Sissy talks to things, things nobody sees; only Sissy can see them. Sometimes these things like to scare me and like to pick on me. But Sissy says he’s only trying to help her. Once, I woke up and heard her talking to him. It was dark. Essie says he was her best frwend, and he get lonely so he talks to her back. She even says that he wants to live with her forwevr. He would always be with her; taking my time to play. It makes me mad-she got to see him. Why can’t me?!

Mommy said we were goin to get food. I wanta next to Sissy but he was sitting next to her! Mommy made me get off of him and sit by the window. It wasn’t fair! Why didn’t Sissy watch me! We got to the go-cer-y store. I don’t know what a go-cer-y store is. Mommy says it a place where we get the tuff we eat. I don’t know why Mommy goes here. Essie got to walk with him, but I sat in the wheely thingy. It’s fun -Mommy pushin’ me. This go-cer-y store smells yummy, like cookies and candy. Essie got to help Mommy get the tuff. I wanta help – so I took a thingy and put it into the wheely thing. Mommy told me no, not that one. Then I grab another and put it in.

Suddenly, Mommy grab me and starts askin’ people if they see Essie. No one did. Mommy ran through the store. We didn’t see Essie. When we got out, Essie was playing with a weally tall man. She didn’t play with me, but she can with him!? Essie screamed and Mommy yelled her name. The man ran. Maybe they were playin tag? Why didn’t the man want to play with me and Mommy?

Mommy talked to Essie as she put me down. I saw her new necklace and start playin with it. Essie said, “He gave it to me.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



He had no name, or at least Esme had told me once but I couldn’t remember. She would always make sure that he had a plate every time she would sit at the table to eat. He would always be next to her. She would get upset if I didn’t remember him or didn’t include him. Esme wasn’t like the rest of the kids. She would always dance around as if she was dancing with a partner (at least, a partner that I couldn’t see). The dancing wasn’t like your typical six year old dance where they would spin too many times and fall on the floor; it was more like the old-fashioned partner dances at balls for aristocrats. She danced…elegantly. It was…odd. Children should play with dolls and climb trees; Esme would speak old English (where ever she learned Old English was a mystery in itself) and read books that even grown adults would have problems with.

But, then at the time, I thought nothing about it. I had two children, a demanding job, and dealing with my own relationship with my husband. Esme’s “imaginary” friend wasn’t something that needed much attention. It kept her out of trouble, so why should I destroy the thing that’s making her…happy?

Once, we all had gotten into the car to go grocery shopping. Food money was tight, so a lot of the time the kids had to eat at school and never get snacks. Well, finally, my boss gave me my Christmas bonus, and I decided that each of my kids was going to get something special. Yet as soon as the kids got into the car, Esme had a fit because Caroline sat on top of him. I made her move (knowing Essie, she’d have the world upside down if he wasn’t with her, and then we were on our way. With the kids (and him) buckled into the car, the drive was a quick trip down the road.

Kroger was on the intersection of Madison and North 36th Street next to the park. The building was a large, brown-painted building with the word ‘Kroger’ in blue. The kids jumped out of the car and scattered to the store, ready with the cart. Essie insisted that she’d walk (because he was walking) as I put Caroline into the buggy. Aisles of food stalked in neat grouping filled the store. The smell of fresh bread and fruit tempted my kids as we strutted along the walkway, avoiding other carts.

Essie walked ahead of me, pointing to the food that I mentioned to get. On occasion she would yell, “Mommy we found it!” and then skip off, singing about iron and something or another. A couple f ladies giggled at my daughter, admitting she’s precious. With Caroline needing every second of my time (and always grabbing things off the shelves) and a list of food that was needed to be picked up, it seemed to slip my mind where my oldest was. The store started getting busy; bodies of people slugged in and others bustled through the rows. Carts raced past one another as people frantically seized the perishables, giving chaos to the string of provisions. (I guess I hadn’t noticed that Essie was missing.) Worried, I scanned the scenes, waiting to see my daughter prance through the crowd and bound to me.

Yet, Esme was nowhere to be found. Panic-stricken, I grabbed Caroline as rushed through the sea of people and would ask if they’d seen my daughter. A number of them said that they hadn’t seen a little girl pass by. Others would half-heartedly point in a random direction of where they thought she had gone. Through the front doors and out to the side, I found her. She was telling a tall, slim man that she didn’t want to go as she held onto the pole for bikes, screaming at the top of her lungs. “Essie?!” Suddenly, the man fell, scrabbled to get up and ran away. I scurried to Essie. She was okay, but the man had left a hand-print on her arm.

“Essie, are you okay?!”

“Mommy?!” She grabbed onto my skirt. I asked her what had happened, and she told me, “That scary man tried to get me to go into his car. But I told him no. Then, he grabbed my arm. It hurt. I screamed and then he pushed him.”

“Essie, thank God you’re okay. Mommy didn’t know where you were. Don’t ever leave my side again.” I happened to look down at her. “Essie, where did that necklace come from?” I pointed to the small necklace.

“Oh, he gave it to me.” She smiled, and giggled.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *


He was my best friend. We did everything together. Mommy told us we were going to the store. I asked her as we got into the car if he could come. She said it was okay. We got in, but Caroline sat on top of him. He didn’t like it so I told Caroline to get off of him. She had a fit but when mommy got her to sit by the window, he could sit in the middle. I giggled at his face and watched the cars go by. Mommy said we were going to Kroger to get food. But why do we have to go to the store if Mommy can grow some herself? He says that we have to buy food to help others eat, too.

When we got there, we all went inside and found a cart. Mommy wanted to put me in, but I told her I can walk because he was walking too. When we went down the aisle, mommy said we needed sugar. He told me it was to my left, and I said, “We found it.” He wanted to play hop scotch; I followed him and then I bumped into a lady with a mean look to her. She looked at me, up at him, and then smiled. Could she see him? Mommy can’t, so why can some random lady from Kroger? But she just kept walking. Shrugging, He said he wanted to teach me a song. Then he started to sing.

“Build it up with iron and steel, iron and steel, iron and steel. Build it up with iron and steel, my fair lady.” I kept skipping into the jewelry part of the store; he got me a pretty necklace and put it on me. The necklace had a pretty jewel in the middle. Giggling, I turned around and couldn’t find Mommy anywhere. I decided to go to the car. She’s probably waiting there with Caroline, packing away the food. I made it to the front, the doors swinging open to find a man standing alone.

“Hi there, little girl.” He smiled, his teeth were yellow. “Want to come and get some candy with me? It’s in my car right there?” He didn’t like the weird man, so he told me to lie.

“Uh, no. My Mommy and Caroline are inside. I’m just waiting for them.”

“Come on. Your mommy is a friend of mine. She said I could take you home.” He grabbed my arm, it hurt.

“NO!” I grabbed the pole next to me. He growled.

“Essie!” Suddenly Mommy was running to us. He pushed the man and the man ran away. “Are you okay!?” Mommy asked as I let go of the pole.

“Yes, Mommy. That scary man tried to get me to go into his car. But I told him no. Then, he grabbed my arm. It hurt. I screamed, and then he pushed him.”

He started making faces at me. “Essie, where did you get that necklace?” She pointed to my neck.

“Oh, he gave it to me.” I smiled, giggling at his faces.