Possessed by the Devil. There was an evil demon inside Mum
Mine was anything but… CL Ryan, 58, Weston-super-mare
Most kids hate bedtime, but my reluctance to head to the land of nod had nothing to do with hoping to watch more TV or stretch out story-time.
I didn’t want to go up to my bedroom as I was terrified of what lurked inside it…
Up to the age of 5, I had an idyllic childhood in Ireland with my extended family.
Mum struggled to cope with me, so when I was 9 months old, my grandparents, aunts and uncles took over my care.
They didn’t have two pennies to rub together, but the love they gave me more than made up for it.
But aged 5, my dad picked me up and took me to Bristol where he lived with Mum.
As soon as I walked into their three up, three down council house I could sense a sinister presence.
Fear set in
My first night in my new home was horrific. I shared a room with my little sister Trixie and in the night, I could hear door handles rattling, a baby crying and footsteps.
No-one else heard it. When I mentioned it to Mum she just glared at me. ‘That’s ridiculous,’ she said. But the noises continued every night.
The fear set in to the point where I’d dive under my blanket as soon as I got in the room, or else
I had an idyllic childhood in Ireland
I’d cuddle up next to Trixie for a sense of safety.
I couldn’t understand why Mum didn’t believe me. But she had serious problems of her own.
She was constantly in and out of hospital, never told me she loved me.
I realised the full extent of what she was dealing with about two years later.
Icy cold
The house was icy cold as always, and the air was filled with a kind of wispy cloud. As I crept upstairs, I heard voices from Mum’s room. ‘Mum, are you in there?’ I said. There was no answer – I began to worry and slowly pushed the door. I froze on the spot. A very scary, black, evil demon was beside Mum’s bed. I mustered all my strength and whacked the sinister creature, which vanished. Instead of thanking me for helping her, Mum gave me a hiding for interfering. There wasn’t just a demon in her room, there was one inside her, too! In its grip, her entire persona changed. Her eyes would grow bigger and bulge and she’d bare her teeth. Once, she did go for Dad, managing to lift him off the ground and throw him out of the front door. My dad is over 6ft and back then he worked as a labourer at a power station. He was mostly muscle. There was no way a woman of Mum’s petite build could have lifted him. Doctors diagnosed Mum with mental health disorders, ranging from schizophrenia to bipolar, but we knew she was affected by something evil from the psychic realm.
Mum’s gift
From an early age, I’d been able to see angels and demons, and it appeared I’d inherited that gift from Mum. She could even see into the future. I remember an old doctor taking pity on me and Trixie and our difficult home life. To provide us with respite, he used to take us swimming. He was lovely and we looked forward to spending time with him. One day, me and Trixie were ready to go when Mum said, ‘I wouldn’t bother waiting, he’s not coming’. We were upset, of course, but it wasn’t until two days later we heard the news that he’d been found dead in his house after a heart attack. Mum, it seemed, had known all along. The only thing that kept me going was cooking for Trixie and my two brothers. Knowing they needed me gave meaning to my life. I also had a friend in the form of my dog Bon Bon. He did his best to protect me and, as if sensing the demon, hated my mum.
Dying inside
Things improved after Dad spoke to a priest and we started using holy water to bless ourselves when we came into the house.
I was also placed with a foster mum for a time.
Her name was Sally and she was psychic.
Sensing my problems she showed me how to protect myself by surrounding my body with a golden bubble and asking the angels for help. Just like vampires don’t like silver, demons hate gold.
At school, I was bullied for being different and despite the angels telling me everything was going to be OK, I was spat on, taunted and hit.
One day, I got home and sat on the top of the fridge.
Mum ignored me as usual and I felt like I was dying inside. Suddenly, all the pain of the past came bubbling up and I just wanted to scream: ‘Please someone, listen to me.’
But instead of shouting, I expressed myself by throwing myself off the fridge head-first.
As my head smashed against the cold, hard tiled floor, everything suddenly went black.
The evil creature vanished! I’ve penned novels to help me cope with my past A scary, black demon was by mum’s bed