I was thrilled when the house next door was finally sold, the added bonus was that the family had five children, from ages one year to six years old. I could hardly wait to have more children to brighten the house next door. That house had been empty far too long. Children would indeed brighten it up.
Sally and Mike moved into the house the very next week. The five little pixies were exactly as I had pictured them. Pretty as pictures.
The six year old was especially charming. Tiny for her age Casey would love to come over and watch me as I worked in the garden. My special pride and joy was the bleeding heart rose bush that my husband gave me three years ago for a special occasion. I tended it with such care, but still it was barren of any blooms. Casey would come over with her little watering can, and water it daily. She was beginning to love that special plant as if it were her own.
I never got to be as close to Sally as I would have liked. I sensed problems between her and Mike soon after they moved in. I thought Sally was strange in many ways. She seemed to run hot and cold. Some days she would look right past me, as if I weren't even there. Other days she would go out of her way to draw attention to herself. Waving and calling out a greeting. Her tiny brood jumping and running around the yard.
One day when Casey came over with her little watering can it broke my heart to see the sadness in her big brown eyes. Her head hung down as if she were ashamed to look up. She talked in a voice that was just above a whisper. "we were playing with the angels last night". I reach up and gently pulled her to sit on the grass next to me. "Tell me about it sweety." Casey's big brown eyes stared into mine, she began to tell me how she and her brothers and sisters were sitting on the laps of beautiful angels. This gave me a sense of foreboding. I smiled and said "What a wonderful dream". She chattered on a bit more, avoiding any questions from me. Soon she jumped up and ran home.
After only a few months the only sounds coming from the house was Sally and Mike quarreling, sometimes late into the night. Many nights I would see the driveway was empty. I knew Mike had not returned home that night. Sally used the garage, so Mike would park in the driveway. Soon it was weeks that the driveway was left empty.
I approached Sally and asked if she was having a hard time dealing with the children, or wanted an afternoon to herself that I would be more than happy to watch them, or help in any way I could. She than burst into tears and told me that her marriage was over. "Mike was filing for divorce and was seeking custody of the children," she sobbed. I assured her that custody was always given to the mother. What would Mike do with five children? He was just wanting to scare her.
After a long court battle, that was visably taking it's toll on Sally, the unthinkable happened. Mike was awarded custody of all five children. Seems Mike brought out behavioral problems of his wife that only he knew. We could only guess and speculate what Sally had done to deserve such a terrible punishment as losing her children.
She avoided me for the new two weeks. When I went to her door she ignored the bell and knocking. The doors were kept locked and the children kept indoors.
My husband and I were awakened to the sound of police sirens and a lot of flashing lights spinning across our bedroom walls and ceiling. As we jumped out of bed to investigate, we saw all the commotion was coming from next door.
Mike had come that evening to pick up the children to take them to his newly established home further out into the country. He entered the house to find Sally in the kitchen. curled up in front of the door leading into the garage. He smelled the fumes as soon as he opened the garage doors. He found all his babies in the station wagon. They were all dressed in pajamas, like sleeping angels; only these angels would never wake up.
Sally being distraught over both the divorce and losing her children had dressed the children in new pajamas, loaded them into the station wagon and drove around town until they were all asleep. She filled the tank with gas...drove home...pulled into the garage...left the engine running. After shutting the garage up tight she curled up on the other side of the door where Mike found her.
The next morning as I stood at the fence looking over at the house that held such a tragic ending, my eyes were drawn to my bleeding heart bush. After three years of barren branches there were five blood red buds blooming. Casey's little watering can was lying next to the bush. The morning dew was dripping from the buds as if they were tears. My own tears came with wracking sobs.
A new family soon moved in. The Morgans were in ignorance of the tragedy that had taken place there. They had two small boys of their own. Soon they began to hear sounds of children playing in the upstairs storage area off the bedrooms.
At night the little boys said they felt someone sitting and jumping on their beds. Toys that were neatly put away the night before, were found scattered around the room the next morning.
When they learned of the tragedy that had taken place in the garage, they were only filled with sadness and compassion. They were never frightened of their little ghostly angels. The children's noises continued. Their ghostly presence was constantly felt. No one minded, they were accepted into their fold. When Isabel Morgan cheerfully went from room to room singing as she picked up the scattered toys, she would always say "Enjoy my little angels." The sound of echoed giggles would follow her down the hall.
Sally ended her own life four years later. Details were not given to the press, only a short reminder of that tragic night.
Submitted by: Gloria Dianne
Background by: Nancy