I still get chills whenever I remember those days.
Looking back, I realise I ignored so many warning signs because I didn’t want to believe that someone living under my own roof could mean me harm.

Two years ago, I hired a house help, Mary. She seemed polite, hardworking, and always willing to help. As a single mother raising two kids and running a business, I thought I had finally found someone I could trust.

For the first few weeks everything was fine the house was spotless, the children loved her. But soon I started noticing small, strange things.

At night I would wake up to find her sitting silently in the dark corner of the sitting room. When I asked, she said she was “just praying.” Sometimes she burned strange incense in the kitchen late at night. I brushed it off as her cultural practice.

Then the nightmares began.
I dreamt of being strangled by a faceless woman in my own bedroom. My health also started failing. I felt constantly weak and drained. Business slowed down unexpectedly my loyal customers just stopped coming.

The scariest moment came one morning when my 6-year-old son whispered to me:

“Mum, why does Mary say you won’t be with us much longer?”

That’s when the pieces started falling into place.
A neighbour quietly told me she had seen Mary visiting an old abandoned shack at night, a place rumoured to be used for dark rituals.

The fear I felt is hard to describe. I was alone, confused, and terrified yet I couldn’t prove anything. My friends advised me to fire her immediately, but something inside me said it wasn’t that simple. I felt as if I was up against something more than just a person. Read more.