When Dad pulled out the bottle of wine from the cellar, I knew something was wrong. For starters, it was raining in the summer. And my mum wasn't back from her job at the local clinic.
The time was some minutes after nine thirty if I'd read it right. Dad always wanted me to learn how to read time. Apparently, it'd make me smarter than my fellow nine year olds. But, that wasn't the point. The point was that my mum was supposed to be back from work at exactly seven thirty and now she was two hours late!
As if reading my mind, Dad's phone rang in the bedroom and he jumped to his feet like he'd been frightened. He sped inside, leaving me in the living room with my truckload of homework. I've always wondered what made homework so useful to begin with. It was more fun to draw pictures and watch cartoons than sitting down to solve word problems.
He came out in a few minutes, his face so pale I wondered if he'd gotten sick.
"Maddie, get your coat." He called out, his voice trembling as he grabbed his. I did as I was told without a word and met him at the front door, waiting with the keys in his hand.
"Dad? Is everything okay?" I asked, but he only grabbed my hand and led me to the car before speeding to the hospital.
The faint smell of antiseptic and blood hit me smack in face with a lot of memories. And the sight of whitecots striding around only made me certain of what I wanted to be when I grow up.
My dad got to the receptionist, said a few words to the nice looking woman behind the counter and she smiled, leading us towards a white door.
"Come on, Madison. Go on in." A nurse said to me, taking me from my father. He only looked away, his eyes peering through the glass window and I could swear I saw tears. What was happening?
I walked through the door, my heart sinking instantly. My mum lay in bed, stitches all around her and patches of red liquid I perceived to be blood soaking the bandages. Her chest would occasionally rise weakly before falling with so much weight, I was scared she'd explode.
"Mum?" I managed to say, scared to take any more steps close. "What happened to her?"
"She was involved in a pretty bad accident on main street." The nurse replied, her tone too calm it made me want to scratch her eyes out. "We just thought you'd want to see her."
I nearly screamed. Why would she think I would want to see my mother in this situation? Unless, was there something else I didn't know?
"M-Madison." I heard my mother call out weakly and I dashed over to her side.
"Mum?" I mumbled, unsure when the tears began to fall from my eyes.
"Maddie, I'm sorry. I-I don't have much time left and—" She paused to take a forced inhale. "I just wanted to see you."
I shook my head, praying this was all a dream and that my mum was actually in dad's room sleeping. This couldn't be real. Few hours ago, she was making me breakfast. Now she was here– pale and breathless.
"What do you mean by that?" I sobbed.
"I love you, Maddie. I hope you know that." She said breathlessly as she reached out to brush hair out of my face. "You know that I'll always be with you." She added, her eyes drifting shut.
"Mum, no! You're not going anywhere. You haven't even seen my future boyfriend. Or attended my weddings!" I cried, burying my face in her thin arms. This couldn't be happening. She lay there, thin and motionless.
And it was only after a few hours that I realised she was already dead.
***
A few days after her funeral was when I met Emily. It started small at first. She was always hiding behind curtains or coming to meet me only at night. But she was always there. Until a few days more, and she became less shy.
The bad thing about having an imaginary friend is that no one else sees them except you. So to them, you're either crazy or making it up. But I wasn't making it up. Emily was real.
The good thing, however, about having an imaginary friend was that she could always get you out of trouble.
Or protect you whenever she needs to.