Index: Objects/unicodeobject.c
===================================================================
--- Objects/unicodeobject.c	(revision 58704)
+++ Objects/unicodeobject.c	(working copy)
@@ -2671,7 +2671,11 @@
         startinpos = s-starts;
         /* \ - Escapes */
         s++;
-        switch (*s++) {
+        if (s < end)
+            c = *s++;
+        else
+            c = 0; // Invalid for \ escape
+        switch (c) {
 
         /* \x escapes */
         case '\n': break;
@@ -2690,9 +2694,9 @@
         case '0': case '1': case '2': case '3':
         case '4': case '5': case '6': case '7':
             x = s[-1] - '0';
-            if ('0' <= *s && *s <= '7') {
+            if (s < end && '0' <= *s && *s <= '7') {
                 x = (x<<3) + *s++ - '0';
-                if ('0' <= *s && *s <= '7')
+                if (s < end && '0' <= *s && *s <= '7')
                     x = (x<<3) + *s++ - '0';
             }
             *p++ = x;
@@ -2822,9 +2826,8 @@
             break;
 
         default:
-            if (s > end) {
+            if (s >= end) {
                 message = "\\ at end of string";
-                s--;
                 endinpos = s-starts;
                 outpos = p-PyUnicode_AS_UNICODE(v);
                 if (unicode_decode_call_errorhandler(
Index: Include/stringobject.h
===================================================================
--- Include/stringobject.h	(revision 58704)
+++ Include/stringobject.h	(working copy)
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@
 typedef struct {
     PyObject_VAR_HEAD
     long ob_shash;
-    int ob_placeholder;  /* XXX If I remove this things break?!?! */
     char ob_sval[1];
 
     /* Invariants: