Imaginary Friend

Chastelin didn’t think she would fit into the small suburban neighborhood. It had given off a robotic hum of small town paradise. The kind of place where the smiles were just a little too wide, but never overly genuine. A place her wilder youth would have called a cult and yet here she was fitting right in.

“I thought this was exactly what you wanted, babe,” said Harley.

“It was. It was exactly the American dream I’ve always wanted. Our neighbors all greeted us with coordinated casseroles, we have a book club, I’m vice president of the PTA at Mason of Moloch’s School for Girls. Yay for me,” the rubber of her disposable cleaning gloves squeaked against her wine glass as she lifted it for a small cheers.

“Then what’s wrong, babe,” asked Harley.

“The problem, babe, is that it was great for six years and then three months ago you made the choice, without any input from me, to up and die in the middle of the night. Right by my side, I might remind you, while I slept peacefully. I woke up alone. I woke up the widow. I’m tired now. I’m tired of it all. I’m strong and I’m independent and I’m ready to move on. Goodbye, Harley, time to say goodbye,” said Chastelin.

The doorbell rang.

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“Coming, just one moment,” Chastelin took off her disposable cleaning gloves and set them on the counter. She moved to the door and saw a tall shadow with long swaying hair through the ornate stain-glass window.

The door opened on its own and swung inward.

“Oh, hello Brie Anna. You’re early. I wasn’t expecting anyone for at least an hour. I was just finishing cleaning the kitchen and I was going to take a quick shower. I just put Amber downstairs with a movie,” Chastelin said.

Brie Anna pushed her way into the house.

“Oh, girl, I’m sorry to come over unannounced like this, but it is my duty, not only as the longest seated president of M.M. School for Girls, but also as your friend, your very best friend and next door neighbor, to make sure you are really up for this tonight. It’s your first time coming back to the PTA meetings and you’re hosting. It’s a lot after that sudden strange loss you suffered. I know, I know what you’ll tell me, he’s in a better place, Brie Anna, and he is. Harley is in a better place now. Make us some margaritas, Chastey. You smell fine, no need to shower. Meet me on the back patio,” said Brie Anna. She power-walked through the house and through the open back patio doors.

Chastelin turned into the kitchen and pulled some margarita glasses out of the cupboard. She set them on the counter and then remembered the gloves she had just set there; they were gone.

“Hi mommy,” said a little voice over the other side of the counter.

“Hi baby, did you throw my gloves away?”

“Mr. M did it mommy. He said company was coming for you and he wanted it to be very clean,” said Amber.

“Tell Mr. M thank you, but to please ask before touching mommy’s cleaning supplies, okay?”

“Okay, mommy,” Amber said.

Chastelin made the margaritas and carried them out to the patio.

“You are so good to me girl. So, really, how are you doing? You kind of went a little cray there for like just a little bit after Hars died,” Brie Anna said and propped her sunglasses up onto her head.

“It was hard and there were some adjustments that had to be made, but I am ready to start picking things back up and moving forward with life,” Chastelin said.

“Girl, I am so happy to hear that! That means we can just get right back to some one-on-one time. I’ve missed you, bestie! Bring it in,” Brie Anna opened her arms for a hug.

The girls embraced and then sat on lounge chairs near the pool to chat.

“Would you like another, before the rest of the PTA gets here?” Chastelin asked.

“Oh, you know the girls will want to move on to wine. I better save room. Hey, Chastelin, we’ve been friends for six years now, right?”

“A little more than, yes,” Chastelin said.

“I've been hearing from some of the other parents that Amber has made a new friend? I thought that was such good news during such a hard time, but I am your next door neighbor and I just haven’t seen anyone come or go from the property in a very long time,” Brie Anna said and scrunched up her nose and wrinkled her brow.

“Oh, yes, the PTA members have nothing to be concerned about. Megan has an imaginary friend is all,” said Chastelin.

“Some of the board members are concerned about Megan’s adjustment to changes, her attitude, umm, because this imaginary friend of hers has been encouraging theft, pushing her to become withdrawn, and she’s becoming violent. She pushed another student off a slide,” Brie Anna said with a pout.

“Amber told me about that. That boy is her friend, they were playing and he fell, that’s all. Blame it on gravity,” Chastelin said.

“That’s it then, you don’t have any concerns?” Brie Anna asked.

“I did, at first. It felt like she was acting out and moving or hiding my things. She would wake me in the night to tell me something Mr. M had told her. It started right after her father died and I saw it as another problem to fix. But I took a deep breath and talked to some professionals. Her therapist and I agreed that it was a safe and healthy coping mechanism at this stage of her grief and to talk to her about what is and isn't appropriate with any friend. Mr. M keeps her company when I’m overwhelmed and he's become well behaved with the rules we've discussed,” Chastelin said.

“Mr. M, so you let your daughter spend day and night with a full grown adult man?”

“No, Brie, that’s just his name. He’s actually a little boy, same age as Megan. He keeps things quite tidy around the house. He’s quite the little helper. Oh, yeah, and he doesn't exist.”

“Mommy, can I make some popcorn,” came a little voice from behind the glass kitchen doors.

“Yes, of course, do you need some help, baby?”

“No mommy, Mr. M can help me. He wants me to tell you not to drink so much, it’s very bad for you tonight,” Megan said and turned to find the popcorn.

Brie Anna sat upright and tossed back the remainder of her margarita.

“The truth is that the PTA has already discussed it and they took a vote last week,” Brie Anna scrunched up her nose and wrinkled her brow.

“What’s going on with my arms, Brie? My legs, why can’t I feel them?”

“Mommy, I’m done with the microwave and going back to the movie,” said Megan. A bowl of popcorn followed the girl, floating, three feet behind and to her right. A few stray kernels fell from the bowl to the ground and bounced into the pool.

“It’s just a sedative; I’m not trying to kill you. We're friends. The whole neighborhood loves you, Chastelin, one of us! but… It’s her who needs to, well... You’ll be awake in no time and we can real talk about it all night long. Please, invisible friends? Can’t have that. We’re a respectable academy for girls, right ladies?”

Chastelin lost consciousness in a slow spiral that felt like a lifetime as the blurry shadows of the other PTA members entered the room, the glint of a knife blade sparked, her daughter’s bare throat focused into pinpoint view, and all the blood that stained her vision glowed crimson before it faded to black.