I felt bad because I couldn't help my mother. I was only 7 years old. Since I couldn't talk Dad into being nice, I hit him a few times. But it only made things worse, for both me and Mom. So I stopped trying to prevent the beatings. I just cringed in bed. I wished I could sleep peacefully through it like my 3 year old sister.

Then one day, Dad got drunk earlier in the day. Even my sister was awake when he started hitting Mom. But my sister seemed not to even hear what was going on. She had a beautiful smile on her face. I was shocked. I wondered if she had a vicious streak in her just like Dad's. I asked her what she was so happy about.

"The angel music makes me happy," she told me. Then she said that she often hears it when laying in bed at night. I thought it was rather strange that she could pretend that screams were nice sounds, music even!

Our father committed suicide so the beatings finally stopped.

After we grew up, I asked my sister about the angel music she used to hear. She said that one night an angel with enormous wings appeared and told her that he had a gift for her, special music to help her sleep real good. She never saw the angel again but heard the music for months. When I questioned her more, I determined that the music stopped about the time our father died. She doesn't remember much about him. Just that he never paid any attention to her. I've never told her that he beat Mom. If the angel tried to protect my sister, then I feel it's my job to continue to do so.