The Curse of Çökelek Village | A True Horror Story

True Horror Story | Summary: This horror story, set in Çökelek village in Bursa, recounts the terrifying days of Osman Kağan, filled with his family’s cursed past, treasure, magic, and unforgettable nightmares.

The event I am about to recount concerns Osman Kağan, who lived in Çökelek village, bağlı to the Büyükorhan district of Bursa, made a living from animal husbandry, lost his mother and father at a young age, and lived alone. The names of the people mentioned in this event will not be changed. The event will be narrated from Osman Kağan’s perspective.

It was September 1983. The cold had slowly begun to show its effect, and the villagers had started preparations for winter. I woke up early in the morning and took the animals out of the barn. A few days earlier, the handle of the axe had broken while I was chopping wood. I was sitting in the barn repairing the axe handle. About 50 meters in front of my house, there is a cemetery that the villagers call the “desolate cemetery.” My late mother and late father also lie there. For the past week, I had been hearing strange sounds from that cemetery. While repairing the axe handle, I heard the same sounds. As always, I didn’t pay much attention and continued my work.

After about five minutes, I heard the same sounds more intensely. It was as if someone was asking for help. I hastily threw the axe handle somewhere and ran towards the cemetery. Since the cemetery was very old, the hornbeam, plane, and oak trees there had grown quite tall. Even during the daytime, the cemetery didn’t get much sun. The sound started to get louder. I could now clearly hear what was being said. I heard words like “We came to take,” “You shouldn’t have done it.” When I shouted, “Who’s there?” the sounds suddenly stopped. When I went a little further, I saw words similar to Arabic on the trunk of the hornbeam tree at the head of my mother’s and father’s grave.

Cemal, the son of Ali Ağa, one of the village elders, knew about these things. He is also my dearest friend. I ran, got Cemal from his house, and brought him to my parents’ grave. I told him about the strange sounds I had been hearing for about a week and the incident I experienced. He hesitated for a bit. “I don’t know what’s written, but I know someone. We’ll go soon and find out what it is,” he said. After talking for a while, I invited him to my house. While I was putting the animals in the barn, Cemal repaired the broken axe handle. I finished my work and went to him. The sun was slowly setting; evening had fallen. I saw Cemal off and came home. I lay down by the stove.

My mother and father came to my mind. They had died when I was five. I never fully learned the reason why. My uncle raised me. He passed away ten years ago. Whenever I asked, “Uncle, how did my mother and father die?” he either changed the subject or brushed me off. After a while, I got tired of it and didn’t ask anymore. But when I was twelve, I heard something from the village neighbors: My mother and father had hanged themselves at dawn while I was asleep. I haven’t been able to accept it since I heard it. They wouldn’t have hanged themselves for no reason.

While thinking about my parents, I was startled by a dog barking outside. Sleepiness had overcome me. I went out, closed the garden gate, and checked the barn door. I entered the house. As I lay by the stove thinking about today’s event, the door suddenly knocked. I got up and opened the door. As soon as I opened it, I felt the blood drain from my veins. My mother and father were looking at me, saying, “Melun!” (Cursed!). I felt a breath on the back of my neck and turned around. My uncle was looking at me with his pupils turned red. He started strangling me with his hands and whispering something in Arabic. When I looked at the door again, I saw my mother and father hanging by their necks inside the doorway. Suddenly, I jumped out of bed at the sound of the morning call to prayer. I was out of breath. I felt a pain in my arm, but on one hand, I was somewhat relieved that what I saw was a nightmare, and on the other hand, having this nightmare after today’s event scared me quite a bit.

I couldn’t sleep due to the effect of this event. I waited for the sun to rise. As soon as the sun rose, I opened the barn door and let the animals out. After having breakfast and filling my stomach, I headed to Ali Ağa’s house. Cemal was chopping wood in the garden. When he saw me, he dropped the axe in his hand. “Welcome, brother,” he said and invited me inside. We went inside and sat down. We chatted for a bit. I told Cemal about the dream I had at night and asked the meaning of the word “melun.” He said the Turkish meaning of “melun” is “lanetli” (cursed). For the dream, he said, “You must have been affected after seeing those writings yesterday. Nothing to worry about,” which relieved me somewhat.

While we were talking, Cemal’s mother, Saadet Teyze, entered. As long as I’ve known her, Saadet Teyze doesn’t speak. Not wanting to be rude, I never asked Cemal about it. Saadet Teyze is a bit stern. So far, apart from a few smiles, I haven’t seen even a slight grin on her face.

Cemal said, “Let’s take another look at that writing, brother.” I said, “Okay,” and we set off. On the way to the cemetery, I asked, “Who is this person you mentioned, Cemal? Who are they?” “I swore not to say anything about this man, Osman. You’ll see when he comes anyway,” Cemal said. Since he said that, I didn’t insist much. When we reached the graves, we saw that a branch of the tree had broken and covered my parents’ grave. We quickly lifted the branch, and Cemal suddenly started screaming. There was a black snake on my mother’s grave. I laughed and said, “Are you scared of this, brother?” and shooed the snake away from the grave with the tree branch. Cemal’s face had turned white as a sheet. Cemal and I have been friends for thirty years. One morning when he was very young, Cemal was bitten by a snake. He has been afraid of snakes ever since. This incident came to my mind later. “I’m sorry, brother,” I said. He nodded his head as if to say it didn’t matter.

After catching our breath for a bit, we went to my house. While Cemal was sitting in the courtyard, I went inside to make tea. While I was inside, Cemal suddenly shouted, “Melun!” I dropped what I was holding and ran outside. “What happened, brother?” I asked. Cemal looked at me blankly. “What are you talking about, brother?” he said. I told him he had just shouted “melun.” Cemal looked at my face in astonishment. “Sorry, brother, it must be the effect of the dream,” he said and went inside. But I was quite sure Cemal had shouted. When I brought the tea to him, Cemal was staring at me with his eyes wide open. He stood up and started shouting. At that moment, I suddenly startled. Cemal said, “I’ve been calling you for two hours, didn’t you hear?” I had been daydreaming while standing. It was the first time something like this had happened to me. I told Cemal how he had just stared at me with wide-open eyes and shouted. He did nothing but stare in astonishment.

The sun was slowly setting. Cemal said, “If you want, I can stay with you tonight, brother. You seem quite affected.” I replied, “Am I a child, brother? It’s just a dream,” and saw Cemal off. I put the animals in the barn and went into the house. I made myself Turkish coffee, sat on the cushion, and started thinking about the events of the past two days. The night prayer call was being recited. The coffee hadn’t kept me awake; on the contrary, it made me feel even sleepier. I got up from the cushion, washed the cup, and then lay down.

Suddenly, lightning flashed, illuminating the inside of the house. During that flash, I saw my mother and father in front of the door. Then lightning flashed again, and this time they appeared right in front of me. My mother had a black snake in her hand. She had no pupils. My mother shouted, “Melun!” and placed the black snake on me. Then, suddenly, they both disappeared. Lightning flashed once more, and I saw both of them hanging by their necks from the ceiling. The snake coiled around my neck and started squeezing. Suddenly, I startled awake at the sound of the morning call to prayer. I remembered yesterday’s dream. I had seen my mother and father hanging themselves again. This event was starting to anger me more than scare me. But this time, I had fallen asleep while waiting for the sun to rise.

I opened my eyes to the sound of roosters. I got up and washed my face. I opened the barn door. One of the animals was missing. I went inside and looked. One of them was lying on the ground. No matter how hard I tried to lift it, it wouldn’t get up. While I was having breakfast in the courtyard, it suddenly screamed and started running outside. When it screamed like that, I ran towards it. I entered the barn and looked where the animal was lying. The black snake we saw in the cemetery yesterday was inside the barn. I ran home to get the scythe to cut the snake’s head off. When I returned to the barn, the snake was gone. Even though I searched the barn thoroughly, I couldn’t find it. With that fatigue, I went to the courtyard to rest.

Just then, Cemal arrived and said the man we were waiting for would come today. “You said he would come in three days?” I said. “This man is unpredictable, Osman. He might say he’ll come in a month and show up a week later,” he replied. We went to Cemal’s house together and started waiting in the courtyard. Before long, a boy aged 15-16 came and told Cemal, “Brother, Kamuran Amca is waiting for you.” Cemal, the young man who came to call us, and I set off. The man lived in a dilapidated house among the beech trees, five kilometers beyond the village. I had seen this house many times while grazing the animals, but I had never gone to look. As we approached the house, the young man who came to call us said, “I can only come this far, brother. Continue alone from here,” and left. I looked at Cemal as if asking, “Why can’t this boy come?” Cemal paid little attention and continued. I followed him.

The walls of the house were built with stones, and the garden was entered through an iron gate. When we reached the iron gate, Cemal said, “You wait back,” and knocked hard on the gate once. A tall, well-built man with a black turban on his head came out from inside the house. This must be the Kamuran Amca the young man mentioned. The man staggered slightly towards the iron gate and looked into Cemal’s and my eyes, nodding his head as if welcoming us. I was a little scared of the man. There were Arabic words written on the door of his house. Seeing those writings scared me even more. The inside of the house smelled bad. There were small livestock feet and heads everywhere. On the wall of the house, there was a strange shape drawn with red paint. The man pointed to the brown cushions on the floor and said, “Please, sit.”

We sat down. Cemal explained the cemetery incident. I also recounted the dreams I had had in the last two days. After listening, the man looked into my eyes for a few seconds. Then he asked, “What are your mother’s and father’s names?” I said Nazik and Süleyman, respectively. The man wrote a few words in Arabic on papers, then asked my name and added another word at the bottom of the paper. He stood up, took the copper bowl from the large wooden table, and sat down. He dipped the copper bowl into the cloudy water in the large copper container in front of him and took some water. He dried his hand with an old white cloth and threw the paper with the Arabic word written on it into the water. After reading something in Arabic for about 15 minutes, he blew his breath into the copper bowl and, looking at me, said, “Drink this water.” I was afraid to drink the water, but since the man had spent a long time on it, I felt obligated to drink it, and I did. After drinking the water, Kamuran Amca said, “Look into my eyes.” When I looked into his eyes, I started yawning. I couldn’t understand what was happening. I continued yawning repeatedly. After the yawning stopped, he didn’t speak for a while. Looking into my eyes angrily, he said, “Let’s go check that grave.”

We all went outside and headed towards the cemetery. When we reached the village, the sun was about to set. Cemal turned to Kamuran Amca: “Be our guest tonight. We’ll go look tomorrow in daylight,” he said. Kamuran Amca was silent for a moment, then turned to me. “I hear you live alone. It would be more appropriate for me to be your guest at your house tonight,” he said. I didn’t want Kamuran Amca to be a guest at my house, but again, I felt a great sense of responsibility and nodded my head. Cemal went into his house. As Kamuran Amca and I walked towards my house, he suddenly turned to me and said, “There is a great danger upon you, son. God willing, we will save you from this danger,” and smiled. Because of this sentence, I warmed up to Kamuran Amca a little. We went home, and I prepared a place for Kamuran Amca to sleep and made tea. Since Kamuran Amca arrived at the house, he had been looking at the ceiling. I couldn’t ask because I felt shy. “Strange, very strange,” he said suddenly. I asked, “What’s strange, Kamuran Amca?” “It’s nothing important. Pour the tea so we can drink,” he said.

We drank tea and talked a bit. I told him about the events I experienced in more detail. He just nodded his head while listening to what I told him. He didn’t say anything reassuring about the situation. “I’m sleepy, is my place ready?” he asked. I didn’t like his tone, but without showing it, I said, “It’s ready, uncle, ready.” I showed him his place, and he lay down. After tidying up, I lay down in my own place.

Before long, a sound came from inside, from the room where Kamuran Amca was sleeping. I couldn’t understand exactly what he said. I quickly went to the room. Kamuran Amca was standing with his back turned. He suddenly turned to me and smiled. He started walking slowly towards me. The inside of the room suddenly darkened for some reason I didn’t know. Kamuran Amca wasn’t visible. I felt a pain in my left arm. When I lifted my arm, I saw a black snake squeezing my wrist. The room lit up for a few seconds. There was at most one step between Kamuran Amca and me. He had no pupils. “You’re dead, son,” he said, pointing upwards. Above, I saw my mother and father hanging by their necks. Their tongues were out, their faces were purple, and they were staring into my eyes with their eyes wide open. I suddenly jumped. The morning call to prayer was sounding again. I had gotten somewhat used to these kinds of dreams by now. With all my composure, I went to Kamuran Amca’s room, but he wasn’t there. Just then, a sound came from outside. I went out. Kamuran Amca was standing in front of the door, watching the garden. I called out. He turned to me and said, “You stay inside.” I didn’t understand what was happening. I went inside and waited for Kamuran Amca to come. Soon after, he came inside. He told me to recite Surah Nas 21 times and went to his room. I did as he said and then lay down.

I woke up to the sound of the door. Cemal had arrived. I got up and opened the door. At that moment, Kamuran Amca also came out of his room and greeted Cemal. We had breakfast together in the courtyard. I did my usual chores, and they chatted a bit in the courtyard. Kamuran Amca suddenly stood up. “The time has come, let’s go look at that cemetery,” he said. We all set off together. As we walked to the cemetery, I heard Kamuran Amca saying something in Arabic. When he saw the writing on the tree at the head of the graves, he started yawning again, just like yesterday. I couldn’t understand this yawning at all. I turned to Cemal and asked, “Why is this happening, brother?” Cemal put his index finger to his lips and said, “Shush.” Kamuran Amca’s yawning had passed. He turned to me and asked, “Why did your mother and father die?” I replied, “They died when I was very young. Fate came and took their souls, but I don’t really know.” Kamuran Amca was silent for a moment. Without waiting for him to speak, I asked, “What does it say on the tree, uncle?” Looking at the tree, he said it read “1951.” At first, I couldn’t make sense of this number, but then the date my parents died came to my mind: they died in 1951. I told this to Kamuran Amca. He continued looking at the tree for a while. He turned to me and said, “There is magic on this tree, son. Let’s go home, I have a few things to tell you.”

Without saying anything, I walked ahead towards the house in astonishment. Kamuran Amca and Cemal followed behind, talking. When we got home, we saw Cemal’s mother, Saadet Teyze, standing in front of the barn door, looking at the barn with her back turned. I called out, “Saadet Teyze!” but she continued looking at the barn without changing her posture. Cemal took his mother’s arm and brought her to the courtyard. He sat her on a chair and asked me to bring a glass of water. I brought the water. Saadet Teyze drank the water and suddenly stood up and walked towards her house. When I asked Cemal the reason for this, he said she had been acting like this for about three weeks. At this point, Kamuran Amca looked at Cemal and said, “Go to your mother.” Cemal, not understanding what was happening, headed home. Kamuran Amca entered the house angrily. I followed him. “What happened, uncle?” I asked. Kamuran Amca frowned. “That woman is not well, son. She is possessed by jinn, that woman is possessed!” he said. I’ve known Saadet Teyze for a long time; she has never harmed me, and I like her. After hearing what Kamuran Amca said, I was a bit surprised but didn’t pay much attention to his words.

Before long, Cemal came into the garden shouting. Kamuran Amca and I went outside. Cemal said, “Something happened to my mother, help!” Cemal and I ran to the house. Kamuran Amca came a bit behind due to trouble with his foot. Saadet Teyze was lying stretched out in the room, staring at the ceiling and trembling. Just then, Kamuran Amca entered the room and started reciting something in Arabic loudly. As Kamuran Amca recited, Saadet Teyze’s trembling increased slightly. Saadet Teyze suddenly sat up and looked into my eyes, saying “Melikun!” and fainted a few seconds later. I looked at Kamuran Amca and Cemal in astonishment and fear. Saadet Teyze was a woman who hadn’t spoken as long as I’d known her. How could she speak? More than her speaking, the word she said and it being the product of what I experienced scared and astonished me greatly. Kamuran Amca looked at Cemal and me and shouted, “Get out of the house!” Cemal and I went out into the courtyard without understanding what was happening. Kamuran Amca was reciting Surahs loudly inside. A few minutes later, screams were added to Kamuran Amca’s voice. These screams coming from inside belonged to Saadet Teyze. Cemal couldn’t bear it anymore and went inside. I was following him. The screams had stopped. Saadet Teyze was still lying on the floor. There was blood around where she lay. We looked at Kamuran Amca blankly. There was something bloody in Kamuran Amca’s palm. We went out into the courtyard without paying attention. Cemal took his mother to her room in shock. I followed Kamuran Amca out into the courtyard.

Kamuran Amca was washing his hand. He had placed the thing from his palm on the marble stone in the courtyard. As I looked at it, unable to understand, Kamuran Amca angrily said, “That cursed thing.” I asked what that thing was. Kamuran Amca sat on the chair in the courtyard without paying any attention. I asked again. He looked into my eyes and said, “That is a piece of a mercilessly made spell.” I looked in astonishment at the thing lying on the marble stone. It looked like flesh; one side was slightly whitened, and the other side was blackened. Just then, Cemal arrived. Kamuran Amca told Cemal the same things he had told me. About an hour later, we all entered the room where Saadet Teyze was lying. She was lying semi-conscious. She startled a bit when she saw me. Kamuran Amca recited something in Arabic. The things he recited visibly relieved Saadet Teyze. Saadet Teyze sat up a bit and said to Kamuran Amca, “May Allah be pleased with you.” I was astonished once again. The woman who hadn’t spoken for years suddenly spoke.

Kamuran Amca asked Saadet Teyze the reason for her silence. Saadet Teyze frowned and looked at me. I couldn’t understand her gaze. She started getting increasingly angry. “That man called İbrahim, his uncle, did this!” she said. Cemal looked at me and suddenly shouted, “What did you do to my mother?!” Kamuran Amca grabbed Cemal by the shoulder, pulled him closer. I had no information about what Saadet Teyze had gone through. I only remember my uncle bowing his head and being unable to look Saadet Teyze in the face whenever he saw her. I went out into the courtyard, sad and angry. Kamuran Amca followed me. “You go home, I’ll find out what happened and come,” he said. After what Cemal said, I didn’t really want to stay there much longer. I went home without objecting.

A few hours later, Kamuran Amca arrived. He looked at my face in astonishment. “Tell me a bit about your uncle. What did he do, what kind of person was he?” he asked. I said he was a bit stern and engaged in animal husbandry like me. Kamuran Amca was silent for a moment, examining the ceiling. He suddenly went outside, took the log I used for chopping wood, and placed it in the middle of the room. He climbed on it and looked at the ceiling. He got down and moved the log. I watched him without asking what he was doing. There was a small hole in the ceiling towards the door. He gently tapped the middle of the small hole with his hand. A round piece of wood pushed inwards, creating an opening in the ceiling large enough for a human hand. He reached his hand inside and found an amulet wrapped in black cloth. I continued watching him in astonishment. He got down from the log and sat on the cushion. He began to carefully open the amulet. After opening the amulet, he took a piece of meat from the inner pocket of his robe. As soon as he took out the meat, a foul smell filled the room. It was a piece of meat. He cut the piece of meat with a knife he also took from his robe’s pocket. Inside it, there was another small amulet. I was becoming increasingly astonished and scared.

As I watched what Kamuran Amca was doing, I was startled by the sound of the door. It was Cemal. He looked sad and angry, entered, and sat next to Kamuran Amca. I closed the door and sat down next to them. Nobody spoke. Kamuran Amca said, “We need to go to my house. There are things I need. The sooner we finish, the better.” We set off hastily. When we arrived at the house, it was dark. Kamuran Amca lit a few candles and placed them in the corners of the room. He took a gas lamp next to him and sat down. Cemal and I sat opposite him. He read the writings inside the amulet. He took a piece of string several spans long and tied knots. He threw the amulets into the cloudy water in the copper bowl. He handed the string to me and said, “Hold the string over the bowl. Repeat what I say. Untie one of the knots each time I bow my head.” I did as he said. He took the papers out of the water and told me to drink the water. I drank the water.

Kamuran Amca said, “We will stay here tonight.” Cemal said he needed to be with his mother. Kamuran Amca nodded his head and saw Cemal off. Cemal not even looking at my face as he left the house surprised and saddened me greatly. I was starting to get tired of not understanding the events I was experiencing. Kamuran Amca closed the door and sat back in his place. Time had passed. Kamuran Amca showed me where I would sleep and said, “Don’t be afraid, you will sleep comfortably tonight.” I lay down, thought about the day’s events, and fell asleep before long.

I startled awake to the sound of a scream. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. When I turned my head, I felt as if my soul was leaving my body out of fear. Kamuran Amca, Cemal, Saadet Teyze, my mother, my father, and my uncle were lined up side by side, sitting and laughing at me! I immediately got into bed and pulled the blanket over my head. A few seconds later, someone pressed on my shoulders and made me lie on my back. I couldn’t see anything through the blanket and couldn’t move. It was as if I was frozen solid.

I woke up to the sound of the call to prayer. I felt pain in my shoulder. What Kamuran Amca had said came to mind. He had said I would sleep comfortably tonight. So what was this dream I saw? I waited in bed for the sun to rise. Kamuran Amca wasn’t there. He came inside as the sun rose. I went to him and told him about the dream I saw. He looked at me and said, “This matter will be resolved today, don’t worry.” After having breakfast together, we set off. Cemal met us at the garden gate. He said Saadet Teyze wanted to talk to me. As I was heading inside the house, I saw Saadet Teyze coming out into the courtyard. I went up to her and looked at her face without saying anything. Pointing to a chair, she said, “Sit.” She sat on the chair opposite me and said, “Your uncle cast a spell on me too, son. Because of him, I couldn’t speak for years.” I looked at Saadet Teyze in astonishment. After being silent for a moment, I asked, “How did it happen, Saadet Teyze?”

Saadet Teyze recounted what had happened. Once upon a time, my father and uncle found a large treasure. My uncle was very jealous of my father. To extract the treasure, they found a hodja from a nearby village. The hodja said this treasure belonged to jinn and could only be extracted by making a pact. Although my father didn’t want to accept, my uncle forced him to, and they extracted the treasure. My mother and Saadet Teyze were very close back then. When my father told my mother about these events, my mother didn’t keep it secret and told Saadet Teyze. One day, Saadet Teyze saw my uncle on the road and told him she knew everything and that if he didn’t give her a share of the treasure, she would tell the whole village. Although she regretted saying it afterwards, it was too late. My uncle didn’t want to share the treasure with anyone. To possess the treasure alone, he had a spell cast on my mother and father. I was four years old at the time. One day, Saadet Teyze came to our house. When she entered the house, she saw my mother and father hanging from the ceiling. Just then, my uncle came home and witnessed Saadet Teyze seeing this event. Saadet Teyze ran home and didn’t tell anyone anything. Fearing that Saadet Teyze would tell someone about the events she saw, my uncle had a spell cast on her, and Saadet Teyze’s tongue was tied. My uncle hid the treasure gold in the barn. One day he went to get it but couldn’t find it and regretted what he had done. Although he went to Saadet Teyze to ask for forgiveness, Saadet Teyze never forgave him.

I was very surprised after hearing these things. Kamuran Amca said he wanted to look at the barn, and we all went towards the barn together. I took the animals out of the barn and started cleaning the mess there. I told Kamuran Amca where I saw the snake. He told me to bring a pickaxe and shovel from outside. I took the pickaxe and shovel and started digging where I saw the snake. As we dug, Kamuran Amca was saying something in Arabic. Suddenly, the ground shook, and Saadet Teyze started screaming. I threw the pickaxe I was holding to the ground and went to Saadet Teyze. Cemal and I held her arm together. Saadet Teyze shouted in a loud voice, “If you don’t give those golds, blood will be shed!” Kamuran Amca opened his hands and recited Arabic verses. As he recited, the shaking intensified, and blood started coming from Saadet Teyze’s mouth. Before long, the intensity of the shaking decreased, and Saadet Teyze came to her senses. Turning to Kamuran Amca, she said, “If you don’t hurry, they will come here!” and turning to me, she said they would take my life. I took the pickaxe and continued digging quickly. After digging for a while, the pickaxe hit something hard. A large pot emerged from the place we dug. Kamuran Amca told me to bring a large cloth from the house. I went home and brought the cloth. Kamuran Amca lifted the pot and slammed it hard on the ground, and blood flowed out of it! Cemal, Saadet Teyze, and I were astonished. Kamuran Amca calmly covered the spilled blood on the ground with the cloth and said we needed to go outside. After we went out, he continued reciting verses loudly.

About half an hour later, he called us inside and told us to lift the cloth. When we lifted the cloth, we saw that the blood had turned into gold! Kamuran Amca asked for a sack to fill the gold. After finding a sack and filling it with gold, Kamuran Amca asked Saadet Teyze where my father and uncle had extracted the gold from. Saadet Teyze said they found it in one of the nearby villages, which had been abandoned for years. Cemal, Kamuran Amca, and I took the gold and set off. When we reached the village, evening was about to fall. Kamuran Amca said that such treasures are usually under beech trees. There was only one beech tree in the village. Without wasting time, we started digging right next to the beech tree. Kamuran Amca was reciting jinn verses. We dug until we opened a pit large enough to fit the gold. When the pit reached that size, we put the gold in and buried it. The sun had completely set. After burying the gold, we set off.

On the way home, I asked Kamuran Amca what the “1951” writing on the tree at my parents’ grave meant. “Your uncle had a spell cast on your mother and father in 1951. They performed this spell in the same year. The jinn haunting your mother and father didn’t leave them alone even in their graves. They wrote these numbers on the tree at the head of their grave,” he said. I couldn’t fully understand, but since I was somewhat happy that we got rid of these things, I didn’t dwell on it much.

It was midnight when we arrived home. Kamuran Amca and I went to my house. Cemal went to his own house. As soon as we got home, I prepared Kamuran Amca’s place. I lay down in my own place. With the fatigue of the day, I fell asleep immediately. When I woke up in the morning, I noticed that Kamuran Amca hadn’t woken up yet. I got up, washed my face. I went outside, opened the barn door, and let the animals out. I went back into the house. Kamuran Amca still hadn’t woken up. Thinking, “He must be tired,” I didn’t want to wake him. I made tea and prepared breakfast. Just then, Cemal arrived. “How have you been since we last saw each other, brother?” he asked. I replied in astonishment, “We just saw each other yesterday, brother, what are you talking about?” Cemal looked at my face blankly. I thought he was acting this way due to the effects of the events and said, “Sit down, let’s have breakfast, brother. Kamuran Amca will wake up soon too.” Cemal looked at my face and asked, “Who is Kamuran Amca?” I thought he was joking and started laughing. When Cemal didn’t laugh, I became serious and went inside to check on Kamuran Amca. When I entered the room where Kamuran Amca stayed, I realized no one was there.

I returned to the courtyard, to Cemal’s side. “Cemal, are you okay, brother?” I asked. I looked at Cemal’s face without saying anything. A few seconds later, Cemal took a prayer bead from his pocket, handed it to me, and said, “I bought this for you from Istanbul, brother.” After hearing this sentence, I felt like boiling water was poured over my head. I told Cemal about the events we had experienced together over the last three days, but Cemal denied each one and said he didn’t even know Kamuran Amca. I wanted to show Cemal Kamuran Amca’s house. We set off together. We walked towards the house among the beech trees, but the house wasn’t there!

I must have fainted. I opened my eyes in Cemal’s house. Saadet Teyze had brought me water. I sat up and drank the water. I asked Saadet Teyze, “How are you, auntie?” Cemal was looking at me blankly. Saadet Teyze looked into my eyes sternly for a few seconds and then left. No one else knew about the events I had experienced in the last three days. I couldn’t get over the shock of the event for a while. The writing on the tree at my parents’ grave was also gone.

I didn’t want to stay in this village any longer. A year later, I sold the animals and moved to Istanbul. Whenever the event comes to my mind, I see my mother and father as in those nightmares. But I don’t want to let go of this event. There must be a reason for the three-day event I experienced.

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