The Binding Invitation

Warning. Never accept an invitation to witness "The Binding." My grandmother's

village still practices this ritual every harvest moon. They choose someone who wandered too

close to the old church ruins. That person gets led into the catacombs where thirteen robed

figures chant in a language that predates Latin. The chosen one must drink from a cracked

chalice filled with black liquid. Within seconds, their shadow separates from their body

and joins the others dancing on the walls. The villagers claim it keeps something worse contained

below. But I've seen the shadows. They're screaming. My grandmother just

handed me an invitation with my name on it.