The Farmhouse Stairs

There is an old farmhouse where quite a large family once lived. There, lived a mother,a father, and seven children. There were three boys and four girls.

A long time has gone by since those good old days. If those seven children, who lived there were not playing out in the winter snow, they would be making mud pies and trying to eat them too.

In our back yard, about six acres wide, there would always be fire-flies to catch, while we played outside in the summer-time. As all of the years have slowly passed by, there were many stories our mother would tell us. The most wonderful of those stories is the one I will write of today!

Mother had quite a lovely story-telling voice, as each evening just before bedtime she would read to us. One of those evenings I am clearly able to recall. It is the one when she told us of our other four siblings who were not there with us. This story, I do believe, was to keep her own grief at bay.

Mother began the story with these words to us:

"In between the two of you (She said, pointing to two of us), I lost a little baby once. And then just before you (She said, pointing to two more of us), I lost two more, who I had to lay to rest. And yet, just one more before all of you."

"Now, the rest of this story, as I tell it to you, please try not to cry. Your other two brothers and two sisters too - they are all in a better place! These things, they do happen sometimes and there is nothing we are able to do. For when it is God's choice to take them home, we must just trust him and him alone! We also must learn to be thankful for our little ones who are with us."

"Now, please hold on for just a bit, and I will tell you more. They are in a quiet place and where they live on, they play and are okay! They have no faces in this place. Only bright lights are their countenances now.

As all seven of us children sat listening to Mom, we were all amazed! She then went on to tell us more, and this is what she said: " Would you like me to tell you all of their names?"

This part of Mother's story, did surely perk us up! "Oh yes Mother!", We all said in unison, with wide-eyed anticipation at her words!

"Their names are, Barbie, John, Mary, and Mark", Mother said to all of us, with a smile so joyful, it hid her pain from us!

The very next day, it went by, as did all of the rest - and all seven of us children began to sense other presences all around us! When we were playing on the wooden stairs of the old farmhouse, was where our four lost sibling's presences would often be felt.

In the farmhouse there were arranged five bedrooms for all of us. Two sisters were in one of them, and another two girl in another one. Two of our brothers shared the third, and so lucky was the eldest of us, he had a room for himself. Mother and Father were in the fifth, of course!

Many many months went by and with them, so did some years. As each one of us children grew onto the ages of three to twelve, we always found fun things to do! One day in particular, as I clearly do recall, as we played upon the stairs, one of our sisters, on the stairs did fall. Oh My, did we cry, as we helped her up again, and thanking the Lord, as we did, that she was not too awfully hurt! We had been sliding down the banister and sliding down the steps. We would slide down on our bottoms, one stair at a time. We thought it was so silly to go down, bump, bump, bump! All the while we did these things, we heard a background noise. Also when our sister fell, we thought we heard another cry. It came from a distance, but not too awfully far away.

Then, one evening our Mother decided she would add on to the story to keep us all intrigued! "Now, to all of you, my seven children and to your Father too, I give you more of the story I started a couple of years ago. If you should have any questions, please wait until I finish and I shall answer them, and if I know the answers I will let you know."

"I had fallen deep asleep one night many years ago. But before I did, I said a prayer and asked God this: "Dear Lord, may I ask just one question of you please," And He answered me with,

"Yes!" So I ask my question and it was this: "Lord, where do our little ones go upon their departure of this world?"

He did not answer me directly though, He answered me in a dream. In the dream, I was able to see where they live."

If you have ever seen a bunch of children with their eyes opened so wide, it was the seven of our Mother's children that night! As Mother resumed her tale once again, we all had a tough time not murmuring as she went on!

"They are somewhere between here and there. Jesus gives them little chores to do, as I do you all here. They are always happy - well, most of the time, unless they see someone from here who may be hurting inside!"

As Mother ended this part of the story for this time, she asked us for our inquiries, then. One of us asked, "Can they see us from where they are?" Mother answered, "Yes, I do believe they can!"

Then the eldest of us asked, "Mom, what are the chores they are asked to do?" Mother answered, "I do believe they are asked to often pray for us."

"Is that the only chore mother, do you think?", I asked this question myself. And Mother answered, "No Betsy, my dear, I do believe also that they are asked to help us up when we fall!"

"Do you mean like when we fall on the stairs, like sister Bonnie did a few years ago?"

"Yes", Mother replied, with a smile and a tear in her eye! And yet one more question for that evening there was. This one asked by little Bonnie, the youngest of us. "Can you feel them when they touch you Mom?, I mean like when they help you up?"

"Yes, I do believe you may be able to feel their gentle touch!", was Mother's answer to Bonnie then.

And that is when Bonnie really spoke up! "Oh, Mom I know that one was there that day when I fell on the stairs, I wonder which one it was!"

Mother ended our story time that night with, "I am not quite sure we will ever know Bonnie my dear, which of your brothers or sisters in spirit that day, were there for you. Most likely all four and those also who are right here," Mother finished as she pointed to all of us! Now, good night my children and I shall see you in the morning!"

The following morning we all rose with the dawn. Ah!, another beautiful day to live on our awesome farm! Just after helping to pick and shuck some corn, we are permitted to play. While the boys are up in the only tree-house we have, us girls are making up plates of pebbles, grass, and dirt for our play dinner time fun. Oh, the fun times we had on that old farm! I, myself had left the old farmhouse some thirty-six years ago!

There is just a bit of my story I have yet to tell. All of my sibling , as well as myself, were never alone at any time. For we had many cousins who would often come by. To tell the truth, and all of the truth, there were about thirty of them, whom I am able to recall. Beside the closet space under the stairs of the main part of the farmhouse, where our lost siblings would sometimes be, while we played upon the steps - there was yet another place within in the walls of the old house!

I had come upon a special place while we all played with our many cousins one day! We were playing hide and seek that day, in the dining room that had been converted into a playroom . All of our cousins who were there that day, would go and hide with us. One of us just happened to find a very secret hiding place! One that not even Mom or Dad knew of at that time! It turned out to be the best hiding place of all!

If I had not crawled of of there when I did, no one would have ever found me, until this day! I stayed in there for quite a while - until I finally decided I had enough of hiding for one day! By that time, my brothers and sisters and all of my cousins too , had all given up on the hide and seek game. They were gathered in the play, and just below me, I could see. I took this opportunity to surprise them all! As I poked my head out from where I was, Oh, to see the looks on their face was such a sight to see! Priceless!

Then we all began a new adventure of investigating this new secret passage-way! One of my three brothers climbed up on a chair, the very chair that I had used to crawl into where I was. And to our surprise, I found another end to it. I climbed up on another chair on the other side of the room, and into a little door I crawled and came face to face with my brother who had crawled in from the other end!

Later that evening for our story-telling time, we had some very exciting news to tell to Mother and Father this time! Today, the old farmhouse stands yet where it always has, but it is empty now and sets on only two acres of land.

The End!