"I haven't left yet."

I heard this story nine years ago from a childhood friend. I was a skeptic back then, but I vouch for her story, as I was indirectly involved in her experiences, even though I didn't believe it.

My friend's grandmother died, leaving her a two-room apartment in central Donetsk. After the funeral, she was afraid to be alone in her apartment for a month, but common sense prevailed, and she decided to spend the night there.

After finishing all her chores, the girl lay down on her bed and instantly fell asleep. She dreamed that her grandmother came into her room and said, "Don't you dare take my place! I haven't left yet, and you're already in my bed."

The girl woke up in a cold sweat. In the silence of the night, she clearly heard her heavy footsteps slowly moving around the apartment. Overcoming her fear, she got up, turned on the light, and found no one there. She saw that the candle next to the deceased's photo had gone out, though it hadn't burned down completely. She lit it and went back into the room. Imagine her surprise and horror when the flame immediately went out again! Her friend swears there was no draft in the house; all the windows were closed.

It was around three in the morning. Fearfully, her friend went to bed. She lay silent for a while, listening to every rustle, and was beginning to doze off, when suddenly someone grabbed her leg and pulled her out of bed. The girl was simply speechless with fear. She clearly realized she was awake and lying on the floor. Jumping up, she turned on the lights in every room, the music, the television, and didn't sleep a wink that night.

In the morning, she went to see a priest she knew. He advised her to sprinkle the house with holy water and not move in until 40 days had passed since her grandmother's death. He also recommended that after those same 40 days, she burn all of her grandmother's personal belongings, clean the entire house, and, better yet, renovate it.

That's what my friend did. All her friends, including me, helped her with the renovations. It never happened again, although, as my friend said, she was terrified of being alone in that apartment for a long time.