Angels in My Hair by Lorna Byrne Read Free Book Online

remember going down to the church and
sitting in front of the altar and talking to God, asking him if
there was any way he could let Alice's dad come home and
stay.
    There was great excitement in Alice's house the day her
father came home – and I felt happy for them. However, a few
days later I was sitting on the swing in their back garden while
the other children were playing in the front when the sky
suddenly changed and an angel said, 'Turn around and open
your eyes.'
    When I turned around and looked at the house, there was an
incredibly bright beam of light coming down through the sky
– a beam of light full of angels. I called that beautiful light 'The
Stairway to Heaven'. This beautiful sight, and the wonderful
singing and music that accompanied it, took my breath away.
I wanted to go towards it, but I stayed sitting on the swing,
gently moving back and forth.
    The light went straight through the roof and seemed to
engulf the house. Then, it was as if the outer walls of the house
disappeared and I could see Alice's dad lying there on his bed.
His wife was trying to wake him. His body lay there, but his
spirit was elsewhere – it was standing at the end of the bed
with two spirits by its side. It seemed to know the spirits – I
didn't recognise them, but they looked like him so I guess they
were family come to help him on his journey. There were also
a lot of angels there. Alice's dad went up into the light with the
spirits and the angels, who held him ever so gently. I saw them
going up among all the angels along that beautiful beam of
light while the singing and heavenly music continued. Her
father and the two spirits seemed to stop for a moment, then
he looked back down.
    Time stood still for me; suddenly the house came back into
view and the stairway was gone. Alice's mother was stood at
the door, calling out to her children. They were playing in the
front garden and I was alone in the back, sitting on the swing.
She looked straight through me as if she did not see me. Then
she turned and walked out of the side gate into the front
garden. I sat there, knowing the bad news that was awaiting
Alice and her brothers and sisters. I felt so lonely and sad and
asked the angels who were with me, 'Will he be able to come
back to comfort them – even for a while? Particularly to
comfort Alice who loved him so much and missed him so
much when he was away.'
    The angels replied, 'Yes, he'll be back shortly. He will be
there with them for a little while.' That made me feel a little
better and I took a deep breath, got down off the swing and
said to the angels, 'I think I'll go home now.'
    I could hear crying coming through the windows as I left. I
walked out through the side gate across to my own home. No
one was home – my mother was already across the road
comforting Alice's mother.
    That was one of the saddest days in my very young life: I
always thought mums and dads would live forever.

Chapter Four
Why do you hide from me?
    One day, Da brought home a beautiful, shiny, red car. It
looked enormous, but perhaps that was just because I was so
small. He had borrowed it from a friend because we were
going on a holiday – my first ever! The car was piled up with
luggage and my parents and all seven of us children climbed
in. We were heading down to my Grandmother's place in
Mountshannon, County Clare; it was in the country, 120 miles
away. The journey seemed to take all day, but I loved every
moment of it: I loved looking out the window. Every so often
Da would stop the car and we'd all get out for a little break, and
maybe, if we were lucky, we'd get an ice cream.
    This was the first time I had met my Da's parents. They lived
in a youth hostel and Granny was its caretaker. I remember
arriving that first day. Da drove in through a big, grand gate,
into a yard through an old arch, then under another smaller
arch into another yard. There, in front of us, was an enormous
old house surrounded by big stone sheds that were like