The Protective Power of a Mother’s Beliefs

Something happened to me in a autumn day of 2020.

I have been married my husband in 2015 and we settled down in a small city in Henan Province, but my hometown is in a remote village in Hubei Province, So I don’t often go back to my mother’s house, and I have very little contact with my friends.

In the autumn of 2020, I took my child back to my hometown in Hubei Province for a visit. It had been a while since I had seen my friends and family, and I was excited to catch up with them. Everything was normal until one of my childhood friends came to visit me. She had experienced severe mental trauma in the past, which had caused her to have paranormal experiences. This made me somewhat fearful of her.

After my friend left, I went to bed feeling fine. However, as the night wore on, I began to feel an unprecedented sense of fear. I couldn’t explain where it came from, but I just felt so scared that I couldn’t sleep. Even with my child and my brother’s child sleeping in the same room, I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread. I sat on my bed, playing on my phone, trying to distract myself. But every time I closed my eyes, I felt like there were unseen people around my bed. I couldn’t bring myself to turn off the lamp in my room.

Around 2 am, I needed to use the bathroom, which was outside in the yard. However, I was too scared to leave my room. I stayed in bed, holding it in, and the sensation of dread only grew stronger. I saw my deceased grandparents, cousin, and other relatives standing around my bed, staring at me. I felt my clothes drenched in sweat, but I was too afraid to move.

Around 4 am, the feeling of dread became even stronger. My deceased relatives were still standing around my bed, staring at me. I couldn’t close my eyes or move a muscle. I was frozen with fear. It wasn’t until my mother got up that I finally felt some relief. I got up and went to the bathroom, feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

At breakfast, I told my mother what had happened the night before. She didn’t say anything but went outside to pick some branches from the peach tree. She dipped them in water and went to my room, sweeping the floor while saying, “Why are you coming back? It’s been a long time since my daughter came back home. She finally came home once, and you guys came to scare her. You all get out. Otherwise, I will shout abuse at you.” She swept my room and living room while saying this.

My mother then instructed me to put the peach tree branch on top of my wardrobe and gave me a knife to put under my pillow. That night, I wasn’t really afraid, and I soon fell asleep.

The next day, my mother explained that the peach tree branch and knife were meant to protect me from any evil spirits that might have been in my room. She had sensed that something was wrong and took action to protect me.

This experience left me questioning the existence of the paranormal. I was still unsure of what had caused my fear that night, but I was grateful for my mother’s protection. It made me wonder what other secrets lay hidden in the darkness and what other spirits might be lurking around us.