Tap, tap, tap. Six-year-old Connor placed his small hands over his ears and whispered, “Go away.” TAP, TAP, TAP!
Connor screamed at the top of his lungs, “Mommy! Maawwwmeee! The monster is tapping at my window again!”
Connor’s mother, Cassie, hurried into his bedroom and turned on the light. “Connor, sweetheart, you’re having a bad dream.”
“No, Mommy. I was awake, and I heard the tapping twice. A monster is tapping on my window, and if I open the curtains he will fly away with me.”
“Let me show you. I’ll open the curtain.” While she walked across the room, Connor pulled the blankets up to his nose; his eyes wide open in fear. When she pulled back the curtain, there was nothing there.
“See, Connor. Nothing is at the window.”
“That’s because you opened the curtain. If I would have, the flying monster would have pulled me through the window.”
“But Connor, glass is in the window. Nothing can pull you through.”
“It’s a magic monster. He would pull me out with magic.”
Seeing how frightened he was, she said, “How about if I sit with you a few minutes? Would that make you feel better?”
Connor nodded his head. “But make sure the curtains are closed tight.”
Cassie closed the curtains, making sure there was no visible gap. She turned out the bedroom light, and sat on Connor’s bed in the glow of his night light. He grasped her hand in his.
When Connor fell asleep, Cassie gently removed her hand and went into her own bedroom. Phil, her husband, rolled over and said, “Nightmares again?”
“Yes. He keeps telling me there is a tapping noise at his window, and if he opens the curtain, a magic monster would reach in and pull him through the glass.”
“I guess he was a little young to watch ‘The Wizard of Oz’ today. Although those flying monkeys are enough to give anyone nightmares.”
Cassie climbed into bed and said, “These nightmares have been going on since before he watched that movie.”
Down the street at another home, there was a tapping noise at the window. This wasn’t the first time Carly had heard it. But when she called her mom, nothing was ever there.
She thought, “I’m going to be brave like my mom and open the curtain.”
Carly pulled back the curtain and on the other side was a flying dragon. Carly was ready to scream, when the dragon said, “Accha kRtimaratna.”
The glass started to swirl. The monster reached through and pulled Carly out of the window. As Carly started to struggle, the dragon said, “nidRa.” Carly drifted into a deep sleep. Both dragon and child flew through the night to the place where his master waited.
It was almost 6:30 a.m. and Connor was pulling on Cassie’s hand, saying, “Mommy, it’s time to wake up. I’m hungry.”
“Okay, Connor, give me a few minutes to get ready to go downstairs.”
Phil came downstairs fifteen minutes later. Connor sat in his chair eating cereal, Cassie was drinking coffee, and the television was on, but there was no sound.
Phil poured himself a cup. “Is there anything interesting on the news today?”
Cassie looked over at Connor, who was busy trying the catch the last bites of cereal with his spoon.
“Connor, are you finished with breakfast? If so, put your bowl in the sink and go play in the living room.”
“Okay, Mom.”
After Connor walked out of the kitchen, Cassie said, “They were broadcasting an Amber Alert for a missing child. I started hearing some of the newscast while Connor was eating so I turned the sound down. He’s been having enough trouble sleeping, much less hearing a child was missing.”
Phil turned the sound up. In a few moments, they started broadcasting the Amber alert again.
“This is Sandy Newman, reporting live from 104 Walnut Street, where police were called early this morning on a report of a missing child. The parents of six-year-old Carly Gibson say their daughter awakened repeatedly in the middle of the night hearing tapping noises on her bedroom window. Police suspect foul play.”
The screen changed to a picture of Carly as the reporter went on, “Carly is about 42 inches tall and weighs approximately 49 pounds. She has long brown hair, brown eyes, and was wearing pajamas with a teddy bear pattern. If you have any information, police are asking you to call their hotline at 1-800-407-7885. Again, the number is 1-800-407-7885. This is Sandy Newman for Channel 69 News.”
After the Amber alert finished, Phil looked at Cassie. She lifted her eyebrows at him. “What do you think, Phil? Is it a coincidence with what is happening to Connor?”
“I don’t know. Connor’s bedroom is on the second story. Unless the person had a ladder, he would never be able to knock on the window. And when you looked outside, you didn’t see anyone or a ladder did you?”
“No. There was nothing. Carly’s bedroom is also located on the second floor. Last year, during her fifth birthday party, she took Connor up to her room to show him the Leap Frog Gaming System. When her mom and I couldn’t find them, we went into the house and heard them laughing upstairs. We had them come back down and join the party.”
Phil said, “I can’t imagine waking up and finding Connor missing. I would be frantic.” He looked at the clock. “I need to leave for work. We can talk more this evening.”
That afternoon, Cassie said, “Connor, it’s a beautiful, sunny day outside. Would you like to walk to the park?”
Connor looked up from his Lego toys and said, “Yaay! I hope my friends are there so we can talk about the monster at my window!”
When they arrived at the park, other mothers with their children were already there. Most of the boys and girls Connor knew were playing in the sand. He sat down with everyone and started playing.
Connor was the first to break the silence. “Did any of you hear tapping at your window last night?”
A couple of his friends nodded, and one answered, “When I heard the tapping, I called for Mommy. When she came and opened the curtain, nothing was there. She scolded me because it happened before, and now I can’t watch TV for a couple of days.”
Connor said, “Someone tapped at my window too, and I also called Mommy. She didn’t find anything either, but she wasn’t mad at me. She closed the curtains tight, and then sat on my bed until I fell asleep.”
“Did you hear about Carly?” Michelle said. “We live next door and they had police at their house early in the morning. I was watching TV, when a policeman knocked on our door. I heard him asking mom a bunch of questions after he said Carly was missing.”
“I hope she comes home soon. Her mommy must be sad.” Connor said.
The others in the sandbox nodded.
While the children were talking in the sandbox, the mothers were talking about the same thing. “I just don’t understand how more than one child can have the same nightmare.” said Cassie. “Last night Connor told me about a tapping noise at the window. When I looked through the curtains, there wasn’t anything there. Connor’s room is on the second floor, same as Carly’s.”
Margie replied, “You’re right, Cassie. It seems too much of a coincidence for this to happen to so many of us at one time. I know of at least ten families with the same problem. If I didn’t know better, I would say there was a witch in town casting spells. I tried to mention this to my husband, and he looked at me like I’d grown another head.”
“The police stopped by our house this morning,” Phyllis said, “asking questions about Carly, and if we knew what kind of parents she has. I told them Carly was always happy and in good health. From what I saw, the police took her parents to the station. I wonder if the police think Carly’s parents had something to do with her disappearance.”
Cassie said, “Well, I’ve got to go. I have errands to run before Phil comes home from work.
“Connor, it’s time to go. Can you brush the sand from your pants and empty your shoes?”
“Okay, Mom.”
On the way home, Cassie and Connor stopped at the library. She wanted to see if she could find any history about other children abducted in town. It was too much of a coincidence that so many children were having the same dream.
She stopped at the children’s section first and asked Connor to pick out a book or two for him to read while she performed her research. After he was finished deciding on the books, she went to ask the librarian, Mrs. Spencer, where to look for the history of the town. Mrs. Spencer was eighty years old and volunteered at the library.
“We have the old newspaper articles on microfilm. I can show you where everything is and how to work the machine.” Cassie followed her to the microfilm machines.
“Isn’t it frightening about that missing little girl? I remember when I was younger; we had the same problem about forty years ago in the month of August. Eight children were taken and never found.”
Cassie stopped. “This happened before?”
“Oh my, yes indeed. The parents waited for the return of their children, but they never came home. After about ten years, the parents gave up and put their homes up for sale and moved.”
“Mrs. Spencer, I don’t think I’ll need to look at the papers, after all. Let’s just check out the two books Connor has.”
It was Friday night and Phil picked up a pizza on the way home for dinner. When he arrived, Connor and Cassie were sitting on the sofa, reading a story.
Phil said, “Pizza delivery.”
Connor jumped off the sofa saying, “Daddy’s home! Pizza, pizza, Daddy brought pizza!”
Cassie and Connor went to wash their hands for dinner while Phil placed the pizza on the kitchen table and retrieved the plates from the cabinet.
Dinner was unusually quiet with Connor yawning through most of the meal. Phil said, “Hey buddy, you look tired. Did you have a busy day?”
“Yeah. We went to the park and I played with my friends. We were talking about the monster tapping on our windows. They also said Carly is gone.”
Cassie and Phil looked at each other with a ‘what do we say now’ expression.
“Then Mommy and I stopped by the library, and I have two new books to read.”
Phil said, “Wow, sounds like you did have a busy day. How about we get a bath and go to bed a little early and I’ll read to you from one of your new books. Tomorrow is Saturday and you and I can throw the baseball, or maybe we’ll all go to a movie.”
Connor nodded. “But no movies with monsters in it.”
Phil read to Connor and in five minutes Connor was asleep. He went downstairs and had a glass of wine with Cassie.
Cassie said, “I had an interesting discussion with Mrs. Spencer at the library. She said eight children disappeared about forty years ago and were never found.”
“Cassie, detective work has improved so much over that period of time. I’m sure Carly will be found.”
Everyone had a good night’s sleep. Again, Connor woke Cassie up about 6:30 a.m. While he was eating, Cassie asked, “No more tapping at your window, Connor?”
“Nope. The monster must have needed a night’s sleep.”
Cassie poured herself a cup of coffee. Phil walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, ruffled Connor’s hair and said, “Good morning, buddy!”
“Hi, Daddy. I’m finished eating. Can I go play in my room?”
“Sure. We can talk about what you want to do later.”
Connor left the kitchen and climbed the stairs to his room.
Phil turned on the TV and froze. Another Amber alert was broadcasting. A seven-year-old boy from Fork Landing Road had disappeared in the middle of the night. It was identical to the story of Carly’s abduction.
“Oh Phil, not another child! It is the same manner as when Carly disappeared. I’m starting to be afraid for Connor and others around his age. What or who could possibly be doing this?”
Phil embraced Cassie and told her the police were doing everything possible to locate the children. He reassured Cassie Connor would not go to the window, and would call if he had the nightmares again.
“Phil, I don’t think this has anything to do with nightmares. How can children living at different addresses have the same nightmare? Sometimes it is even on the same night. Someone or something is taking these children. The only question is how. How are they taking them without setting off security alarms and not breaking the windows?”
“I don’t know, hon. If I were superstitious, I would say it’s magic, but magic does not exist.”
All was quiet in the town for the next few days. No more children went missing, but the police wasn’t reporting any leads on where the missing children might have gone.
The local church held a special sermon that evening for the parents of the missing children. Volunteers from the congregation watched the children in the playroom while the parents spoke in the church. When it was time to start, the pastor said a blessing for the children who disappeared, and to bring them home safely to the families who loved them.
“As said in Isaiah 49:25, ‘For thus say the LORD: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued, for I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.’ Let us now bow our head in silent prayer.”
The parents of the missing children were crying and hugging each other. Friends bowed their heads in prayer, pleading to God for the safe return of the children. At the end of the sermon, the chief of police stood up and told the parents not to give up hope.
“Finding your children is our highest priority. We believe the abductors have not left the area. The Amber alerts are constantly playing on the news, showing their photos, and providing physical descriptions. We are searching all abandoned buildings local to the area and are expanding the search to other local towns. We also have evidence we can’t share with the public at this time, as it might impede the investigation and cause the kidnappers to flee. In the meantime, we have asked the FBI to join in the search.”
Jacob raised his hand and said, “What about a neighborhood block watch? We could have all the parents take a short shift at night to watch the houses. It seems any homes could be a target, even those with second story windows. I’d be happy to set up the schedule. Why don’t we meet at my house tomorrow about 6:00 p.m.?”
Other parents nodded in agreement.
In the shadowy upper balcony of the church, stood a figure dressed in black. As Dramike listened to the words below he felt no remorse for the parents. “There are more children to be taken,” he thought. “Your nightmare has only begun.”
He faded away as the meeting ended and re-appeared on the sidewalk in front of a rundown building. Magic wards were placed around the building so anyone who walked by would only see an empty lot.
He whispered the words, “Abhimanyate nyayana” and transported inside the building.
The two children were sleeping peacefully in their beds. Lying near the fire was his pet Ketu. Ketu was hundreds of years old, seven feet tall, had the black wings of a large bird, hind legs like a dragon, arms like a T-Rex, and a head with a cranial crest, which protruded from the front of the nose to the rear of the head. A sorcerer had imprisoned Ketu until Dramike set him free. Fortunately, for the children, Ketu ate leaves and vegetables.
“Welcome home, Master Dramike.”
“We’re going to need to take the children faster, Ketu. The parents are planning to watch the movements at night. Perhaps if I make two copies of you, we can take three or more children in one night.”
“As you wish, master.”
Ketu moved to the middle of the room and Dramike uttered these words, “Parilekhati dvandva.”
Two more versions of Ketu appeared.
Dramike said, “The children were warned to call their parents and not approach the windows if they hear a tapping noise. You will need to speak these words when you tap at the window, “jhaTiti Agaccha vikasita gharghara”.
“It will compel the children to come to the window and open the curtain. Now rest until it is time to fly.”
It was a little after 1:00 a.m. and Ketu and the clones took to the air. All three returned to the building with a sleeping child. Each one placed on a bed.
Again, the flying beasts took flight and brought back three more children.
Dramike said, “I believe we have enough youngsters to accomplish our goal. Tomorrow is the full moon and the souls of these eight children will sustain my life force for another forty years.”
He turned to the three Ketus and said, “Viparyasyate pratipustaka.” The two copies of Ketu disappeared.
“Well done, Ketu,” Dramike said, “and as promised, I will send you back to your dimension. PratyAgacchati prati avarodhana.”
A circle of magic winds appeared around Ketu, and Ketu disappeared.
Cassie and Phil were listening to the news.
“This is Sandy Newman reporting live for Channel 69 News. Police were called to six homes between the hours of 1:00 and 3:30 last night in regards to the disappearance of six children.”
The reporter then described each of the children in turn, as their photos showed on the screen.
“Police say they’re mystified as to how the children were abducted. In each instance, the windows were locked from the inside and the burglar alarms did not go off. If you have any information on any of the abductions, please contact Police Headquarters, 1-800-407-7885.”
Connor was standing in the room and heard the new report. He said, “Mommy, what do you think happened to those kids? Do you think the monster has them? He hasn’t been knocking at my window for a long time now.”
“Come here, Connor,” Cassie said.
She picked him up and placed him between her and Phil. Connor, there are no monsters. The ones you see on television are fake. You were just having nightmares from watching movies because those monsters must have scared you. Your dreams are a way of releasing what scares you. When you have a nightmare and wake up, the nightmare seems real until you are fully awake.”
“No, Mommy! These monsters are real! I know it! That’s why all my friends are missing! I want them back!”
“Connor, I know you are afraid because of your friends, but you need to calm down. If you continue to talk about monsters at the window, I’m going to take the TV away from you for a while.”
Tears formed in Connor’s eyes and he asked to go play in his room.
“Phil, do you think I was too hard on him?”
“I don’t know, Cassie. He had this nightmare before the disappearance of anyone. Now with all these children taken, it only reinforces Connor’s beliefs. I hope they find them soon.”
A few hours later, Cassie went into Connor’s room and said it was time for dinner. Connor told her he wasn’t hungry.
When it was bedtime, Cassie and Phil went to tuck Connor in. They kissed him on the forehead and told him to have pleasant dreams.
After they left his room, Connor said, “God, please find my friends and bring them home. They need to be with their mommies and daddies.”
A few hours later, Connor awoke to find a woman all in white standing next to his bed.
“Do not fear me, Connor. I have come to ask for your help.”
“Who are you?”
“I am an angel.”
Connor stared at her for a few moments and could feel the kindness flowing from her light. He was no longer afraid.
“Connor, God has heard your plea. How would you like to be a hero and save all those missing children?”
Connor nodded.
“I have a stone for you that will protect and help you. All you have to do is believe in yourself.”
She handed Connor the stone. When it was in his hand, a soft glow appeared. The angel reached out her hand. Connor placed his other hand in hers and they started floating. They passed through the wall and were flying over houses. Connor was fascinated and scared at the same time. Finally, they landed on an empty lot.
“Why are we here?” asked Connor.
“This is the place where all the children are being held.”
“But it is an empty lot.”
“Connor, believe in yourself, and the stone I gave you will provide help. You were chosen because you are brave and have a kind heart.”
Connor closed his eyes and said, “I believe. I believe. I believe!”
When he opened his eyes, the lot was no longer vacant. In its place was a tall building. The stone in his hand was glowing and Connor knew what to do. Even though the angel was no longer beside him, he could feel the goodness of the angel in his mind and in his heart. The power of the stone gave him strength and courage.
He murmured the words, “Abhimanyate nyayana,” and transported inside the building. He looked around and saw all the missing children. He walked over to them and tried to shake them awake, but they kept on sleeping. He heard a noise behind him, turned, and saw Dramike.
“Well, well, what do we have here? Another guest for my party?” Dramike said.
“No, I am here to take these kids home where they belong.”
“But you are only a small boy. I am a man who has magic.”
“I may be small, but I have the help of the angels. You will no longer perform magic. Gal’duyi af’suntsi”.
Dramike laughed at Connor and said, “nidRa.”
Nothing happened. Connor was still awake. Dramike repeated the word again with more force. Again, nothing happened to Connor.
Connor said, “Sgara bda’imutha.”
A portal appeared behind Dramike. The land was red and had fires burning. Two hands of flame appeared and started to pull Dramike in. The last thing Connor heard was Dramike screaming, “No, please! Save me!” Dramike disappeared and the portal closed.
Connor walked over to the sleeping children. The stone was still glowing. Connor said, “Mar’usi”.
All of the children started waking up slowly. The angel appeared once more beside Connor.
“Connor, you have been a great help and have saved these children. The stone is yours to keep, but it no longer has magic. When you leave this building, you will have no memory of what occurred here. You will believe you were sleepwalking.”
To all the children the angel said, “Come, little ones. It is time to follow Connor home.”
The children all stood up, followed Connor from the building, and started their long walk home. Outside, the vacant lot was gone and once again, the building was visible.
After the children had been walking for fifteen minutes, a patrol car slowly drove by, and then stopped by the group of children.
The police officer climbed out of the car, ran to the children, and said, “Where have you been?”
The children looked at him, and they all started saying they didn’t know. The last thing they remembered was going to sleep in their bedrooms.
The officer asked them to remain where they were. He returned to the car, picked up the transmitter, and said, “This is Officer Perkins. I have found the missing children. There are nine total. Can you send paramedics to 9320 Westhouse Road? They may need medical attention.”
Ambulances came and drove the children to the local hospital. The children provided their names and the police called their homes. Within twenty minutes, the parents started arriving at the hospital.
The doctors examined all nine children, pronounced them in good health, and said they could go home with their parents.
Before they left, an FBI agent said, “If your child remembers anything, give us a call. Here is our card.”
When Cassie and Phil arrived at the hospital for Connor, they hugged him tight.
“Connor, when we went into your room and saw you were gone, we were so scared,” Cassie said. “I thought you said you would call us if you heard tapping at the window.”
“Nobody tapped on my window. An angel appeared. She was glowing white and said she needed my help to rescue the children. She gave me this stone and said it would protect me. When I held her hand, she flew me to the place where I found the children. The next thing I remember is seeing the cop.”
Cassie said, “Let me see the stone, Connor.”
Connor handed Cassie the smooth, purple stone. Cassie could see nothing usual about it. She handed it to Phil. He turned it over in his hands, and for a brief moment, he thought he saw a flicker of light. He shook his head to clear his mind and looked again. It was nothing special, just a smooth stone.
He handed the stone back to Connor and said, “Well buddy, it looks like you found a really neat stone.”
He picked up Connor, set him on his shoulder, and said, “I think it’s time we head on home. The sun is coming up and I think we should stop to eat breakfast on the way to celebrate the return of the missing children.”
The next Sunday, Connor’s family went to church. The pastor was addressing the miracle of the children returned to their families.
“During the trial of the last few weeks, friends and neighbors joined together in prayer for the safe return of our children. Friends withdrew attention from their own desires in order to provide support to those parents who needed it the most. I am proud to be the pastor of such a caring community.
“The children are now with their parents and our prayers to God were answered. Hopefully it will come to light who abducted them and they shall…”
In the middle of his sentence the pastor froze. So did everyone else in the church. The only one able to move was Connor. He was scared, but then he saw the angel above the pastor and was no longer afraid.
“Hello, Connor. It looks wonderful to see all the missing children returned to their parents. Do you still have the stone?”
“Yes.”
“Be safe, Connor. God has plans for everyone, but sometimes they might not turn out as happily as this one. Remember, angels are everywhere. Also, remember there are people with evil in their hearts. Beware of them the most. Trust your instincts.”
“I understand. I will carry this stone with me always to remind me of your words today.”
The angel smiled and disappeared in a glowing light.
The pastor started speaking as if he never stopped. “…be found and punished
for their sins. Let us bow our heads in prayer.
Connor bent his head to pray.
