Prompt: I’m not supposed to play with imaginary friends

I arched my back and rolled my head, struggling to come out of the deep sleep that kept dragging me back down. I didn’t want to fall back into the dream again. My head felt like lead against the pillow, and I couldn’t quite get the muscles around my eyes to pull the eyelids open. Back down I sank…

The kids were still locked in the warehouse. The older twins, Ginny and Davis, were trying to climb up to the 2^nd-story windows, but I could have told them a) they were locked and b) there was no way down on the outside. If I could tell them anything.

Benjy, the youngest, was sitting on a desk, with his head in his hands, rocking back and forth. I had hoped he would hear me, but he showed no sign. I would try him again later, but for now, I was going back to Annie.

I was sure Annie could hear me, but she seemed determined to ignore me. When her little Maltese barked at me the first time, she picked him up and chastised him, “Kodama, you know we don’t bark at imaginary things.”

If I could get her to listen, maybe I could help them escape. “Annie! Annie,” I called as soon as I found her, studying the vents along the wall between their prison and the storage rooms on the other side.

“Clever girl,” I said. “Let me see where those go.” I dove through the wall and into the vent tunnel, keeping a careful eye for help-or hazards. It dropped down into the basement, and when I came through the other end, it looked like a big empty room. I was about to go back up and try another, when I saw the stairs. I flew over and up the stairs. The door at the top was locked from the other side. I jumped through and examined the lock. It required a key. Damn!

I shortcut straight through the walls to get back to Annie and try another vent tunnel. This one followed the hallway along the storage rooms and – bingo! – opened to the outside. I jumped through and looked around. The warehouse had been abandoned for some time, and weeds filled the parking lot, but not with enough cover to hide the kids. But directly across the lot, the chain link fence sagged loose in one section. If they could get through at night, they might be able to escape detection. Excited at the prospect, I headed back to their locked room. Now I just had to convince Annie I was one imaginary friend she needed to play with…

Dogs in house	Buddy
Time writing	20 minutes
December word count	9,405