From PRX, this is the Moth Radio Hour.

I'm Sarah Austin-Gyness.

We're exploring fear in this show.

Stories of stepping into the unknown, stage fright, irrational fears, and staring down the demon.

We start in childhood with something that went bump in the night.

Zana Tsema told our first story at an open mic-moth story slam in Washington, D.C.,

where we partner with public radio station WAMU.

The theme of the night was creepy.

Here's Zana Tsema, live at the Moth.

Okay.

So Dada Be became a part of my life life really from the moment I was born.

Exactly what or who Derebe was, I wouldn't really know until my adulthood,

but its presence was felt on a daily basis from until I was probably in my adolescence. So I would describe Derebe as a, let's say,

an invisible babysitter, kind of an enforcer of the rules, even though I could never really see it

and didn't know what it was. Derebe was what my mother would call upon if me or any of my siblings

were breaking the rules or if I was in a fight with my brother or if we were taking too long to do

something or if I needed to clean my room, she would just say, do you want me to call Darabé? And she

would be met with immediate obedience.

And really the power that Darbe had over me and my siblings was derived purely from fear,

fear of what is Darabé, what happens when it gets here?

We have no idea.

And we were so scared of Derbe and the idea of Derbe that none of us even talked about

...