The Catacombs: The City Beneath

Six million Parisians rest in the catacombs, their bones arranged in decorative patterns that mock death's democracy. But these tunnels hold more than tourist-friendly ossuary displays. The true catacombs stretch for hundreds of kilometers, and in those unmapped depths, older things than revolutionary ghosts make their homes.

The Bone Arrangers

Official history says the bones were arranged by workers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. But catacomb explorers tell different stories:

- Bones rearranging overnight in closed sections - New patterns appearing that match no historical record - Skulls turning to face specific directions - Most unsettling, bones from different eras sorting themselves by death date

The arrangers aren't malevolent but seem obsessed with order. Some theorize they're the spirits of those whose graves were disturbed, seeking to create meaning from mass burial. Others suggest something older—pre-Christian priests maintaining death rituals in the only temple left to them.

The Lost Explorers

Illegal catacomb exploration, called cataphilia, claims victims regularly. Some are found. Others join the permanent population:

- The Map Maker: A figure in 1920s clothing who offers hand-drawn maps to lost explorers. Following the maps leads out—but to exits that shouldn't exist - The Party Girl: A young woman in 1960s dress who invites explorers to gatherings. Those who follow hear music and laughter that recedes eternally - The Photographer: Carrying equipment from various eras, he takes pictures of explorers. Some later find themselves in old photographs they couldn't have been in - Most helpful, the Bone Dog: A skeletal canine that leads genuinely lost explorers to safety, its clicking paws the only sound in the darkness

The Deep Ceremonies

In the unmapped depths, explorers report encountering: - Hooded figures performing rituals around bone altars - Chanting in languages that predate Latin - Chambers decorated with symbols no archaeologist recognizes - Most disturbing, ceremonies that seem to include both living and dead participants

These deep dwellers avoid surface explorers but don't seem hostile. They're engaged in work—maintaining something, preventing something, or perhaps preparing for something. The few who've observed them closely report overwhelming sensations of age and purpose.