Debra's Thoughts
Report by: Debra Pickman
As of the writing of this, I find that I have altered my thoughts and theories several times, fine tuning them as warranted when new information or evidence comes to light, and this will be highlighted later.
At the time we lived in the house, and through the efforts of the psychics involved with the case at that time, I simply thought we had a young spirit that was desperately seeking a family and attention. I drew this from the activity that surrounded much of the playful activity with the bears, photographs, electronics and toys in the house.
It often seemed that when the conversation topic was on Sallie and the experiences, there would be activity shortly afterward. On the other hand it seemed that if the focus or conversation was not on anything paranormal, activity would also ensue. Almost like a “see me, notice me, I’m hear” sort of thing. In fact, there seemed to be a need to show off or perform for certain people.
The concerns were stepped up when the fires began. Although I still believed that Sallie wouldn’t do anything to harm our family, I was pretty sure she was responsible for them and a part of me was worried that one of the fires might get out of hand. After all, they were for the most part, unsupervised and unbeknownst to us at the onset, and result of a child’s actions. The candles, the rocking horse, the baby’s binky, the bib, the rose and the mop doll were a few of these frightening instances.
My concern, however was not that they were happening, because that in itself was interesting and something I grew very curious about. The unsettling part was that we never knew when they would occur, and really I was frustrated in trying to control them. It wasn’t as simple as taking a lighter or matches away from the child, or hiding the implements from her; she simply didn’t need them to facilitate the fires.
The evening of the Christmas Party was when the mop doll started on fire. It was about an hour after Santa had passed out gifts to all the children. Before and during Santa’s visit I felt such an intense and overwhelming sadness and couldn’t place it. This feeling was something I had never, and have not since, felt. Reflecting on the fire later that evening, I realized it was likely the emotional energy of Sallie.
Before coming to that realization, I of course I reprimanded her harshly for the fire. There had simply bee so many fires, and telling her not to start them simply wasn’t working. The whole experience had weighed heavily on my thoughts and before going to bed, I had the idea that if starting a fire was the way she wanted to make her presence known, it might be safer if we designated an oil lamp for this purpose. At least that way a flame would be better contained than an open flame.
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