I Followed My Daughter and Discovered Something Horrifying in the Basement

My daughter Lilly has always been ahead of her peers. She was walking at five months and reading by three, which made it hard for her to connect with other kids. Even as she grew older, she never really formed close friendships, but she was always a happy, outgoing child, content to play with her dolls or spend time with me and her mom, Susan.

So, it came as a shock when about six months ago, Lilly started hanging out with a new group of kids. These kids dressed in all black, wore heavy makeup, and talked about dark topics—magic, death, and hidden truths about the universe. Not the crowd we’d imagined for her.

Naturally, we tried to talk her out of it, but like any teen, she had perfected the art of ignoring us. It was frustrating, but we didn’t want to push too hard.

Still, something didn’t sit right. So, one day, I decided to follow one of her friends. After wandering through town, he led me to a dark, eerie house with shelves lined with books on magic and jars of strange substances. I followed him to the basement, where a circle was drawn on the floor. He began chanting, performing what looked like a ritual. When I glanced at one of the books, it was about contacting spirits.

I knew we couldn’t let Lilly get involved in this. I rushed home to tell Susan, and we both agreed to act fast.

The next time Lilly met her friends, we followed. Just as I feared, they headed to that same house. Hidden, we watched them draw another circle.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this, Lilly?” one asked.

“I’ve waited long enough,” she replied.

The air grew cold as they chanted. I had to stop it. I rushed forward and smudged the circle.

“Dad, no!” Lilly cried.

But it was too late. The circle was broken—and I began to disappear.