I found this under my mattress – at first I thought it was insect eggs, but the truth really surprised me.

I didn’t believe it. But after searching the internet and reading, I realized she was right. These seeds have long been considered protective amulets against evil and illness. They were placed under the mattress, under the threshold, or even sewn into pillows to “keep envy and bad dreams away from the house.”

At first, I was scared: had someone been acting in secret, without my knowledge? But then I remembered that a month earlier, my grandmother had come. She still believed in the old customs and said that “the youth center should smell of kindness, not fear.”

I called her that evening:

“Grandma, did you put something under my mattress?”

She laughs softly:

“Did you just notice? They’re Kalinji. Let them protect you. I see you haven’t been sleeping well lately.”