My name is Tayla, and here is the story of my life...


My life turned into a living hell in 2011, it all started in September. I was in 6th grade a perfectly normal 11 year old. In fact everything in my life had just started to slow down, dad was out of jail, living with his “soon to be fiancee”. Aunt Shawnna and Uncle Chris finally got a house, right down the street from me and my grandparents. And mom and “Stepdad” had been living in a motel, thats why I never went over there, I was too embarrassed. And all the rest of my family quiet as can be.


Anyway life was perfect. But that all changed on September 3rd. September 3rd was a Saturday, I was home, as a matter of fact, I was in my room, just gotten in there as there was a family friend that had just arrived. So anyway I walked into my room and heard screaming from my grandmother. She was yelling at my grandpa, who was in the shower and she said “Kenny, Kenny hurry Robert died this morning and no one can get a hold of mom”.


This was just the beginning. Robert was my my great uncle, my grandpa’s brother. Anyway I was so stunned. So naturally I considered it a joke, because he was the last person that I would have thought to die. I mean he was one of the most healthiest people I have ever seen. I could not believe what I was hearing.


So me stunned I just casually walked outside, I seen the man standing out there, I had actually never seen him before so I’m thinking maybe he is one of my Uncle Robert’s friends. Anyway, I heard him talking to my grandma about my Uncle Robert, but my heart was beating so fast I didn’t even hear a word he said.


So the autopsy report found out the reason why he had died, but unfortunately since I am just now bringing this all back up, I can’t quite remember if it was a heart attack or not. Actually I do believe I heard the words SauerKraut, poisoned, and the words ran off. Now before you start thinking that I’m stupid SauerKraut was my Uncle Roberts girlfriend, she was a super duper mean Hungarian, I mean she was hell. So SauerKraut was the nickname that we had given her. Everyone knew she was no good, and nobody really liked her. So basically what they were trying to say was that his girlfriend (SauerKraut) poisoned him and then took off.


But the funeral was very sad we had it at the Moose Lodge (NC). We had it there because he was a member there for so long. Anyway it was super sad, no one could believe it.


So then almost a week went by and then when I thought everything was fine. My dad went to court, it was only for a small reason though. But basically all of the Police Department in the County, hates my dad, I mean hates. So I knew that he was going to get locked up for something he didn’t do. So I was prepared.Then my grandma got the call about my dad, so in my mind I was thinking maybe a month or two, at the most three months.


Which I was used to him being in and out of jail. But then she hung up the phone and screamed “Oh My God, they finally got him”. Then she told me that my dad was sentenced 7-10 years in the Johnston County Correctional Institution. I could not believe this. I mean, I barely knew my dad as it is, if I counted up the years that my dad has actually been out of jail, while I was alive I’ve only known my dad for about 2 years. My Aunt Shawnna and my Uncle Chris was there when we got the call.


Then maybe a week went by and I finally heard from my mom, this was the first time in a month that she has actually called to check in. So I was a little mad. But when she called she had nothing to do but bring more bad news. This one was that my Aunt Della had died. Now I had no idea who Aunt Della was. But apparently it was my moms mom, my grandma's, sister. But I wasn’t as sad since I had never met her. But we didn't have her funeral till a month later.


But in all of September the worst that happened to me was on Wednesday September 21, 2011 at 11:47 PM. I was woken out of a dead sleep by the feeling that someone was watching me. Two seconds later my grandmother came in screaming “Tayla, Tayla come out here quick. You need to come watch the kids. Something happened at Shawnna and Chris’”. So I was basically sleepwalking and then I believe I fell asleep in my grandpa’s recliner chair. God know’s how long I was asleep. But when they got home my grandma woke me up and I was half asleep, but I asked what had happened and she said “Chris died”.

So because I was half asleep I was thinking that I was asleep. So I hugged her and went back in my room to go to sleep.


So the next morning I got up got ready and then walked out into the living while I waited for the bus. Then My grandma looked at me (she was laying on the couch with my cousins) and she said “Did you hear what happened”. “What” I said. Then she said “Chris died”. “How” I said...


“He hung himself”. Me again shocked but not really sad, I didn't say much but inside I was broken. So I went to school that day, really didn't say much. But we were in 5th period, in the computer lab, and I was sitting beside my cousin Allie. And I looked at her and told her her what happened, but after that I couldn’t help but to burst out in tears. She didn’t know what to say except “Well don't cry about it”. I think she was just as surprised as me.


So then after 5th period we went to lunch, I was standing in line with my best friend Prestina. So I looked at her and by the way she doesn't have much sympathy, and I said “I’m seriously about to cry”, and then my eyes started to water so bad, it wasn't funny. And she said “Why what happened?”. And then I told her, she really didn't know what to do either, so then she said “Oh my gosh, they shouldn't have told you about that Tayla”.


So then I just couldn't help it I burst out into tears, and just decided not to eat that day. Then the school counselor came up to me and asked me what had happened and again I told her. And it was really hard for me to do anything after that.


So it has been a year later since the last time that I had said anything about it. But in September of 2012, there was another incident...


A very good family friend, Jim, had been missing for maybe 2 weeks and so we really thought nothing of it. We thought that he was maybe at his brothers house, as they were very close. And so one day my grandma went to call and check in, so when she got a hold of his brother he said he had not seen Jim in over a month.


So Jim’s landlord went to have someone check and see if Jim was at home. And the man said no but there was a grey van parked out in the woods. He didn't go back there because he didn't want to be considered trespassing. So that really worked my grandma up, because she really did love Jim, he was practically like my uncle.


Anyway, so it was about 10:45 PM, and my grandma decided to take everyone with her to go check it out. And so I was terrified because remember right before my uncle Robert died I was seeing a really dark figure everywhere. Well it had been happening again and so basically I knew.


So we got out there and we were looking all around when suddenly my aunt Shawnna’s flashlight bounced off of something metal, like a reflector or something. So we all knew right then so we turned around and went into his house and started searching for a phone book or his contacts book.


So after a while we went outside and called the Sheriff’s Department. So they went out there and checked it out and then they also seen the van and then they called the private investigator. So he went out there and he said that Jim had committed suicide. If you're wondering how he did it he killed himself with carbon monoxide poisoning.


* Now every year in September, and this is the honest to God’s truth. Every year in September really weird stuff is happening, like in 2011 right after my uncle Chris died, everything started falling off of the shelves. And on a numerous occasions my grandmas car would literally start up on it’s own. And the day after my uncle Chris died, my Nintendo DS died, and it would never, and has never turned back on. And your probably wondering what my DS has to do with anything, well me and my uncle Chris would always fight over it. So I like to think that when he died, he took my DS with him.

* I would also like to say thank you for reading this, it was really hard for me to just tell everyone all of this.