“When I was very little my nanny used to tell me scary stories and she always told be that if I don’t go to sleep the time that she wants, scary ghosts will haunt me in my dreams. There was a story, which I remember now because it was very scary. One night I didn’t want to go to sleep so she told me that she has to tell me a story about a family where she used to live. She cam from a village that is located at the southern part of Turkey called Adana. It is one of the biggest cities in Turkey but she used to live in a village near Adana. There are many small villages around Adana because all most of the countries agriculture is made there. She started to tell me how the village looks but I don’t remember anything about the village. I just know that there was a tree with full of robes that tied to its branches. She said that everyone knew that tree because it is very famous in the village. So whenever someone visits that village they tie a robe on that tree’s branch. When I first heard of this tradition I asked her if she could take me there because I also wanted to tie a robe on that tree. She said that this is not a tree that you just go and make a wish; there is a story for it. I was very nervous because she was acting weird and I new that there was a scary part of this story. The lights were off because her aim was to make me go to sleep, but it was impossible for me to sleep because I was very nervous about the story. So she started her story but very unusual she did not said ‘once upon a time’. I had a feeling that this story may be true. She started with ‘ long time ago’ and she continued ‘there was a family with 7 children. Most of them were girls and they had a dog. They were working in the agriculture that’s why they had a dog to protect them. Girls were exactly same as you; they played all they long and when it was time to sleep they didn’t want to go to sleep. They lived in that village where the tree is located. Because it’s a village they didn’t had a big house they only had a small house so most of the girls slept together. One night when they were trying to go to sleep one of the sisters wished that they never had to sleep. And they fall asleep. When they woke up they tried to live their regular life but they found that that everything has changed! Their parents no longer exist. Currency of the money has changed, machines everything. And everyone was looking at them very strangely. They found out that they were sleeping for 700 years! The 7 siblings were sleeping for 700 years! Not only the 7 of them but also their dog was sleeping as well. They found out that they turned into a stone for these years. Couple of years later they have died. Everyone in the village was aware of this family. So when they died they turned that place to a shrine. They call that place the 7 sleepers house. In that village 7 is a very unlucky number. More over they also believe that when ever a children does not want to go to sleep they saw the ghost of the 7 siblings.’ I was in shock because I believed that story and I was afraid that I was going to see the ghosts of the siblings. That night I couldn’t go to sleep. One night I forgot about that story and I didn’t want to go to sleep. And in my dream I saw 7 siblings ghost! You may think it was just a dream but the moment I found out it was dream and I tried to woke up I couldn’t! It was like something tied me to my bed! But I don’t believe in ghosts so I get it over with very quickly. I was very nervous about learning if that story was real so I made a couple of researches. And I found out that there is the 7 sleepers house and there is the tree with full of robes! I learned that everyone goes there and ties a robe about the things that they don’t want it to become real. So its like the opposite of wishing and in that village they believe in the ghosts of the 7 sleepers. Also when they hear the dog bark they say that ‘the ghost of the 7sleepers dog has arrived’. For me it was really scary when I was little and sometimes I think about the night when I saw the ghosts of 7 siblings in my dream and believe that maybe they could have come. I was very relieved that I learned the story exists but I’m not sure to believe this or not. I just know that there is a village that they think they are haunted by that 7 siblings and dogs spirits.”

My idea about this story is that, I also heard about the 7 sleepers and they’re dogs. I personally don’t believe in 7 sleepers but I can understand her thoughts about this story because she was very young when she learned about this story and her nanny tried to scare her. Her nannies aim was to make R. go to sleep. She may have been affected by the story, which can be the reason for her to see the 7 siblings in her dream. She also talks about the sleep paralysis which is known in Turkey and some people sees doctors because of what they have faced with when they tried to wake up in the morning. If I were living in that village in Adana, I would probably be the one of the believers of this story.