Halloween Presentation

An elderly woman tells of a night when her newborn mysteriously disappeared from the bed while the family was sleeping.After a frantic search, they found him in the fireplace, wrapped in a bloodstained blanket, but miraculously unharmed. The mother, though terrified, was relieved to see that the baby had no serious injuries.

The shadows of the hill of the fairies

The shadows of the hill of the fairies

It wasn’t an isolated case: other families had experienced similar disappearances of their children, who were found in strange places and with injuries. People said witches were responsible for these nocturnal abductions. Despite the mother’s efforts to forget, a month later the child disappeared again.

The Mysterious Disappearance of the Child

It wasn’t an isolated case: other families had experienced similar disappearances of their children, who were found in strange places and with injuries. People said witches were responsible for these nocturnal abductions. Despite the mother’s efforts to forget, a month later the child disappeared again.

A Mysterious Phenomenon

"We knew it wasn’t the first time such things had happened; other children from different families had been ‘moved’ from their beds and later found in other parts of the house. Some of them were even found covered in wounds and bruises. At the time, it was ‘said’ that witches were the ones ‘moving’ the children… for ‘mysterious’ reasons. We tried to forget that terrible story, but about a month later, once again my son was taken in his sleep. This time, we found him outside the house, near the woodpile."

The Solution Proposed by the Witch

At that point, we tried to find a solution, so we went to Roccacasale to see an old ‘witch’. It was ‘said’ that, thanks to her spells, the woman was able to protect my son. The witch from Roccacasale lived in isolation, and she removed the evil eye using a ritual that none of us ‘initiated’ women knew, a ritual that, according to her, she would never teach to anyone alive, her knowledge would die with her.

The Evil Eye and Abruzzese Traditions

It is a well-known fact that women from Abruzzo (and not only there) are experts in the art of 'removing the evil eye'. It is an ancient protection ritual passed down orally on Christmas Eve, 'only to women' who wish to learn the practice. The apprentice, in fact, must go to the 'witch' that night to memorise the ritual, and immediately afterwards, she must go to church and repeat the ritual.

It is a well-known fact that women from Abruzzo (and not only there) are experts in the art of 'removing the evil eye'. It is an ancient protection ritual passed down orally on Christmas Eve, 'only to women' who wish to learn the practice. The apprentice, in fact, must go to the 'witch' that night to memorise the ritual, and immediately afterwards, she must go to church and repeat the ritual.

The Protection of the Witch

My husband and I went to see the woman, bringing our son with us. We explained the situation, and she told us that the child needed to be protected. She then removed the evil eye with her ritual, prepared a small pouch with a red ribbon, which the child was to wear at all times. She also told us to place a pair of 'open' scissors under the mattress on the bed. We followed her advice, and from then on, there were no more incidents of 'disappearances'.

The End of the Story

At this point, the story comes to an end. It’s difficult for a ‘rational’ person, born in the era of Wi-Fi and disposable technology, to believe such tales… which seem so fantastical. But is it really so? Are they just stories, or is there some truth behind them? Searching and re-searching is always the best solution, especially if you’re aware that ‘reality’ is merely a point of view.