I LOVE MY EXTENDED family, even when they continue, for decades, to haunt and taunt me.
Now, they will never admit it, but I determined long ago that my Aunt Marilyn, and now her daughter Dawn, are the perpetrators, the instigators, the whatever-you-want-to-call-them, behind a Halloween tradition.
You see, for years I’ve received a Halloween card from the ghost of Annie Mary Twente, a 6-year-old who fell into a coma and was buried alive in Albin Township near Hanska in 1886. Legend goes that Annie’s father had his daughter’s body exhumed and found scratch marks inside the girl’s coffin where she tried to claw her way out.
That tale is enough to scare anyone. For some reason, I once told my aunt that I detested this macabre story. I think that was around the time I lived and worked as a newspaper reporter in St. James, near Hanska. She’s never forgotten.
I have no clue how long Marilyn searches for the perfect Halloween card. But she always manages to come up with an appropriate greeting befitting of Annie Mary. Because of copyright laws, I can’t quote card verses here. But the image on the front of this year’s card (the one from Marilyn) shows two glowing jack-o-lanterns atop a fence in the diminishing light of early evening. As I study the photo, I am reminded of the fence that surrounded Annie’s grave. (Her remains have since been moved to the Alexandria area.) Spooky.
As varied as the cards are each year, I can always be assured that Marilyn/Annie will pen the same message in her childish block print: “I MISS YOU! ANNIE MARY.” Clearly, at six, she never learned cursive.
As if one Halloween card from the little ghost girl isn’t enough, for the first time this year, I received a second greeting. That arrived this morning with a nice little message that Annie Mary is thinking of me. How thoughtful.
For years, I anticipated this unsettling Halloween greeting. But I never expected the haunting to extend beyond October. Last December, though, Annie Mary sent me a Christmas book about mice and a plastic mouse that pooped candy and wished me a “Merry Christmouse!”
Annie Mary sent me this mouse last Christmas.
For gosh sakes, I didn’t need Annie Mary knowing that I hate mice. But, somehow, she learned this invaluable information. Just last week an unexpected package arrived from AM (Annie Mary). Honestly, I was afraid to open the darned thing. So I pushed and prodded, suspected a mouse trap, peeked quickly inside and then threw the envelope at my second-born.
She pulled out two tiny sticky gray rubber mice, a flashing skeleton head pin and CHUCKLES candy. Ha. Ha. Very funny, cousin Dawn, uh, I mean Annie Mary.
I did not welcome this Halloween gift from Annie Mary.
I suppose you’re wondering why I dislike mice so much. Let’s see. Would a mouse cavorting in the silverware drawer or floating in a crockpot spook you? Or how about getting stuck in your in-laws’ bathroom with a mouse in the dead of night when you’re six months pregnant? Yes, all three horrible mouse encounters happened to me.
With enough living (and dead) mice in my life, I certainly don’t need Annie Mary mailing replicas to remind me of all that real-life mouse horror.
Oh, and I haven’t even told you that the ghost child blemished Valentine’s Day last year by sending me not one, but two, valentine cards.
Valentine greetings from Annie Mary. Which is authentic?
So…, I’m wondering if you had relatives like mine, who feign innocence about any and all communications from Annie Mary Twente, what would you do? Would you still claim them as your family members? Or…, would you try somehow to get even?
© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
With relatives like that who needs enemies. I hate mice too. Used to live in a 90 year old woman’s house where they crawled in the walls while I was sleeping. ewwww.
Dana
It sounds to me like you never know what to expect! Do you really think Annie Mary means anything but fun? I don’t think she would ever intentionally harm you, surprise you, yes! She sounds like the type of gal that likes to keep you on your toes!! I think you are so very loved by these relatives of yours.
I do believe that my relatives are a fun-loving bunch and that they intend no harm with their Annie Mary mailings. I agree, Annie has never done anything that I could classify as wholly mean. But those mice come awful close to crossing the line, don’t you think?
Never-the-less, I really do enjoy these occasional surprises from Annie, but I would never admit that to AM.
I too, am related to Annie Mary and have heard lots about her. I’ve been told she wanders the cornfields at night in search of her parents, but only when there’s a full moon. Since I’ve been told lots about Annie Mary, I can easily see her sending gifts like the ones you received. She was a very playful person. What I do find kind of creepy is that she knows you’re afraid of mice. I’ve never gotten anything related to her in any way though, I do think she is the one that wrote those cards. I don’t really believe in ghosts but after seing those cards, I do. It makes me wonder what other tricks she has up her sleeve.
Sara, I am not at all related to Annie Mary Twente.
The whole thing of getting cards and gifts is a tradition started by my Aunt Marilyn, who knew I did not like the story of Annie Mary buried alive. Now Marilyn’s daughter, Dawn, has joined the fun. There are no ghosts involved in any of this, except the ghost story.