Abra Stone Rescues Wanda Judkins

Abra Stone’s rescue of Wanda Judkins is an early, consequential demonstration of Abra’s ability to perceive danger beyond her immediate surroundings. On July 6, 2003, she warned her family that their neighbor had fallen; Lucy Stone and Concetta Reynolds followed her warning and found Wanda in time to get her medical help.

Background and Setting

The episode took place during a Fourth of July holiday weekend in the summer of 2003, when Abra had begun speaking in nearly full sentences. David Stone had gone to 7-Eleven to buy propane for a backyard barbecue, while Abra played with blocks in the living room and Lucy and Concetta worked in the kitchen. Wanda, a widow who lived alone across the street, was a favorite of Abra’s because she often brought her homemade cookies with Abra’s name on them.

Abra’s Warning

As Lucy and Concetta unloaded the dishwasher, Abra began screaming. Once they reached her, she clung to Concetta and urgently reported that Wanda had fallen and needed help. Abra identified the neighbor by the familiar name Wannie and specified that she was in the dining room. Her warning was not a response to anything the adults had yet seen: the family was inside its own home, and Wanda was across the street.

Finding Wanda and Getting Help

Concetta led the way across the street while Lucy carried Abra. When nobody answered their knock, Abra repeated that Wanda was in the dining room and had hurt herself. The door was unlocked, so the women entered and found Wanda on the floor beside a stepladder, where she had been dusting the moldings. Lucy located a pulse, and Wanda was taken for emergency care.

Consequences and Significance

Wanda had sustained serious head injuries in the fall and woke the following day. Her emergency-room doctor warned that a longer delay could have resulted in her death or permanent loss of consciousness. Concetta therefore described Abra’s warning not as a vague impression but as the timely information that brought the adults to Wanda before it was too late. The episode also establishes that Abra’s unusual perception could convey practical, specific knowledge about a person in danger, making her ability consequential for someone beyond her immediate family.