The Imaginary Friend

by Kelly Hashway

  The Land of Imagination

  Sam had been in the Land of Imagination for two weeks listening for the call of another child who needed her. But all she could hear was Tracy's voice. Sam missed Tracy. Even though Jessica told her it would get easier to live without Tracy, Sam still didn't see how that was possible. How did she accept never seeing her best friend again?

  At least the Land of Imagination was beautiful. It was like a big playground in the clouds. Sam still wasn't sure how she'd gotten here. She'd felt like she was floating and then suddenly she was landing on a soft puffy cloud. She'd spent her first week jumping up and down on the clouds, like they were trampolines. It was the most fun she'd ever had—without Tracy. But even the clouds got a little boring after a while.

  Sam leaned her head back and strained to hear the voices that drifted through the Land of Imagination. They were faint, barely whispers.

  "You'll know when it's for you," Jessica said, sitting down next to Sam. "You don't have to struggle to hear the voice when it's meant for you."

  "But how long until I get the call?" Sam sat up. "This place is great and all, but I really want to make another friend."

  "There's a reason we don't get another call right away," Jessica said. "You have to be able to move on before you help another child. If you were to get a call right now, would you be able to forget about Tracy and focus solely on your new friend?"

  "Forget about Tracy? You never said I had to forget about her." Sam felt like someone was squeezing her insides.

  Jessica put her hand on Sam's shoulder. "Not completely forget. But you need to be able to give your new friend your undivided attention. Like you gave Tracy. You can't play favorites. Each of your charges has to feel like he or she is the most special person in the world to you. That's your job."

  "But—"

  "You're not ready yet," Jessica said. "And that's okay. You can stay here until you are ready."

  "How do I move on?"

  "Go talk to some of the other imaginary friends. Listen to what they have to say. You'll see that their stories include all their charges, not just their first charges." Jessica smiled and walked away.

  Sam knew she couldn't stay here forever. She couldn't really be happy like this. So she pictured Tracy's face in her mind to give her strength, and she walked over to the swings. They weren't normal swings. They weren't attached to anything. The seats just hung there in the air as if by magic. Sam sat down next to a girl she'd seen before.

  "Hi," Sam said.

  "Hi. I'm Tasha. You're new, right?"

  "Yeah. I've only had one… charge." The word was still difficult to say.

  "Ah, I remember what that was like." Tasha smiled and Sam could see she was remembering something. "For me it was Emily. She was the youngest of five kids, and the only girl. That's why she needed me. We had tea parties and pajama parties. We painted each other's toenails. I never thought I'd get over losing her. I came here and watched the others get called off by new friends. And before I knew it, I wanted the same to thing to happen to me. I wanted to have what I had with Emily again."

  "Did you get it?" Sam asked.

  Tasha shook her head. "No. Every charge is different. They need us for different reasons so the relationship is never really the same. And of course, your first charge is always special since that's the friend who created you."

  "So I'll never have another friend like Tracy?" Sam felt her heart skip a beat.

  "Would you really want to replace her?" Tasha asked, jumping down from the swing. "See you around, new girl. My next friend is calling me." Tasha walked off, disappearing in a flash of white light.

  Sam sat on the swing completely amazed. Tasha was right. She didn't want to replace Tracy. No one could replace her first best friend. But that didn't mean she couldn't make new friends. Tracy had moved on and that was a good thing. It would be good for Sam to do the same.

  "Hi, you must be Sam."

  Sam looked up at the boy standing before her. "Yeah. Who are you?"

  "I'm Kayden. You want to take a walk? There's something I'd like to show you."

  Sam hopped off the swing and followed Kayden to a pool in the middle of the clouds. "What is that?" she asked.

  "See for yourself," Kayden said, kneeling next to the water.

  Sam bent down next to him and leaned forward. The water rippled and Sam saw the image of a young girl. She was making her bed, but she wasn't alone. Tasha was with her.

  "Is that Tasha with her new charge?"

  "Yes," Kayden said. "Doesn't she look happy?"

  Sam studied Tasha's face. She wasn't exactly doing anything fun but still Tasha was smiling. Her eyes were bright, and she was happy to be with the girl no matter what they were doing. "Yeah. She looks really happy."

  "That's how it always is. That girl used to hate doing her chores because she didn't have anyone to do them with. But look at her now."

  "Tasha's a good friend."

  "You could be too. And who knows, it might be sooner than you think." Kayden stood up. "Time for me to go. My new friend's calling me. Good luck."

  "Thanks," Sam said as Kayden disappeared in a flash of warm light.

  Sam looked into the water again and the image changed. Kayden was shooting hoops with a young boy. They laughed as they ran up and down the driveway, trying to make the most impossible shots. Sam couldn't help laughing along with them.

  "You found the looking well," Jessica said, walking up behind her.

  "It's amazing. We really do help people, don't we?" Sam stared into the water, not wanting the image to fade.

  "Yes, we do. But not from here."

  Sam nodded. She knew she had to make herself ready to help another child. "Is someone waiting for me now? Am I holding them up because I'm not ready?" Her voice shook when she thought about a child who might be struggling because she hadn't gotten over Tracy yet.

  "We are usually paired perfectly so that doesn't happen."

  Sam felt relief wash over her.

  "But," Jessica continued, "you'll be able to help a lot more children if you learn to move on." She waved Sam over to her. "Come on. There's one more thing I think you need to see."

  Sam followed Jessica to the biggest tree she'd ever seen. It reminded her of the beanstalk in that story Tracy used to love to read when she was younger. The tree was so big Sam couldn't even see the top of it.

  "Wow! It's huge."

  "I know," Jessica said, sounding sad.

  Sam turned to face her. "What's wrong?"

  "Every leaf on this tree represents a child who will one day need an imaginary friend. There aren't enough of us here to get to all of them."

  "I don't understand. Can't the children just create their own imaginary friends like Tracy created me?"

  "Not all children have that ability. That's why we help other children after our first charges don't need us anymore." Jessica's eyes welled up with tears. "We usually aren't in the Land of Imagination for very long. Most of us only spend a day here at the most between charges."

  "But we've both been here for nearly two weeks," Sam said.

  Jessica nodded. "I have to stay until you are ready to move on. I was assigned to you. I can hear the call of a child, but I have to make her wait."

  Sam shook her head. "No. You have to go to her. She needs you. I'll be fine. You don't have to stay here with me. You need to be with your new charge. Please, go be with your friend."

  Jessica smiled. "You're ready," she said. Before Sam could figure out what she meant, Jessica disappeared in a flash of light.

  Sam turned back to the tree. A single leaf fell, floating to the soft cloud below. Sam watched it change color and become part of the cloud.

  "Sam? Sam where are you?" a voice called.

  Sam turned around, but no one was there.

  "You're so good at hiding," the voice said.

  This time Sam knew where the voice was coming from. A leaf on the tree was glowing faintly. It shimmered as the lit
tle girl spoke.

  "I know where you are."

  Sam smiled. She'd never heard the voice before but she knew who it was. Amanda. Her new friend.

  "Here I am," Sam said, as she disappeared in a flash of light.

  ###

  About the author:

  Kelly Hashway writes short stories and books for children of all ages. She is the author of the picture book May the Best Dog Win and over seventy short stories. For more information about her published works, please visit her website at https://www.kellyhashway.com.