It started as one of those simple cleaning days — the kind where you pull off the sheets, flip the mattress, and expect nothing more exciting than a little dust. But that afternoon, what I discovered made my heart stop for a second.
In the corner of the bed frame, tucked just out of sight, was a tiny pile of black grains. At first glance, they looked unsettling — dull but slightly shiny, like bits of charcoal or maybe… insect eggs.
I froze.
My mind raced through worst-case scenarios: roaches, bedbugs, beetles. My skin crawled just thinking about it.
The Mystery Under the Mattress
I grabbed a piece of paper and gently scooped some of the grains into it. They were hard and dry — not squishy, not moving. Still, I couldn’t figure out what they were or how they got there.
Determined (and mildly horrified), I took a picture and texted it to a friend who happens to know a lot about herbs and traditional remedies.
Her reply came almost instantly:
“Those aren’t eggs. They’re kalonji — black cumin seeds. Someone must’ve placed them there on purpose.”
I blinked at my phone. Seeds? Under my bed?
From Fear to Fascination
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