Yellow Laughter

Introduction

“Yellow Laughter” is an unfinished story fragment by Robert E. Howard, capturing a harrowing experience on a ship. The protagonist recalls a poem to cope with his dire circumstances, which escalate to violence under a foreign sky filled with yellow stars.

325 words, incomplete, rejected by Weird Tales in 1926.

Summary

In “Yellow Laughter,” the unnamed protagonist narrates a series of disturbing events while aboard a ship. The fragment begins with him recalling a poem by a sailor who used to recite verses, which helps him endure his distress. This poem portrays a grandeur of experience and age, yet has an undertone of madness, something the protagonist relates to as he battles his own overwhelming thoughts.

The story is set at night, which the protagonist despises due to the multitude of blinking yellow stars that remind him of his tormented state. He works through the night, digging a hole in the floor of his cabin, desperate to access something from the cargo below, which he reaches by extending his arm through the hole he created.

As dawn approaches, painted in hues of yellow from the sunlight over saffron waves, a figure named Ao Fong enters his cabin. The protagonist describes Ao Fong as torturous, with yellow eyes that glitter menacingly. In a burst of defensive aggression, the protagonist attacks Ao Fong, snapping his ribs and holding his head in a brazier until he stops struggling.

The protagonist then escapes to the deck, which is eerily deserted, and finds a small skiff floating at the aft of the ship. Despite hearing Ao Fong’s laughter from behind, he jumps into the skiff. As he rows away, he sees Ao Fong and other crew members with yellow faces laughing fiendishly at him, heightening the sense of alienation and terror.

Characters

  • Unnamed Protagonist: The central character of the story, tormented by his circumstances and driven to extreme actions.
  • Ao Fong: Described as the torturer with yellow eyes, represents the protagonist’s antagonists aboard the ship.
  • Ship’s Crew (Unnamed): Described only by their laughter and yellow faces, they add to the protagonist’s sense of isolation and fear.

Published in: