Reader Submission: Imaginary Friend?

“My story isn’t exceptionally frightening, but it’s been a bit of a discovery for me. I’ve only recently figured this out.

Anyway, when I was younger, maybe four or five, I had this single imaginary friend called Claire. She wasn’t like a typical four year old’s imaginary friend. She didn’t have any super powers, nor did she wear any cool clothes. She was an ordinary girl with short brown hair and a champagne pink colored dress that was kind of old fashioned.

One particular thing I remember about Claire is that she was barefoot, all the time. I don’t remember ever playing with Claire. She was just there, with me, everyday. I don’t know about you, but I find it strange that she looked like she was from a different era, maybe 50 or so years before I was born. How can a four year old picture a person like that with so much detail?

I would often converse with Claire. My mum would catch me, often in the hallway of our home, chatting away. My mum knew about Claire so she knew what I was doing. Recently, my mum told me that one time she found me sitting in the hallway, crying and holding my knee. I had grazed it somehow and she asked me what happened. I replied, still crying, that Claire had pushed me over. Mum was a little creeped out, but she brushed it off as me blaming my imaginary friend for something I did myself.

Only this kept happening. Mum would find me with a new scratch or bruise every so often, and every time she asked me what happened I would say the same thing: Claire pushed me over. One time my mum actually found what looked like a hand shaped bruise on my back when she was giving me a bath. Mum was getting really stressed and quite scared.

Thankfully, Claire seemed to just disappear one day. Although 12 years later, I still feel as though someone is behind me every time I walk down my hallway.”

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