Emily was a very non-talkative person. She didn’t usually go out to play with other children; she preferred to stay next to her parents, watching the other kids running around the park.
At the age of ten, Emily and her parents moved into another house, which had belonged to a friend of her father’s friend or something like that, she hadn’t paid much attention. “Go and choose your room” shouted her mother unpacking the boxes from the car. Emily entered the house and loved it at first sight – it was huge and bright! She ran up the stairs, opening doors of rooms, toilets, living rooms upstairs. After evaluating each room, she decided on the one with the biggest window and a view to the village. While she was delighting herself with the choice, she heard a noise behind her. She turned and asked “Who’s there?”, and a pale faced girl with curly blonde hair appeared from nowhere. “Hi” said the girl “My name is Evelyn”. Emily didn’t understand how that girl had entered, so she asked confused “And who are you? How did you manage to get here? This is my house, my room.” The girl smiled and jumped over the bed. “I know. I’m your imaginary friend.” Emily just couldn’t believe it “How did I make you?! I didn’t know I was capable of having imaginary friends.” Evelyn laughed, and didn’t answer. She jumped off the bed, and held Emily’s hands jumping around her “Do you want to play “Hide and seek”?”
And so, Emily had finally found a new friend, her first friend. However things were not running very well. When Emily told her parents she had an imaginary friend, they got so concerned that they submitted her to a once a week visit to a psychologist. She didn’t like the way her parents looked at her when they had her heard playing and talking closed in her room to a voice they couldn’t hear, and what concerned them most was the fact that her daughter, even with the psychologists help, couldn’t make friends at school. “Look Em, mum’s decided she wants to meet your friend” her father said one day. She agreed, and ran the house looking for Eve. “Eve, where are you? Eve.” Her friend didn’t appear but Emily heard her voice coming from under the bed “I don’t want to meet your parents” “Why not?” “Because I’m okay with only you” she replied. Emily nodded, but her parents got even more concerned. And things would get worse.
The years passed, and Eve continued being Emily’s only friend. Her parents had given up trying to meet that secret girl, but Emily’s visits to the doctor had continued, despite the fact he had more than once said she was mentally healthy, but only shy.
In her room, Eve was giving life to Emily’s toys, but she didn’t react. Then she asked her if she wanted to play airplanes, which was Em’s favourite game, because Eve could send her off flying. Once again, the girl said nothing. Eve tried again “What about imitating animals’ voices? Or perhaps you prefer the shrinking game. Do you want me to shrink you, Em? We could go and watch the newborn birds in that tree. Or we…” But Emily interrupted her abruptly “Eve, I’m fourteen years old now. I’m no longer a child. I’m sick of the games we used to play and I’m getting sick of you too!” Eve was astonished “Why do you say that?” she muttered, “Because of you I had to go to a psychologist that I hated for years, and because of you my parents stopped having normal conversations with me because they think I’m crazy! I’m tired of all this, Eve. I want an ordinary life, with real friends, not you.” If Eve could cry, she would have done it. Instead, she pulled one of her curls between her tiny fingers, and disappeared. Emily didn’t mind, she really didn’t! Or did she… She knew she had been rude to Eve. But it needed to be said, otherwise she’d never have a life, a real life. During the following weeks, Emily looked for Eve, calling her name, first a shy and low call, then a loud and concerned one, and finally a desperate one. Her parents weren’t able to calm her down, she was terribly regretful of what she’d done, she had hurt her best friend’s feelings, and now Eve would never return again.
At the age of twenty, she left her parents home to live her own life. When her mother died in a car accident in 1999, she returned to the village that had watched her grow up. Her mother was buried in the cemetery close to her old house. She stayed there for a while with her father watching the grave. Then, for some reason she didn’t realize, she turned her head to the right and read what was written on the grave next to her mother’s “Here lies Evelyn Stevenson – 1980 – 1990” Was it just a coincidence? “Oh” her father said “So you’ve found the grave of Mr. Stevenson’s daughter” he noticed “A pity… such a lovely girl… and so sweet and innocent with her curly blond hair… a pity” Emily didn’t say a word. So she had never had an imaginary friend, she had met the ghost of a girl! “Evelyn…” her father was saying to himself thinking loud “Wasn’t that the name of that imaginary friend of yours?”
At the age of ten, Emily and her parents moved into another house, which had belonged to a friend of her father’s friend or something like that, she hadn’t paid much attention. “Go and choose your room” shouted her mother unpacking the boxes from the car. Emily entered the house and loved it at first sight – it was huge and bright! She ran up the stairs, opening doors of rooms, toilets, living rooms upstairs. After evaluating each room, she decided on the one with the biggest window and a view to the village. While she was delighting herself with the choice, she heard a noise behind her. She turned and asked “Who’s there?”, and a pale faced girl with curly blonde hair appeared from nowhere. “Hi” said the girl “My name is Evelyn”. Emily didn’t understand how that girl had entered, so she asked confused “And who are you? How did you manage to get here? This is my house, my room.” The girl smiled and jumped over the bed. “I know. I’m your imaginary friend.” Emily just couldn’t believe it “How did I make you?! I didn’t know I was capable of having imaginary friends.” Evelyn laughed, and didn’t answer. She jumped off the bed, and held Emily’s hands jumping around her “Do you want to play “Hide and seek”?”
And so, Emily had finally found a new friend, her first friend. However things were not running very well. When Emily told her parents she had an imaginary friend, they got so concerned that they submitted her to a once a week visit to a psychologist. She didn’t like the way her parents looked at her when they had her heard playing and talking closed in her room to a voice they couldn’t hear, and what concerned them most was the fact that her daughter, even with the psychologists help, couldn’t make friends at school. “Look Em, mum’s decided she wants to meet your friend” her father said one day. She agreed, and ran the house looking for Eve. “Eve, where are you? Eve.” Her friend didn’t appear but Emily heard her voice coming from under the bed “I don’t want to meet your parents” “Why not?” “Because I’m okay with only you” she replied. Emily nodded, but her parents got even more concerned. And things would get worse.
The years passed, and Eve continued being Emily’s only friend. Her parents had given up trying to meet that secret girl, but Emily’s visits to the doctor had continued, despite the fact he had more than once said she was mentally healthy, but only shy.
In her room, Eve was giving life to Emily’s toys, but she didn’t react. Then she asked her if she wanted to play airplanes, which was Em’s favourite game, because Eve could send her off flying. Once again, the girl said nothing. Eve tried again “What about imitating animals’ voices? Or perhaps you prefer the shrinking game. Do you want me to shrink you, Em? We could go and watch the newborn birds in that tree. Or we…” But Emily interrupted her abruptly “Eve, I’m fourteen years old now. I’m no longer a child. I’m sick of the games we used to play and I’m getting sick of you too!” Eve was astonished “Why do you say that?” she muttered, “Because of you I had to go to a psychologist that I hated for years, and because of you my parents stopped having normal conversations with me because they think I’m crazy! I’m tired of all this, Eve. I want an ordinary life, with real friends, not you.” If Eve could cry, she would have done it. Instead, she pulled one of her curls between her tiny fingers, and disappeared. Emily didn’t mind, she really didn’t! Or did she… She knew she had been rude to Eve. But it needed to be said, otherwise she’d never have a life, a real life. During the following weeks, Emily looked for Eve, calling her name, first a shy and low call, then a loud and concerned one, and finally a desperate one. Her parents weren’t able to calm her down, she was terribly regretful of what she’d done, she had hurt her best friend’s feelings, and now Eve would never return again.
At the age of twenty, she left her parents home to live her own life. When her mother died in a car accident in 1999, she returned to the village that had watched her grow up. Her mother was buried in the cemetery close to her old house. She stayed there for a while with her father watching the grave. Then, for some reason she didn’t realize, she turned her head to the right and read what was written on the grave next to her mother’s “Here lies Evelyn Stevenson – 1980 – 1990” Was it just a coincidence? “Oh” her father said “So you’ve found the grave of Mr. Stevenson’s daughter” he noticed “A pity… such a lovely girl… and so sweet and innocent with her curly blond hair… a pity” Emily didn’t say a word. So she had never had an imaginary friend, she had met the ghost of a girl! “Evelyn…” her father was saying to himself thinking loud “Wasn’t that the name of that imaginary friend of yours?”
Ana Mendes
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