TALES OF AGONY

010

THE IMAGINARY FRIEND OF MY DAUGTHER

I saw a boy sitting at the top of a tree while reading a book. From what I can see, he looks like he's thirteen years old. He has a dark aura, pointed nose, long eyelashes, pale skin and if you look at him he looks like a woman. The first time you look at him, you will immediately know that he is an introvert person.

When I was about to approach him, he suddenly came down from the tree and began to walk away from me while he carried his book.

"Hey kid! What are you doing here in the woods? It's very dangerous here, so where are you going?" I said but he continued his step.

"Hey kid, wait!" I shouted and chased him. No matter how fast I ran, I couldn’t reach him and couldn’t even touch his clothes. With every step he takes, my feeling and my whole body get heavier.

Surprisingly, I was running while he was just walking but why I couldn’t reach him or even touch him?

Exhausted, I stopped running while I gasped holding my knees. And I also noticed that he stopped walking and turned to me. His eyes were staring at me and I could read in his eyes..the great sadness.

"Why didn't you show up?" he said and suddenly small black snakes appeared in his eyes. He opened his mouth and snakes came out of his mouth.

I wanted to scream but no voice came out of my mouth, I wanted to run but I couldn’t move my whole body.

"Mom!!!"

I quickly got up from lying on the sofa when suddenly my four -year -old daugther called and tapped me.

"Mom, can I play outside?" she let me know and I immediately nodded.

When she came out I looked at her out the window and squeezed my forehead. "What a strange dream," I whispered to myself.

I gasped as I looked at our belongings in the boxes. It’s been ten years since I came back to our province, so I have a lot of things to put away.

I'm a single mom. A year ago I divorced my ex-husband and he went with his woman. Because of what happened, our dauther was stuck between the two of us, she was very sad and she cried every night to find his dad. So that's why I was forced to return here to our province to start a new life with my daughter.

"Mom! I’m making a new friend. We were playing there in the woods," she said in a happy tone.

I let go of the box I was holding because of what she said and I quickly approached her then knelt down and stroked her head.

"Did you go there!? Next time don't go there, do you understand me, Bright?" I said worriedly.

"But mom, my friend wanted to go the—" but before she could complete her words, I shouted at her because I was so worried.

"Just don't go! It's dangerous there!"

I was worried about her because that land had long been prohibited because many people were bitten there by poisonous snakes and die. 

While the two of us were eating I couldn’t help but wonder, who's her friend.

"Bright," I said.

"Yes, mom?" she answered.

"What is your friend's name? Why did he take you to the woods?" I asked her in astonishment.

"He said i won't tell you his name and about the woods mommy, he told me it was very nice there. He said to me, it's quiet and there are a lot of good memories there so that's why I went with him and it's true. I love the woods mommy and i have fun with kuya."