The Red Fetish by Frank Belknap Long

Name: The Red Fetish
Author: Frank Belknap Long

Stranded on an atoll after a wreck, Bill Cullen and his frightened companion Wellington Van Wyck face death from thirst, their food and water gone after three punishing days in the sun. Bill, half-maddened by hunger and salt water, proposes a six-mile swim to a nearby island marked on the chart as inhabited by cannibals; Van Wyck, terrified of both the natives and of Bill himself, resists. Bill needles Van Wyck's cowardice and then confesses that for three nights he has lain awake plotting to kill and eat him, forcing Van Wyck to realize Bill secretly suspects him of harboring the same intention with his hidden knife. This mutual threat, more than the sea or the cannibals, decides the matter: better to risk drowning or capture than to remain alone together. They eat three clams, sleep fitfully, and at dawn strip, bundle their clothes under a coco palm, and wade into the icy water. The swim is a slow agony of cramping limbs and swallowed brine. Van Wyck, driven by panic, pulls ahead of Bill, insisting he must keep swimming or sink, and jokes grimly that the cannibals will make gods of them. As they near the island they spot dozens of tattooed, shell-adorned natives on the rocks, howling and capering. Before either man can decide how to approach, a shark fin appears. The sharks ignore Bill and converge on Van Wyck, who is torn apart within sight of the shore while Bill watches, unable to look away, as the sea turns crimson. When the feeding ends, the sharks depart without touching Bill. Finding the cannibals no longer visible, Bill swims around the island to a second, cleaner beach with a freshwater stream and abundant fruit, and briefly exults in his survival. But natives soon emerge from the trees and surround him. Resigned to death, he waits in dread — only for their spokesman, in a Bantu dialect Bill understands, to thank him profusely for "the very fine gift" that "came ashore" before him: a tall youth presents Van Wyck's severed head, which the tribe reveres and to which the spokesman makes an worshipful speech, praising its power to protect them in war and peace. Overwhelmed with horror, Bill collapses on the sand. The story closes three months later: a trading-sloop rescues Bill, now raving about the indignity of a head denied proper burial and about the cannibals' trophy-teeth customs. The traders dismiss his ravings as madness, since the tribe had in fact worshiped him and let him roam the island freely — his mind permanently unhinged by the memory of Van Wyck's severed, worshiped head.

By Frank Belknap Long · First published 1942 · Genre: Horror, Adventure, Psychological Fiction · 5,597 words

First lines

Bill Cullen shaded his eyes with his hand and stared at the empty skyline. His arms, as he stood in the glittering light, showed scraggy and emaciated and his features were pinched and black. There had been strong winds blowing and enormous seas thundering on the beach, and the ferocity of the elements had accentuated his helplessness. He turned to his companion with a gesture of despair.

"Look here," he said, "you know as well as I do that it is physically impossible for us to hang on without water. What do you say to a swim?"

What this Textopian page supports

The Red Fetish is listed on Textopian as a novel by Frank Belknap Long, dated 1942 CE.

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Work type: Novel
Author: Frank Belknap Long
Date: 1942 CE
Language: English
Genres: Horror, Adventure, Psychological Fiction, Survival Fiction, Dark Fantasy
Length: 5,597 words
Structure: 1 section, 91 paragraphs
Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)

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Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters

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Similar titles

Genres

Horror — The story explores themes of survival, cannibalism, and the psychological terror of isolation, creating a deeply unsettling atmosphere.
Adventure — The plot revolves around the perilous journey of two men stranded on an island, facing both natural and human threats.
Psychological Fiction — The narrative delves into the mental states of the characters, particularly their fears and moral dilemmas in extreme circumstances.
Survival Fiction — The characters must navigate life-threatening situations, emphasizing the struggle for survival against the elements and each other.