All the Little Children Need to Come Home

Chapter Eleven: Little Visitors

Haley brushed past Alice and stood in the middle of the doorway, watching with excitement at the scene in the front yard. Snow was falling in huge flakes as one, two, three children appeared suddenly on the lawn. Alice could not believe what she was seeing. It was snowing children.

"Stephen!" Haley said, excitedly. Alice saw her face flush with cheer as Haley looked up at her. "It's my friend, Stephen! Can he stay here too? He didn't have a good mommy or daddy, either."

A little boy, around the same age as Haley, dropped a snowball when he heard his name. He was dressed as simply as Haley- tank top, shorts and bare feet. He looked at Haley shyly and lifted a soft hand in hello.

A commotion of happy voices suddenly filled the air in front of her house. Alice watched as Haley ran out into the front yard, hugging and skipping, squealing gleefully as more children appeared on the snow-covered lawn.

"Oh, my God." Alice caught her breath. Haley ran up to her, eyes sparkling, her cherub lips spread in a gleeful grin as she grabbed Alice's hands, jumping up and down.

"They're here! All my friends are here! Can we keep them? Can they stay?"

Alice slowly slumped to the front steps, watching as Haley took the little boy's hand and ran to join the growing number of children appearing on the front lawn. Some were throwing snowballs, sliding on bare feet down the slippery hill. Others were just sitting in the snow, touching it softly, wonder in their eyes.

"We can't keep them, you know." Ben leaned down to whisper in her ear. She looked up at him, saw the twinkle in his eyes. She nodded, not able to say anything.

Alice up at the others who had joined her outside. Their wide eyes and opened mouths showed they felt the same wonder as she did. No one said a word. There was nothing to be said.

Alice watched as Detective Matthews brought out his cell phone to call for back up. As she watched the spectacle in her front yard, she smiled as she listened to Matthews try to explain what was happening. He asked for officers and social workers and that maybe the FBI should come along as well. She realized by the urgent tone in his voice that this was too complicated a situation, no matter the fact that they were little children. He glanced at her with a wry smile, and said, "Might as well send in the Calvary."

"Maybe you should call someone else," Ben said wryly and looked up towards the sky. Alice smiled at his words. Maybe they should do just that.

"We can't keep them all out here," Alice said, as she stood.

She called to Haley to bring everyone inside.

Alice felt a hand slip into hers and felt soft curls along her arm. She looked down at the little girl and began to understand. Somehow, all these children came down because of Haley.

"Call Adam." He nodded. She wanted her son to be here to see what was happening because unless this was some delightful dream that she would soon awake from, she wanted Adam to see for himself this incredible event.

Little feet sounding like the fluttering of wings as children gleefully ran around her home. Some looked at the photos on the refrigerator, on the walls. Others sat in front of the television set, while still more jumped on couches and bounced on chairs.

Not knowing quite what to do next, Alice said to herself, " Maybe I'll make a fresh pot of coffee."

She busied herself with measuring the coffee, filling the tank. She felt a quick kiss on her cheek and turned to see a little boy sitting on the counter next to her. In a blink, she thought she saw wings, but in that instant, they were gone.