"Welcome to the catacombs of Dammtor, the grandest and one of the most ancient in Hamburg. For those of you who have booked in advance please step inside. I trust you have all signed the waiver as instructed? Good. This visit will be of a long duration. Now, please hand over your tickets...”
I will read to you a short horror story in which you follow a guide deep down into the intricate catacombs of Dammtor below CCH, visit the ancient sacred grounds built over centuries - and learn about a ritual only available to the most privileged...
This is not a graphic or scary story but more of a cozy "Gruselgeschichte", which I think will fit very nicely in the late hours after the talks.
"A Visit to the Catacombs of Dammtor" is based on the original work "A Visit to the Catacombs of Via Altamonvecchi" by J. Weintraub, originally published in Karamu (vol. xx, no. 2, Spring 2007), a literary review out of Eastern Illinois University. Performed with express permission by the author.
Trigger warnings (spoilers below!): Includes mentions of claustrophobia, confinement, abandonment, religious rituals, cannibalism, injury/death, rodents