I heard many stories. My mother-in-law used to say she saw ‘svečari’ – glowing figures in the field that people called souls. On St. George’s Day (Jurjevo), my husband, while on his motorcycle, met a woman with a broom; he said she was a witch. Such customs were upheld – branches of wild rose were placed on the gates to protect against witches. I too used to hear my deceased mother’s voice, as if she were calling me from the grave. I sometimes experienced doors opening on their own, or not being able to move my hand, as if a spirit was coming to me. These are terrible, but also sacred things. The elders taught us that nature has its own power and that the dead are not far away. Stories about fairies, ‘svečari’, and witches were present everywhere and were preserved from generation to generation. They are told less today, but they remain in me as a living memory.