Have you met a friend of mine?
It’s possible you haven’t. He’s quite shy.
He doesn’t like many people because most tend to make fun of him. They make fun of him for a number of things: his large ears, the funny way he crouches when he sits, like he can’t bear to let his rump hit the ground, but mostly they make fun of his eyes. They’re white. No irises, as if his eyes are constantly rolled to the back of his head. They’re large, too. They look like chicken eggs. It’s a shame no one likes him, because he has the greatest smile. When he laughs, the flowers in the field behind my house bloom. He can do that, make the flowers bloom. He’s very talented.
I wish mother would let me play with him more, but she’s scared of him. She says he’s evil and will cause us misfortune. I don’t think he will. He’s so nice. He only wants some company. So when I can, I sneak away from my chores and meet him in the fields. When we play it’s like no time has passed at all. I make flower wreaths for him as he teaches me how to dance.
One time he brought some friends of his from the forest to dance with us. It was nice. I made flower wreaths for everyone. It was great fun until one began to pull my hair. It wasn’t on purpose, I don’t think, but after that they all kept giving me strange looks. I went home early that day.
The next time it was just me and my friend. He said that his friends were sorry for hurting me, but I told him it was okay. I had snuck some cakes my mother had made for a snack, and we ate them and made flower wreaths. I came home really late that time. Mother was very mad at me. She said she didn’t want my friend to take me away. I told her he wouldn’t. He’s a good friend. He’s just lonely. She didn’t believe me. I wasn’t allowed outside the next day.
He came to my window the next night. He asked me why I didn’t come to the field. I told him mother told me I couldn’t play with him anymore. He looked sad. His white eyes budged with tears. He left a flower wreath on my window sill.
Mother let me out the next day, but I wasn’t allowed to go where she couldn’t keep an eye on me. I kept the flower wreath in my dress pocket, so mother couldn’t see my friend had visited me. I tried really hard not to cry. I really missed my friend. He must have missed me too, because one of his friends called me over towards the pig pens. She told me they were having a party in the woods beyond the field. She wanted me to go with her. I’d never been in the forest before. It was dark, and spooky, and mother told me to never go there. I told her the same, but she began to tug on my arm. She told me it’d be okay because my friend was there. It would be fun. I said okay. She took me away.
I’m not sure how mother is doing now. It’s been a long time since she moved away. She was so sad when she couldn’t find me. I want to tell her I’m in the forest, but my voice is so little and the trees are so big. I’m not scared. My friend is here with me. We make flower wreaths and dance until the sun sets.
So have you met my friend? If you have I hope you’ve been nice to him. He’s very shy you see. If he picks you then I hope you go with him. It’s not so bad here. He’s not an evil person. He’s just really lonely.
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Submitted by myphoneiscorringing
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