Selección Terror: Ritual de Alucinados

# Ritual de Alucinados by Ralph Barby

This supernatural thriller centers on Herbert Perkins, a society columnist for Week Life Magazine in London, and his attractive secretary Ava. Perkins invites Ava to an exclusive dinner hosted by Lady Allison, ostensibly to meet León Adaniev, a mysterious European occultist who claims expertise in astral projection and spiritual phenomena rather than conventional stage magic.

At the gathering, Adaniev approaches Ava directly, revealing he knows her name and proposing she become his professional companion—a "beautiful assistant" for his sessions at private gatherings, offering quadruple her salary. When Ava refuses, Adaniev grows insistent, claiming he can offer her extraordinary experiences. He seizes her hand and induces a hypnotic state, forcing her consciousness into an astral journey. She finds herself in a dark crypt illuminated by torches, confronting a granite tomb and coffin, overwhelmed by cold and inexplicable dread. The narrative suggests Adaniev possesses genuine supernatural powers beyond mere illusion.