A light horror story by I.M. Gerhi
Night Thesis is a psychological mystery story set in the remote hills of southern Natal. It follows Professor Truter and Ariadne Papadopoulos from Griqualand West University, as they embark on an arduous journey to find Jochem Kok, a reclusive doctoral candidate. Their mission: to assess his research after his supervisor, Doctor Marais, abruptly leaves the university.
Jochem, isolated in a crumbling stone cottage, has become obsessed with the theories of a long-forgotten writer, Hendrik Verneuk. He insists he is on the verge of a groundbreaking discovery, but his erratic behavior and claims of unseen company raise concerns. The tension builds as he insists that Doctor Marais is still with him—despite the professor’s shocking revelation that Marais had taken his own life days before.
As reality blurs and Jochem’s mental state unravels, the visitors are left disturbed, forced to abandon their mission when he disappears into the wilderness, refusing to leave his work behind. In the eerie final moments, Ariadne glimpses what appears to be a spectral figure standing in the doorway, hinting that Jochem’s descent into madness—or his connection to something supernatural—may not be as unfounded as it seems.
At the moment Night Thesis is only available as part of the short story collection Night Light Tales.
Update: 9 October 2025
I am expanding Night Thesis into a full novel with the new title and author: Midnight Thesis by Gerhi Janse van Vuuren.
Read a sample:
“What do you expect we will find, Professor?”
The burning question was eventually asked, after almost four hours on the road, by Ariadne Papadopoulos, departmental secretary of Comparative Literature at Griqualand West University.
Professor Truter, the head of the department, was gripping the steering wheel tightly enough that his knuckles turned white.
Turning off the tar road had gone well for the first mile or two, but soon the new Mercedes-Benz rattled and wobbled along a two-lane track as if it were an old Model T Ford. The track could hardly be described as a road.
“I have no idea. This is a damned situation no matter how you look at it. And not a duty that fills me with any pleasure at all. I fear that what we have to tell Doctor Marais’ protégé will not fill either of them with joy.”
“I also wish we did not have to do this,” said Ariadne as she stared out the window at the rolling hills of the southern Natal landscape. “But I am glad to see Jochem again. I kind of… missed him.”
Professor Truter held his tongue. He had a strict policy not to interfere with matters of the heart, whether involving employees or students. Some things simply could not be explained or weighed effectively and were best left alone.
The car jumped to the left, almost leaving the tracks.
Ariadne held tightly to the door handle. “Are you sure we are going the right way, Professor?”
“You wouldn’t believe it, but I have been here before,” he said.
“You have? You don’t leave the department much.”
The professor shook his head, keeping his eyes fixed on the road. “Comparative literature is not a discipline that requires much fieldwork. —
…end of sample
Night Thesis © I.M. Gerhi