonickname8292 I've read all his work. I prefer the stuff descended from it more.

[@lucasconner5648]

Awesome I was actually just looking for a decent narration of this yesterday and couldn't find it. Thanks!

[@kaf890890]

Ooo, this looks like a really good one to fall asleep to! Nighty-night...

[@jooooooooi]

Oh yea! Cosmic horror at its finest! Thanks!

[@jamchiroptera4258]

New to the channel, love it already

[@HorrorBabble]

Welcome!

[@luluseatowngetdown6251]

Whatz the thing with 3 fiery eyes in the pyramid door? There were 3 suns. Cosmic horror. Venus is bright this time of year! Thought it was a plane. Lovecraft always gives u a peephole view of the situation, and leaves it up to the reader’s imagination to fill in the blanks. Thanks for another trippy one!

[@viriathas9910]

I really love the accents you do during readings. Your American accents are pretty good.

[@MikeyJBlakeJR]

One of my favorite things about Lovecraft's stories is that he doesn't even touch the almost omnipresent horror trope where "only *one* person can see it," and when others try to, it's gone, and they think the person is crazy. It shows that this horror is far greater than the price of just one person's sanity; anyone else who is exposed knows they may be doomed.

[@studentjohn]

My cup of tea :)

[@DiaphaneDreams]

I didn't think anything could shift my small daughter's passion for The Red Room, but we have listened to this three times in the past day or so! It makes me so excited to introduce her to the larger Cthulhu Mythos ^_^ I still expect to hear The Red Room at least twice a week, but I would also love to introduce 'The Beckoning Fair One' (Oliver Onions, 1911), or 'The Night Wire' (H.F. Arnold, 1926) into our repertoire of bedtime stories. Would you consider doing either in the future? Edit: Ooh, found The Night Wire. Yay! You two are magnificently comprehensive ^_^

[@HorrorBabble]

Thanks FC! Do feel free to send any suggestions via our website (we struggle to keep track of them otherwise): www.horrorbabble.com/contact

[@jamiecameron7615]

Yay, more H.P!!! Thank you very much!!!

[@soulreaver1983]

Excellent story😈👍

[@MarcusHCrawford]

I’m going to run out of stories! Now I’m starting to worry. I’ve found the best channel ever for stories (two channels now), and I’m running out.

[@edennis8578]

Did anyone else flash on, "As you value your life or your reason keep away from the moor"?

[@nancyM1313]

Thank you.😖😌😔😴 Until next time

[@justinjacobs1501]

As someone living just north of the Bitterroot, I can say that it is a beautiful country full of natural springs and crystaline rivers. It is a Mecca for fly fishers and geology buffs as they Bitterroot is neighbored by the Sapphire mountains who boast huge deposits of the mineral. Crystal mountain is also in proximity where quartz grows with an amazing rapidity that each year countless stones are pulled up from the surface of the loose earth. The City of Missoula (my current home) is a gateway to much of this wonder and is the meeting place of the Clark Fork and Bitterroot River (which flows north) before they head west to the Pacific.

[@StarboyXL9]

You can hear/read the difference between his earlier works and these later ones. He got even better.

[@Wombats555]

The Jewels of Charlotte is another likely Lovecraft ghost writing... is that on the horizon? I thought I'd read all of Lovecraft's work :)

[@HorrorBabble]

We're not familiar with that one... But you never know when it comes to Lovecraft and his ghostwriting! Feel free to forward any further info via the website: www.horrorbabble.com/contact

[@OldManMose92]

You can definitely tell this story was very much inspired by The House on the Borderland.

[@sarthakkhawash2495]

Please add some thrilling background music..I heard this story in Midnight Horror Station....That was soo good.

[@nonickname8292]

Im embarrassed to say that I just started getting in to HPLC.. I have been missing out but its better late than never in some cases.

[@d-evilmc]

I really enjoyed this, very well read. I don't like to be negative but I was a bit frustrated at the mini synopsis at the beginning. This may be a personal thing as I dont even watch trailers for films. I just thought I would mention that.

[@HorrorBabble]

We get that, Conner. We add chapter times to the video description, allowing you to skip the intro.

[@Jose-oq6kj]

fuck yes new lovecraft! :D just in time for bed, been awake 40+ hours xD

[@friendlier]

You can tell that was a hybrid. Not the usual perfection of Lovecraft’s language.

[@imperiumlibrarian7619]

'A spot, indeed, transplanted from the devils own garden...'

[@pweller2222]

It is plain to see the influence this Lovecraft story had on Stephen King's short story, "N".

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

Would you do The Doom That Came To Sarnath? It is distinct from other Lovecraft stories, and oh so wonderful.

[@HorrorBabble]

Hello Duchess! It's already here on the channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYTOmpuNhqefiq8

[@edennis3202]

@@HorrorBabble I just listened to that story tonight. I was so fascinated that I had to go read it. What poetry!

[@luciddreamer616]

Man, this thumbnail really should have been of a bristlecone pine.

[@scleroctenophore]

Was this one of the inspirations for "The Soul Stealer"?

[@HorrorBabble]

Not directly, Nathaniel, but I can see where you're coming from. Influences from so many places invariably seep into the old brain when you read as much as I do.

[@LarsOfTheMohicans]

Not to be confused with "The Tree" by the same author.

[@noofkuultrasense2937]

I just knew I had seen this title before. I swore by it. I honestly just went, less than 5 mins ago, and picked up my Lovecraft Complete Fiction Collection off my shelf, turned to page 84 and there it was. "The Tree." It's most definitely not the same haha.

[@robbyhype4967]

This is THE FUCK ING BEST

[@robbyhype4967]

Ok... This shit is just straight SAVAGE

[@nonickname8292]

See I think HPL was trying to hide things in his stories. I know esoteric writings when I come across them. He didn't "imagine" all of what he wrote. He reminds me of Arthur Machen in many ways. Another author that had some insight on things that people hide from themselves.

[@lordlammi1562]

Creepypasta authors could learn a thing or two from Lovecraft, especially when it comes to titles.

[@3.142-x3b]

How come HorrorBabble is listed as an "artist" rather than under podcasts on Spotify?

[@HorrorBabble]

CD Baby distributed our releases to Spotify, later claiming that they have no control over categorisation. We're hoping to find another means of changing it in due course. Bit of a pain, by all accounts!

[@troymclure8330]

By thee 3-lobed BURNING EYE, Thee Key & Thee Gate knowes where THEY came in before & where THEY will come in once again.... Íä ÍÄ.... BEHOLD with appropriate awe and terror.... Thee Opener of the Way....

[@ProjectFlashlight612]

That one was WEIRD

[@jamesm9560]

Coooonannnnn sincerely requested...

[@JohnMiller-bs2ln]

It's creepy that the story takes place one year after Lovecraft's death

[@exceptformeandmymonkey6964]

His buddy sounds like Jack Nicholas.

[@austencobine864]

I would like to know why the horror from the primal days took the form of a tree?

[@Gn8Lif3]

Roots clawed into our planet and branches reaching out in the world? Fitting if you ask me

[@tomswan3401]

so that lovecraft can write a story about it.

[@edennis3202]

Perhaps not that it intentionally appeared as a tree, but that's just how human minds saw it in our dimension. I'm just guessing.

[@WhizzerdSupreme]

It's a dormant Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath, who is the Black Goat. Look em up

[@wayneallen9711]

Are there any Massachusetts horror babblers hear

[@starrwilson6818]

Sounding a bit like Jack Nicholson. Thank you again.

[@randolphcarter8142]

Sandwiches!

[@paulcoy9060]

@619 OG Deep fried derp sandwiches on a picnic? I'll try anything once.

[@citizensguard3433]

Ah, yes, the Lovecraft Cosmic Horror tale... I’m always anxiously anticipating the end, so the narrator can tell me all about what he can’t tell me. Lol. I always enjoy hearing described that which is too horrible to describe. That’s why I don’t like film or tv adaptations. They fill in too many gaps that are best left to the imagination. Nothing more terrible than the not knowing.

[@citizensguard3433]

Adaptations of these stories* specifically. I have no problem with adaptations in general. I enjoy a lot of them actually! Just not the lovecraft ones!!

[@austencobine864]

Could this be Tree of Sorrows?

[@austencobine864]

It sounds like it.

[@nianderwallace4776]

If this is adapted to film wishing the same narrator narrate the film too hes sound eldritch

[@Self-replicating_whatnot]

Never mind me i'm just a tree.

[@auail5594]

This has got to be one of the most formulaic and uninspired stories from this author.

[@Wombats555]

I like completing the set. Horrorbabble has the entire rest of it recorded. Get stuck in :)

[@christopherdaniel5919]

Can't call it a "collaboration" when some unknown writer steals Lovecraftian ideas. This was terrible. Lovecraft would never sign off on such a poorly written story . This is embarrassing.