When Ghosts Speak - Mary Ann Winkowski [69]
I asked her how she died, and she told me that she had gotten sick after eating the peaches that came in the glass jar. Aunt Esther gave her the peaches every morning in her oatmeal, she continued, and one day her tummy just hurt and hurt. Even though the doctor came, she started to cough up blood. After that, she said, her tummy didn’t hurt and Aunt Esther didn’t talk to her anymore.
When I asked her what became of her aunt and uncle and cousin, she told me that she had stayed with them until her cousin Betsy became older and started to ignore her just like her aunt had. Then she had just found children who looked nice to her and followed them to their homes. Whenever they got bigger, she moved to another that she felt comfortable in.
“But there are no children in this house,” I pointed out to her.
“I know,” she told me. “But here, for some reason, I can play with the toys they have for the children who visit. It’s fun.”
I asked the woman who had called me if she kept any of her daughter’s old toys in the house. She explained that she did have a collection of toys, but they were all new. They were for her grandchildren, who visited often. “I hate these electronic toys, though,” she complained. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ll come into a room to find them turned on. No matter how many times I replace the batteries, the silly things always seem to malfunction.”
I glanced over at the little ghost, who grinned and said, “Sometimes I like to make them all go at once.”
I don’t know how this ghost got the energy necessary to turn on electronic toys, but I suspect it had to do with the chaotic atmosphere in the house: the negative energy, the emotional energy from the teenage girl, and the energy from the stream of tarot card clients.
In my opinion, the house was no place for child, even if she was a ghost. I made the white Light for her and told her that if she walked into it, she’d be able to find her mommy and daddy and everything would be okay. She looked at me suspiciously, and I can’t say I blamed her; I think her short life had been a hard one, and she didn’t have much reason to trust adults. But she did go into the Light, and she never once looked back at me.
By the time children are five years old, it is more common for me to see their earthbound spirits. I suspect that this is because, by five years old, most children can understand their parents’ grief. They may listen to a parent who says, “Don’t leave me.” Or, like many children of this age, these young spirits may simply decide that they’re going to do exactly what they want to do—and if they want to stay with their families rather than cross into the Light, that’s exactly what they’re going to do.
Of course, these young ghosts do not grow older while they are earthbound, and so many, many years can pass in which they’re forced to move from house to house in search of a place where they feel comfortable. The fact is, anywhere there are children, there are likely to be the spirits of children. Whether they’re alive or dead, kids like the company of other kids. It is so easy for a ghost child to follow a family home from a petting zoo or story hour at the library, or even from preschool. Just think like a five-year-old: “There’s a pretty mommy and a little girl; I’ll bet they have a lot of toys.” Or “Oh, look, that daddy and his boy have a nice dog in their car.” The next thing you know, your house is home to another child.
While children may try to go back to their homes or families, often the circumstances around their death cause them to become disoriented or afraid; many will avoid going into the Light or actually flee from familiar places. Once they’ve become confused or frightened, it is difficult for these young spirits to find their way back home. They simply become accustomed to spending time in homes or with families that feel comfortable or familiar.