Angels in My Hair (8 page)

Suddenly the road was thronged with angels. The boys and
their bikes were luminous and they were heading towards the
light. As I watched, the bikes started to slowly rise above the
ground and the road became a beam of light, full of angels. It
was a gentle crossover from one life, to be born into another
life – straight to Heaven. Then the boys disappeared and
everything returned to normal.

Suddenly a car drove into the garage and a man got out
shouting, 'Did you see in which direction the articulated truck
went?'

The man in the kiosk, Steven, shouted, 'What's wrong?'

The man said there had been an accident: someone told him
that the truck had gone off to the right and the man took off in
his car again. Just then, another car passed the garage, moving
very fast up the road. I just stood there, kind of dazed.

The shop door opened and I turned around. It was Da,
saying there had been a terrible accident and asking me to
make some tea. I was relieved to get out of the office and have
a little bit of space. As I walked round to the canteen to make
tea, I gave out to the angels, saying, 'Why did that have to
happen?'

The answer I got was, 'Lorna, that is the way. Death for most
humans is a continuous flow from one life to another, in
perfect harmony. Remember, at that moment of death the boys
felt nothing. It's the same even if someone has been sick and
suffering; at the moment of death they don't feel any pain.'

The angels comforted me while I made tea and continued
working, but I was glad when the day was over and I could go
home to Mum's baking. When I got home, I gave my mum a
big hug. From that day on, I was conscious of the importance
of giving my mother a hug each day.

I knew I would have to go past the spot where the accident
happened again. So, one morning, about a week later, I got up
the courage to walk down to the shops. I did not go there
alone, as Michael held my hand. As I walked across the
forecourt of the garage he whispered in my ear, 'Walk down to
the hardware store: that will help you to focus; you will have
somewhere to go to.'

As I approached the spot where the accident had happened,
I could see blood stains on the road. I was amazed and
shocked. The accident had happened maybe a week before,
and I never thought I would see bloodstains on the road; it was
like a bolt of lightning hitting me. It may have been that the
bloodstains were not there for everyone else to see;maybe only
I could see them.

As I was passing the exact spot where the accident had
happened, I could hear the wailing cries of the mothers, fathers
and families of those boys. The emotion filled my body – tears
ran from my eyes, it was overpowering. I asked God, 'Please
help the families. Let me take as much of their pain and grief
as possible. Somehow, let the parents know that their children
are in Heaven with you. Please, God.'

I was in a state of oblivion; completely unconscious of everything
going on around me. Somehow the angels carry me
through space and time; sometimes I wonder how I get from
one spot to another. It is a mystery. Then, suddenly, I was
standing in front of the door of the hardware store. I felt the
angels lift me out of spiritual space and put my feet back on
firm ground. 'It's done now, Lorna,' Michael said. 'God heard
your prayer.'

I walked through the doors into the hardware store and
wandered around the shop, just to get myself grounded and
back to normal. Then I walked back towards the garage again,
past the accident spot. I knew I had taken away some of the
families' pain and grief. I can't tell you which is worse: the pain
within the physical body, or the pain within the emotional
body. I will always do what God and the angels ask of me: if I
can take pain away from another human being, I will do it.

This is my life. It is part of the healing gift God has given me –
to take on the suffering and pain of others. Some people might
call it a curse, not a gift; by taking pain I can ease the pain of
others. I'm like an intermediary, taking the pain and passing it
on to God. At times the pain might be overpowering, I may
even think I am dying, but it won't kill me because God takes
the pain from me. I don't know what God does with the pain;
it is a mystery, but time and time again I have witnessed it.

One day, when I was seventeen and had been working in the
garage for about eighteen months, Elijah's vision came true.

I was in the office with Anne and my father, and from where
I was sitting I could see straight out of the big windows and
over to the far side of the road, where there were trees. I saw a
young man in the distance, walking along that side of the road
and, all of a sudden, I recognised him.

I could see trees and a young man and I knew straight away
– even though he was a distance away – that this was the young
man I was going to marry. I could hardly breathe. I knew he
was going to cross the road and come into the garage, looking
for a job.

I felt my hair being ruffled and I turned around to see my
guardian angel standing there. I looked back out of the
window, and as I watched the man walking across the forecourt
I could see his guardian angel faintly within the energy
around him. The young man looked extremely handsome,
with reddish fair hair. He was very tall, and I like tall men. I
was extremely excited watching him; I knew what the
outcome was going to be.

Despite this, I turned and said to Anne, 'Here's someone
looking for a job, I hope he doesn't get it!' I have to laugh at
that. I was fearful of this great change in my life – and also very
shy. Deep down though, I knew that he would get the job
because it was what was meant to be.

The young man walked straight into the shop. Da looked up
from the desk, saw him, and signalled that he would be with
him in a moment.When Da went out to him I sat where I was,
almost paralysed. I just didn't want to be there, and I was
trembling and shaking. All that Elijah had said flooded into my
mind; this was the man I would marry, I would love him and
he would love me, we would be happy together most of the
time but, in the end, I would take care of him and we wouldn't
grow old together.

My father and the young man stood talking in the shop for
some time. Eventually, I started gathering up dirty cups and
took them to the canteen to wash them. I walked past him as
he was standing there talking to my Da. I secretly took a look
at him. Oh, I did like what I saw! I took a long time washing
the cups and making fresh tea.When I brought the tea back he
was still standing there talking to Da. I didn't know what to do.
A customer came into the shop and I went and served him. I
felt really nervous and just ignored the young man.

Of course, my father gave him a job and the next day he
started work. I was introduced to him and I learned his name
was Joe. I watched from a distance as he learned how
everything worked, how to serve petrol and mend punctures.
On the way home, at the end of Joe's first day, Da told me that
he thought Joe was a very bright man – a quick learner.

I tried to avoid Joe, but I couldn't help watching him
surreptitiously, because I felt so attracted to him. I wondered
if Joe noticed me, if he could feel the connection. The angels
seemed to make sure that every time I went into the canteen to
make tea or wash cups he was there. He would give me a
radiant smile, and then my heart would know that he felt
something too. I would smile back, but I wouldn't say much
and would rush back out of the canteen as quickly as I could.

One day, about six months after he had come to work in the
garage, Joe asked me out. I had gone around to the canteen to
make tea, as I did regularly during the day. As I was filling the
kettle and rinsing out the cups, Joe walked in and offered to
help me wash up. I laughed at him and said there was no need
– there were only three cups! Just as I was about to leave the
canteen with the teapot and cups on a tray, Joe said, 'Lorna,
what would you think if I asked you for a date?'

I smiled at Joe, 'Of course, I'd love to go out with you.'

Joe suggested we go out that night, but I said no, I couldn't,
it would have to be Friday after work.

'Okay, that'll be great,' Joe said, as he held the door open for
me.

'We'll talk about what we'll do on Friday night later,' I said,
as I walked through the open door.

I was so happy that I was floating on air. The week seemed
to pass very quickly and, before I knew it, it was Friday.When
I walked into the canteen that morning Joe was already there
waiting for me. He gave me a big smile and asked, 'Lorna, what
would you like to do tonight?'

'I'd like to go to the pictures,' I replied. 'Let's meet at about
half-past six on O'Connell Bridge.'

Joe suggested that I choose the film but just then one of the
other staff walked in, so we did not speak again that day. I
asked Da could I finish work early that day – instead of staying
until six, I wanted to leave about four. Da said okay and never
asked me why. The angels had already told me that I would
have to keep it a secret.

At four o'clock I headed home on the bus. As I walked up the
road to the house I was talking to my angels. 'It's so exciting. I
know nothing about any pictures that might be on in Dublin.
It is so long since I've been to the pictures – maybe two years.
I don't care what film we see. I just want to be with Joe.' The
angels laughed. As I talked to them I was remembering all of
what the angel Elijah had told me.

When I arrived home I told Mum I was meeting a friend in
Dublin and I was going to go to the pictures. Mum said, 'Just
make sure you're on the last bus home.'

She didn't ask any questions, either, so I guess the angels
were helping.

There was a newspaper on the table in the dining room, so I
opened it and went straight to the film section. There were so
many pictures on, I just picked one. I knew nothing about it,
but I didn't care and the angels didn't say anything either, so I
assumed everything was okay. I have to laugh at that now.

It was a beautiful summer evening and O'Connell Bridge
looked wonderful in the evening light, with its lamps and big
flowerpots. Joe was a few minutes late, and as I stood there I
watched what was going on around me. There was a woman
and child sitting begging from the many passers-by rushing
home after their day's work. There was a woman selling roses,
but no one seemed to have the time to stop and buy. I could
tell from the colours of the energy around the people what
kind of humour they were in: if they were in a hurry or full of
excitement. Joe came from the opposite direction and tapped
me on the shoulder. I jumped and he laughed as I turned
around. I was so happy to see him. He took my hand and we
went straight to the cinema.

The film I had chosen was called
The Virgin and the Gypsy
.
The cinema was packed: lots of people were going to see this
film, so we had to sit quite near the front. About ten minutes
into the film, I started squirming in my seat: this was not a
film I wanted to see, certainly not with Joe on our first date.
The sex scenes were very explicit: I was shocked. This kind
of film was not common in Ireland at that time, back in the
70s. Perhaps that's why there were so many people there!

After a few minutes more, I told Joe I wanted to leave. We
did, and Joe didn't mind at all: I think he felt as uncomfortable
as I did.We walked away from the cinema up O'Connell Street
towards Nelson's pillar. It was such a beautiful evening that I
was glad to be out of the cinema. Strolling hand in hand with
Joe was a much nicer way of spending our first date.We talked
as we went. One of the first things Joe said was that he was glad
he hadn't chosen the picture! We both laughed.

We walked in front of the GPO – a beautiful grey-stone
building I always loved. We nodded hello to the policeman
standing guard outside. I noticed a couple kissing and
cuddling, their angels tall and standing very close to them, as
if they were helping them to join together. I smiled as we
walked past them. Joe put his arm around me, it felt good. I felt
safe in his company.

We crossed over the road at the traffic lights and went into
a restaurant. I had never been in a restaurant at night before;
this one was long and narrow with a tiled, marbled floor and
the tables were enamelled and screwed to the floor with high
wooden benches on each side. The backs of these benches
were about four feet high, so when you sat down you couldn't
see who was at any other table. We sat on the wooden
benches facing each other. Joe knew by the look on my face
that I had never been in a restaurant like this before and he
told me that the tables were called booths. Just then, the
waitress came over with her pencil and paper and we ordered
tea and sandwiches.

We talked about our parents – his father was dead. We
talked about brothers and sisters – Joe was the youngest of his
family and I was the third eldest of mine. Joe asked, 'What do
you think your Da would say if he knew we were on a date
together?'

'I am not sure about my Da,' I replied, 'but I know Mum
would more than likely object.'

So we both agreed we would keep it secret.

We left the restaurant and walked the streets for a while,
looking at the shop windows, then we walked down along the
quays to the bus terminus. Joe lived in a different direction
from me and would need to take a different bus; my bus had
just pulled in but wasn't due to go for a few minutes, so we
were happy to sit on the bus together for a while. 'You'd better
go for your bus,' I told Joe.

He got up and said he would be back in a minute. He talked
to the bus conductor and then he sat back down beside me and
said, 'I'm going home with you on the bus. I'll walk you right
up to your house.'

The bus conductor had told him about an unofficial bus that
was not on the timetable which was known as 'the ghost bus'.
It was a scheduled bus on its way out from Dublin to near my
home, but on its return to the garage in the centre of Dublin it
was not meant to pick up any passengers. It did take
passengers, though, and, from then on, whenever we went out
Joe always brought me home and then got the ghost bus back
into town and walked to his own house.

Joe and I didn't tell anyone we were going out with each
other. Other girls my age might have shared the secret with a
girl friend, but I had no friends I confided in like that. Anyway,
as I said, the angels told me that it was important it was kept a
secret, and whenever they tell me this, even now I do as they
say. I don't know if Joe told anyone, I never asked, but I don't
think so.

While we were keeping it secret – and we were very careful
about that – Joe's sense of mischief meant he couldn't resist
teasing me whenever the opportunity arose. He used to call me
'Rambo', when I tried to lift a repaired tyre into a customer's
boot (I'm five-foot-nothing tall) and he would tease me that
the mini-skirt of my uniform was way too short (he was
probably right!).

Whenever I could, I loved to go fishing with my father. It was
something we had done every so often when I was a child, and
it continued when I was working in the garage and going out
with Joe. I didn't always bring my fishing rod, but I loved the
opportunity to be in the quiet by a river, and I liked spending
time with my da. One day, we went fishing in the Wicklow
mountains. We set off early in Da's car and, as always, we
brought a picnic with us. We also had a billy can, so that Da
could light a fire and make tea.

It was a chilly day; we had been fishing for an hour or two
and Da had caught a trout, when it started to rain. Nearby, on
the river bank, there was a cluster of trees with an old
dilapidated house. Da suggested it would be a nice place to
shelter, light a fire and have our tea – we would be out of the
cold. Da walked ahead of me, and as we got closer to the trees
I noticed there was no light of energy around them and that the
place looked very dull.

Angel Michael tapped me on the shoulder. 'This place may
frighten you,' he said. 'We're going to show you something that
is bad. It won't harm you, but it will be aware of you as soon
as you walk into that little house. It will respond to you
angrily, but it won't touch you.'

Until then I had been protected from seeing anything evil.

'Is it a ghost?' I asked.

'No, Lorna, this is a different sort of creature,' Michael
replied.

Da called out to hurry and I looked up. He was some
distance ahead and had climbed up onto a bank in front of the
house. When I turned around to talk to Michael again, he had
disappeared.

I ran and caught up with Da. We walked among the trees
surrounding the house. Everything around the house seemed
dead to me – there were no leaves on the trees, and no grass or
flowers growing nearby. The door to the little house was ajar,
hanging off its hinges with pieces of board missing. Part of the
roof and some of the windows were also gone. Da went in;
there was an old broken wooden table and chairs there. To me
it felt as cold as ice inside, but Da didn't seem to notice: he
went straight to the fireplace.

I stood there, just inside the door. I could not move. I just
kept saying to myself, 'Oh, my God, oh, my angels.' I could see
a creature near to the fireplace, to the right. It was unlike
anything I have seen before or since: it looked like melted wax,
about three feet long and about chest-wide thick. It was
horrible and horrific looking. I couldn't say that it had a mouth
or eyes.

I knew Da couldn't see or feel anything. He gathered pieces
of debris from the floor and piled them into the fireplace and
struck a match. The fire exploded immediately – it was a big
and noisy explosion and came out into the room. The creature
had massive energy. It was just throwing off evil! It was very
angry; it had been keeping that place for itself and it didn't
want us there. As far as it was concerned, we were trespassing.