**“Sleep, Kuzya”**

This happened on September 17, 2012 — I remember the date because it was a special day with my boyfriend. I lived alone in my uncle’s two-room apartment. I wasn’t afraid to be alone and fell asleep completely calmly.

I woke up around 2 a.m. I was terribly thirsty, but I didn’t rush to get out of bed. When I slightly opened my eyes, I noticed some movement near my bed. By the silhouette and the robe, I realized it was my mother. She was walking around the room and folding my clothes.

— Sleep, Kuzya (that’s what she called me as a child), — she said. — I’ll lie down too, and we’ll hug…

I nodded and closed my eyes. And then I jerked — I remembered that I was completely alone in the apartment, I was no longer three years old, and I had quarreled with my mother and hadn’t spoken to her for a week. I froze with fear. I didn’t want to open my eyes, and I couldn’t.

Meanwhile, it lay down behind me and hugged me:

— Sleep, Kuzya. I’ll hug you…

With these words, it began to strangle me, compressing my chest. I tried to remember what one usually says to drive away an evil spirit. Only one word came to mind: *“Begone.”* But I couldn’t say it — it had already pressed too hard against my chest. It mimicked me, giggling and hissing into my ear: “Begone.” I thought it was the end, and in desperation, I began to recall the *Our Father* prayer. I started reciting it silently, and then, when the grip loosened, I began to speak it aloud. Gradually, it lost strength, and in response, it became very angry and hissed. Then it finally let me go.

I jumped out of bed. I didn’t even turn on the light — I grabbed my phone, ran to the kitchen, and frantically dialed my mother’s number. Thank God, she was fine. I told her what had happened. She believed me and told me to go spend the night at my boyfriend’s. That’s what I did and returned only the next day. My mother brought a kind of folk healer who sprinkled holy water in the corners of the rooms. The night visit never repeated.

By the way, for those who might try to explain this as “sleep paralysis,” it wasn’t. First, my clothes really were in a different place, not where I had left them before sleeping. Second, there were faint but clearly visible bruises on my chest from the pressure.