Angels does anyone believe.

[NoelW]

In December of 1963 I got a phone call from my friend, Eddie, who asked if I wanted to take a drive with him to Springfield, Vermont, which is located about 40 miles North of Brattleboro, where we lived. Eddie was 2-3 years older than me and had a driver's license. I never knew anything about his parents, because he had lived with his Grandmother since he was about 8 years old. I asked him why he was going to Springfield and he said his Grandmother wanted him to take some Christmas gifts to his cousins and Aunt Mary.

I found out later that his Grandmother had planned to take the gifts to Springfield the next day, but she had just bought a brand new car and Eddie was anxious to drive it. He pestered her until she finally gave in and said that he could take the gifts to Springfield. The weather had been crazy that morning with periods of snow, sleet and rain. But, by mid afternoon it looked to be clearing up. Eddie picked me up at my house around 3 o'clock and we headed to Springfield. We only stayed at his Aunt Mary's house long enough to have a cup of hot chocolate and then we headed back to Brattleboro. But, by that time the temperature had dropped and the roads had gotten icy. For the first few miles the car slipped and slid along the way.

Then while going around a sharp bend in the road, Eddie lost control of the car when it did a complete turn around then rolled over and landed on its side in a shallow ditch. We got some bumps and bruises, but by the Grace of God were not seriously injured. The car had landed on its left side, so there was no way to open the driver's door. The only way out was the through the passenger's door. I tried to open the door, but it had been dented from the roll over and wouldn't open. Fortunately I was able to roll the window down three quarters of the way. I managed to get my head and shoulders through the window, when suddenly a man grabbed my jacket with both of his hands and hoisted me up and out of the car

Then the two of us lifted Eddie up and out through the window. Eddie said, "Thank you Father." It was only then when I looked at the man and realized he was a Priest. The car was smoldering. The Priest said, "Let's get away from here before it blows up."
We walked across the road where there was a small convenience store. The store was closed, but there was a bench nestled against the front of the store, where we sat to try to compose ourselves. A moment later we heard an explosion and the car went up in flames. Eddie said, "Oh my God, Gram's going to kill me!"

The Priest assured him that his Grandmother would be relieved he was still alive. A couple of minutes later a State Trooper pulled his car into the parking lot of the store and rolled down his window. He nodded his head in the direction of the burning car and asked, "That your car?" Eddie told him it was his Grandmother's car. The State Trooper said, "You boys were lucky to have gotten out of there alive." I said, "Yes, thanks to Father." He asked, "Who's father?" I turned to look at the Priest, but he was nowhere in sight. Eddie and I both looked around and then looked at each other in bewilderment. Eddie said, "Well, he was just here a minute ago." The State Trooper said he had better take us to the hospital to make sure we didn't have any internal injuries.


I think he thought we were nuts, but we got into the back seat of his car. On the way to the hospital Eddie and talked about how weird it was for the Priest to have just disappeared. We hadn't seen his car and then he just vanished into thin air.
We were 2-3 hours at the Emergency Room at the hospital. The Doctor examined us both very carefully and decided we were okay. I called my Mother to tell her that I was at the hospital, but that I was perfectly okay and she needed to come to pick me up. She arrived a few minutes later.
She had brief conversation with the Doctor, then returned to me and Eddie and said, "Okay, let's go."
We drove Eddie home first and went inside to explain things to his Grandmother. She was, as the Priest had said, relieved to know that he wasn't injured or killed. She also said that her insurance company would replace her car. While my Mother and I were on our way home, I told her about the Priest who had pulled me and Eddie out of the car, but then just suddenly vanished into thin air. She listened to my story very carefully and then said, "Perhaps he was an angel." I said, 'Really?" She said, "Well, unless you have a better explanation." I didn't. And never have.

© T.N.W.