Two weeks after the baby was born, Leyla heard the whisper.


    At first, she wasn’t sure.


    When was the last time she had slept?


    During the day, her other two children wouldn’t let her rest.


    At night, her newborn wouldn’t.


    The whisper seeped through the walls of the house.


    From the baby’s bottles…


    From the unmade beds…


    From the soiled diapers…


    She confided in her mother.


    "I hear strange sounds at night."


    "Oh, my dear," her mother said. "That must be the Red Hag."


    "She’s come for the newborn."


    As if she had been waiting for her name to be spoken…


    That night, the Red Hag appeared to Leyla.


    And she never left.


    She stayed by her ear.


    She told Leyla terrible things.


    Leyla wanted to protect her baby.


    She hid him beneath the blankets.


    And beneath another…


    And another pillow…


    And another…


    Shhh… Shhh…


    Sleep, my baby.


    Mama is here.