Hotel at Innsmouth (11)

You should have tried the fish soup. They put in crabs. - Makes all the difference. - You know how you catch them?

The lone diner, who had somehow contrived to invite himself over - although she wasn’t in the mood for conversation - looked her straight in the eye as he spoke.

You wait for the crabs to come out their holes, he went on. Just as the sun sets, they come out to play and you can catch them like this. - He took up the wineglass between his thumb and forefinger. - You take them by their heads. You gotta watch yourself, mind, they don’t pinch you. – The hairy ones can get pretty mean.

The man picked up the bottle and was about to pour some wine into her glass.

Thank you, she said.

You are not eating the fish?

I’ve changed my mind, she said.

It was true she did not like the look of the Dover Soul that sat before her on the Innsmouth plate.