The Imaginary Friend

Chapter 2
Chapter 2

When Aaron awoke, he was lying on a forest of fabrics. An odd scent of lavender and mothballs hung in the air. There came the sound of approaching footsteps, and he struggled to his feet just as the pair of doors swung open before him. Bright incandescent light flooded in, and his heart skipped a beat when he came face-to-face with Ashley.

“There you are!” she burst out laughing. “Did you really think I would not search in my own wardrobe?”

He stumbled out, dazed and confused. Peering around, he found himself in a girl’s bedroom, all pinks and pastel blues, a floral-patterned duvet, assorted decals of unicorns and ponies, some of them peeling along the edges. But it was only when he caught sight of himself in the dresser mirror that he realized why everything seemed so large and disorientating.

In front of Ashley stood a cherry-cheeked kid, no more than seven or eight, compactly built and still boyishly handsome. He had big fists on knobby, twiggy arms, pipe-cleaner legs, the tawny skin of a ripe peach, and an unruly thatch of curly hair, bleached to the platinum blond of his prepubescence.

“Now it’s your turn to find me. Are you ready?” Ashley smiled.

What on earth was going on? Aaron tried to pull together the pieces. He had wished to be Ashley’s special friend, but here he was, standing in her room, reduced to a little whelp. Had he become her kid brother? He shivered like a wet dog.

There was a knock on the door, and a middle-aged woman entered. Aaron’s instinct was to run and hide, but there was nowhere to go.

“Ashley! Why are you back from school so early? Did you skip band practice again?”

“Mum, I don’t want to be in the band anymore.”

“Why?”

“I don’t like the other girls. They’re mean to me. I’ll much rather stay home and play with Aaron.”

Aaron tensed for a second, but the woman’s gaze did not shift over to him. Instead, he thought he saw something change in her eyes, a deep sense of sadness and concern.

“Darling, I understand that…”

“Mum! You’re being rude again. Aren’t you going to say hello to Aaron? He has feelings too!”

“But…”

“Say... hello... to... Aaron!”

The woman regarded her daughter’s frown and crossed arms for a moment. “Hello, Aaron,” she waved at some thin air that wasn’t anywhere near him.

“Now dear,” she continued, turning back to her. “You remember what Dr. Reza said. You need to spend more time with other people…”

“And what’s wrong with spending time with Aaron? He’s my best friend!”

“But he’s your imaginary friend! He doesn’t exist!”

The words hit Aaron like a lightning strike. He tried jumping and waving, but Ashley’s mum ignored him and continued lecturing her daughter in a strident tone. Finally, the bedroom door slammed shut, and Ashley called to him.

“Aaron, are you okay?”

“I’m… I’m afraid.”

“Oh I’m sorry. Mum can be scary sometimes.” she reached out and cradled him in her embrace. “Do you know what’s the best remedy when you’re feeling down?”

“No…”

“A long, hot bath!” She proceeded to drag him, wide-eyed, over to the bathroom.

Much later, perched on Ashley’s bed, his face was still burning. It had been embarrassing enough when she made him undress, but when she began to disrobe, he nearly lost it. Fortunately, or unfortunately, his miniaturized wing wang hadn’t responded at all to the sight, but his mind just melted into hot lava. Then she had asked him to sit opposite her at the other end of the bathtub in the warm soapy water as she lathered and scrubbed herself like an Egyptian cat.

“Are you better?” she settled by him on the bed and tousled his hair.

“Yeah…”

“I’ll let you hug my special teddy to sleep tonight, okay?”

A threadbare toy was pushed into his arms. Its seams had been mended over several times, and it was inexplicably dressed in a baby’s onesie, perhaps to protect its fragile body.

Aaron allowed her to tuck him into a corner, and through bleary eyes watched as she returned to her desk and started pecking at her laptop, the glow of its screen illuminating her face. Seesawing between the shock of his diminished form and the euphoria of being close to Ashley, he drifted into a fitful sleep.