Disclaimer: None of these belong to me.
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Barry was nine years old when his parents decided that it had gone too far. Nine was still young, they knew that but it was old enough to know the difference between people that existed and imaginary friends; Barry showed no indication that he believed Lucas was an imaginary friend and that was exactly the problem. To Barry, Lucas was as real as his mother and father. He would come and go and there had been a period of almost three months when Barry was seven that Lucas hadn't been mentioned at all. He would disappear for a week au two but he would always return. kwa the time he was nine, it had become too hard for his mother to watch as he sat alone in their backyard, talking to Lucas as if he was really there. There was zaidi to it than an overactive imagination, she knew. She sat him down at the jikoni meza, jedwali one siku after school and made him a hot chocolate.
"We need to have a bit of a talk, Barry."
"About what? Is Dad coming nyumbani this weekend? Oh, wow, that's gonna be so much fun! Maybe we can go and see him instead, can we Mum? Can we?"
"I need wewe to tell the truth, okay?"
"I always tell the truth, Mum, don't be stupid." Barry laughed as he sat, swinging his legs on his chair; he was still too short to reach the floor.
"I want wewe to tell me about Lucas."
"What about him?"
"What does he look like?"
"Well, he's a little bit shorter than me and he's got dark hair but he always wears a hat."
"A hat?"
"Yeah, I think he likes it."
Barry was too focused on drinking his hot chokoleti that he didn't realise that these were things he told his mother all the time. She knew what Lucas looked like. She didn't like him but she knew what he looked like; Barry had never understood how his mother could completely ignore Lucas when he was talking to her. She was so nice to everyone else.
"What else can wewe tell me about him?"
"What do wewe want to know about him?"
"Where does he live?"
"Here."
"Here?"
"Yeah, here in Twinleaf Town, don't be stupid Mum, I've told wewe all this like a bazillion times." Barry alisema with a laugh. "Can I go now? Lucas is waiting for me."
"Of course." She said. Barry jumped down from his chair with a loud clatter and sprinted out of the jikoni and upstairs to his bedroom. She thought about going after him but decided not to. She doubted that he would think there was any reason for her to ask those maswali and when she went upstairs later on, to call Barry down for dinner, she heard him talking to himself again.
"I don't know why Mum doesn't like you. I dunno. Maybe. Hey, do wewe want to go to Lake Verity? It's not too cold, don't be stupid. If wewe can't tie your shoelaces faster than me, I'm gonna fine you!"
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Barry was nine years old when his parents decided that it had gone too far. Nine was still young, they knew that but it was old enough to know the difference between people that existed and imaginary friends; Barry showed no indication that he believed Lucas was an imaginary friend and that was exactly the problem. To Barry, Lucas was as real as his mother and father. He would come and go and there had been a period of almost three months when Barry was seven that Lucas hadn't been mentioned at all. He would disappear for a week au two but he would always return. kwa the time he was nine, it had become too hard for his mother to watch as he sat alone in their backyard, talking to Lucas as if he was really there. There was zaidi to it than an overactive imagination, she knew. She sat him down at the jikoni meza, jedwali one siku after school and made him a hot chocolate.
"We need to have a bit of a talk, Barry."
"About what? Is Dad coming nyumbani this weekend? Oh, wow, that's gonna be so much fun! Maybe we can go and see him instead, can we Mum? Can we?"
"I need wewe to tell the truth, okay?"
"I always tell the truth, Mum, don't be stupid." Barry laughed as he sat, swinging his legs on his chair; he was still too short to reach the floor.
"I want wewe to tell me about Lucas."
"What about him?"
"What does he look like?"
"Well, he's a little bit shorter than me and he's got dark hair but he always wears a hat."
"A hat?"
"Yeah, I think he likes it."
Barry was too focused on drinking his hot chokoleti that he didn't realise that these were things he told his mother all the time. She knew what Lucas looked like. She didn't like him but she knew what he looked like; Barry had never understood how his mother could completely ignore Lucas when he was talking to her. She was so nice to everyone else.
"What else can wewe tell me about him?"
"What do wewe want to know about him?"
"Where does he live?"
"Here."
"Here?"
"Yeah, here in Twinleaf Town, don't be stupid Mum, I've told wewe all this like a bazillion times." Barry alisema with a laugh. "Can I go now? Lucas is waiting for me."
"Of course." She said. Barry jumped down from his chair with a loud clatter and sprinted out of the jikoni and upstairs to his bedroom. She thought about going after him but decided not to. She doubted that he would think there was any reason for her to ask those maswali and when she went upstairs later on, to call Barry down for dinner, she heard him talking to himself again.
"I don't know why Mum doesn't like you. I dunno. Maybe. Hey, do wewe want to go to Lake Verity? It's not too cold, don't be stupid. If wewe can't tie your shoelaces faster than me, I'm gonna fine you!"
