My paternal grandfather worked as a butcher, but he had a mysterious side that he kept hidden from everyone. He secretly practiced spiritual rituals, and no one in the family dared to speak about it, not even in whispers. My father, who witnessed some of these rituals himself, once told me that he often saw my grandfather in his room with a friend, both of them reading the Quran aloud as if they were addressing spirits.
He also used reeds inscribed with strange, indecipherable words. I personally found several of these sticks inside his wardrobe.
Upon closer inspection, I discovered that they contained spells written in Syriac, and engraved on them was the so-called 'Ghrali Triangle,' a well-known talisman. My father also told me that once, he sneaked into my grandfather’s room looking for a 'box' he had previously seen with one of my uncles. They claimed it contained gold and jewelry, but the box mysteriously disappeared and was never found again.
That night, while my father was searching the wardrobe, he found another box containing a glass vial sealed with red wax. Inside was a glowing black dot floating in the air. Suddenly, my grandfather walked in and caught him holding the vial. He shouted angrily, warning that it contained an evil jinn trapped inside, and opening it would lead to disaster.
But what truly changed my life happened not long after that.
One morning, my grandfather woke up completely blind and unable to stand. He became bedridden, with no medical explanation for his condition. He remained that way for seventeen years, during which I was his constant companion and caretaker. Over those years, I secretly began studying the strange books and manuscripts he left behind.
One evening, while I was in the bathroom, I suddenly found myself lying on my back in the hallway, surrounded by my terrified family. They told me that something invisible had picked me up and thrown me more than five meters. From that day on, I started experiencing strange events every night.
I would always wake up ten minutes before dawn, screaming loudly, feeling as if something was pressing down on my chest and suffocating me. The episode would only end if someone woke me up. Strangely, I always knew who would come to wake me, even sensing them approaching my door. When I opened my eyes, I would see one of two things: either a black cat sitting at the foot of my bed, or a shadow slipping out of the room. Sometimes, I’d see the curtains rise on their own, untouched by anyone.
One night, as I was lying in bed about to fall asleep, I felt something trying to touch me. I opened my eyes and swear to God, I saw white smoke swirling in the darkness, moving toward the door. At the same time, the curtains lifted by themselves, and I felt an intense chill and goosebumps that lasted for several minutes. I didn’t tell anyone, but the phenomenon kept happening until I got used to it.
Four months ago, I woke up at 3 a.m. to catch a train for a work trip. Throughout the journey, I felt as if I already knew everyone around me, as though I had lived through the entire scene before in every detail. I even asked one of the passengers if we’d met before, but he denied it, looking puzzled. The same thing happened again on my return trip.
When I got home, my mother told me that on the night I left, she suddenly woke up to find the light in my room on. She called my name, thinking I was still home, but when she got no answer, she went to turn off the light. Before she reached the room, the light switched off by itself, which frightened her. She advised me not to go back into the room. I reassured her it was just an electrical glitch, but she didn’t seem convinced.
Recently, during my sister’s wedding at our house, my mother was dancing with the guests when she suddenly collapsed and began speaking incoherently. Everyone gathered around her in panic. When I approached, she opened her eyes and screamed at me in a deep, masculine voice, telling me to stay away. I looked into her eyes and saw that they were wide and completely black, shining with a strange light, nothing like her usual hazel eyes.
Everyone backed away in fear. I placed my hand on her forehead and began reciting verses from the Quran. She gradually regained consciousness, with no memory of what had happened. Two weeks ago, it happened again, but this time she dug her nails into my neck, and I was only able to free myself by reciting the Quran once more.
Additional Notes:
- The screaming episodes always occur at the same time: ten minutes before dawn.
- The room I live in is the same one where my grandfather performed his rituals. Even after I changed rooms, the same phenomena continued to follow me.
Narrated by Nader (27 years old) – Morocco
Metaphysical Analysis
1- The Grandfather's Spiritual Legacy
The grandfather's involvement in magic, his possession of manuscripts written in Syriac, reeds inscribed with talismans, and a box containing a 'wax-sealed bottle' said to imprison an 'evil jinn' all point to his deep knowledge of rituals for summoning hidden entities. It's possible he even made pacts with them. The act of trapping a being inside a bottle is a well-known magical practice that uses the spiritual seal "Spiritual imprisonment", the belief is that breaking this seal releases the entity, which could then harm whoever set it free.
2- The Inherited Curse
After Nader discovered these rare incantations, he began experiencing paranormal phenomena as if something had attached itself to him, either from handling the manuscripts or by crossing spiritual boundaries set by his grandfather. This fits the idea of a "supernatural inheritance," where the heir is affected if they get too close to family secrets or break forbidden rules.3- The Entity That Visits Before Dawn
The entity’s appearance at the same time every day just before dawn has significance in some beliefs, suggesting a time when the barrier between worlds is at its thinnest. The screaming, sense of suffocation, and sightings of a cat or shadow are all classic symptoms of what’s known as "demonic sleep paralysis" or recurring supernatural nightmares.4- His Mother’s Experience
Her voice changing, her eyes shifting color, speaking in strange tongues, and specifically rejecting Nader—all resemble signs of "possession" or temporary control by an outside entity. When she returned to normal after Quranic recitation, only to relapse later, it suggested the entity never fully left.Psychological and Social Analysis
1- An Environment Steeped in Suggestion
Nader grew up in a house shrouded in mystery, with a grandfather who was both central and enigmatic. This kind of environment can predispose someone to believe in the supernatural.2- Sleep Disorders and Hallucinations
Nader’s experiences, feeling suffocated, screaming in his sleep, seeing shadows or black cats are consistent with conditions such as:- Sleep paralysis
- Hypnagogic or hypnopompic hallucinations
He also describes repeated sensations on the train, which resemble what’s known as déjà vu - a phenomenon caused by minor glitches in short-term memory.
3- The Impact of Trauma and Inherited Fear
The stories the father told about the box of gold, the genie in the bottle, and the scream let out by the grandfather all became deeply rooted in the subconscious, turning into frightening mental patterns.4- The Mother's Episodes of Transformation
The episodes his mother experienced, screaming, fainting, and incoherent speech can be medically explained as:- A dissociative trance episode.
- Or a brief psychotic episode, sometimes triggered by severe psychological stress or unconscious beliefs.
