My Best Friend, Abby
A 16-year-old finds friendship in someone no one else can see.
Written by Peter Spout
2019 All rights reserved. For personal reading and enjoyment only
Part of the World of Entopia Short Story Series
Written by Peter Spout
2019 All rights reserved. For personal reading and enjoyment only
Part of the World of Entopia Short Story Series
This is a story some of you will understand, but many of you won’t. But I will help you see what the world looked like to me at the time, through my eyes.
Growing up, I was an only child with many toys and dolls to play with. My time as a child was before cell phones, tablets, smart TV’s, even microwaves were some years off.
Instead of intense gaming graphics and virtual reality, I used my imagination.
When you watch a young girl play with dolls or a boy play with trucks or cars, they are using their imagination. They are creating their own virtual worlds.
I used to host tea parties with stuffed animals, and to me, they all had a personality. I would serve them tea and pastries, and they always enjoyed them.
I would also serve my parents' tea, and of course, they enjoyed their tea very much, even though their plastic teacups were always empty.
I guess I was immature for my age because I still loved to play with my bears and dolls even at the age of sixteen. For some strange reason, I couldn’t make friends that I could keep.
I would invite girls to come over and spend the night. But they would never come back. It was very hurtful, especially when I knew they would be spending the night at someone else’s house or invite others to stay with them, but not me.
Almost every day after school, I would come home and play in my room, by myself.
My parents loved me very much, and I could tell they felt bad for me. That’s why we took so many beach rides together and spent so much time together as a family.
My mom would put together these lavish birthday parties, and I would invite kids from school. But once the party was over, so were the fun kids, and I was alone again. I guess they came for all the goodies my mom had made and to play all the games she planned, not just for me.
Then one day, I was playing with my stuffed bears. They all came over to have a slumber party, and we had all these grand plans; watch a movie, play games, even tell stories.
Part way through the night, I heard a female call my name, “Prisella.”
“Yes,” I answered.
But nobody answered.
I went on playing, and we had a great time that night.
A few weeks later, I was having another slumber party with the bears, and we were again having a great time!
I once again heard my name called, “Prisella.”
“Yes. Who’s there?” I answered.
My bedroom door was closed. I went out of my room to go check on my parents and found them in the living room, watching TV. I then walked out the front door and asked, “Did anyone call my name”?
But there was no answer. “Man, I must be hearing things,” I thought.
As the weeks went by, I kept hearing this invisible person call my name. Every time I heard it, I would turn and look. Sometimes I would answer her and people around me would look at me kind of funny.
“Sorry, thought I heard someone call my name,” I would say to them.
Then, about two months later, I was in my room playing with the door closed, when I saw this girl appear in my chair.
“Who are you?” I asked startled.
“My name is Abby,” she answered.
I was confused and very nervous.
“How did you get in here and what do you want?” I asked.
“I am your new friend. I want to play house with you and do all sorts of cool things together.”
I didn’t know what to say. Where did she come from? I’ve never seen her before in my life. Not from school, the supermarket, church, nor the neighborhood.
“How did you get in here?” I asked.
“It was easy, silly. You put me here.”
“How did I do that?”
“You wished for me to be here so you will have someone to play with. Now, I am here, so let’s play!”
“If my mom finds out, I could get in trouble. She doesn’t know I have anyone here.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t tell her then. I won’t if you don’t. Deal?”
I thought about it for a moment. I thought about running out of there and telling my parents. But I also was intrigued by Abby. And I was so bored and so desperately wanted some friends to hang with, even one friend.
I decided not to tell them and said, “Deal.”
“How old are you, Abby?”
“I’m the same age as you, sixteen.”
“What do you like to do for fun?”
“I like to play house, watch movies, and other things.”
“Like what?”
“Like talk about boys.”
“Oh, yeah. Me too. But I don’t have anyone to really talk about them with.”
“Well, you can talk to me, Prisella. I am now your friend.”
“That is awesome!”
I ran to go get some milk from the kitchen, but when I came back, Abby was gone.
“Abby? Abby? Where are you?”
There was no answer and no Abby. I was by myself again. I put my bears away and just went to bed, lonely and sad. “So much for that,” I quietly said to myself.
I didn’t see Abby for a while after. I also didn’t say anything to my parents, because that was the deal we made.
On a Friday at school, I was eating lunch with a few of the girls who had spent one night at my home in the past. They were talking about their slumber party that night. Right in front of me! I just got up, took my tray of half-eaten food and threw it in the trash. I lost my appetite.
I went into the girls' bathroom, closed the stall door and sat down on the toilet to cry.
“Why can’t I make any friends?” I said sobbing.
Then, I heard this voice say, “You have me, Prisella.”
“Abby, is that you?”
“Yes, it is. We can hang out tonight if you want?”
“I would love too! Thanks!”
“Anytime, friend!”
When Priscilla opened the stall door, she saw three girls staring at her.
“Who were you talking to?” one girl asked.
“My friend, Abby,” she replied.
“Where’s Abby at? There’s no one else in here but us?”
I looked around but didn’t see Abby. I thought she was standing outside the stall door. I didn’t know what to say and felt embarrassed.
“You’re a weirdo,” one of the other girls said.
I quickly walked out of the bathroom and just headed to my next class.
Later that night, while I was playing with all my bears, I waited for Abby to show. I watched a movie, played house, but there was no Abby. I spent the entire night by myself, once again. And I knew the other girls were having so much fun at their sleepover. At around midnight, I went to bed.
When I awoke the next morning, I remained in bed and stared at the ceiling. Then I heard her voice, “Sorry I missed you last night.”
I sat up in bed and looked across my room. There she was, sitting in the chair. It was Abby.
“Where were you last night?” I asked.
“Sorry, I couldn’t get out.”
“Well, I missed you!”
“I know. But we can hang out today and every day. Just don’t tell anyone or they will ruin it.”
“OK. I promise.”
My dad knocked on my door and asked if I was OK.”
I told him I was. Then he asked who I was talking to.
“Just my bears.”
“Oh, okay.”
Because of my very vivid imagination, my parents knew I still talked with them. But I knew I needed to start keeping my voice down. I didn’t want them to know Abby was there.
Over the next few days, I started seeing Abby more and more. The whispers at school were getting louder about me talking to myself, as I would occasionally slip up and chat with Abby when others were listening.
We enjoyed spending so much fun time together. We went to the mall, watched movies, I would sometimes see her in my classes, sitting on the teachers' desk or standing in the corner of the classroom.
We would secretly talk about boys, makeup, TV shows, even talk about how mean the other kids were to be calling me a freak and psycho.
They couldn’t see what I saw through my own eyes.
Abby and I became best friends! I finally had someone I could always talk to and depend on to be there for me.
One day, after school, my mom told me we had a doctors’ appointment. I told her I didn’t know I had one and was surprised.
“Are you sure, mom? I’m not sick.”
“It’s a new doctor. He just wants to talk to you.”
“About what?” I asked.
“We just want to make sure everything is alright. That’s all.”
I went along with her explanation, and we showed up at this corner office building, surrounded by beautiful landscaping. We went inside, and mom filled out a bunch of paperwork.
The door opened, and a lady called us back. We followed her and were shown into this room with a fancy couch, recliner chair, and a middle-aged man, wearing glasses sitting at a desk.
Hi Prisella, my name is Dr. Habaley. Please, have a seat.”
I sat down on the couch, next to my mother.
“How are you feeling, Prisella?”
“I’m feeling fine. Why do you ask?”
“I ask because your parents have a few concerns about you lately and they just want to make sure you’re fine.”
“What kind of concerns?”
“I would like to talk to you about your friend, Abby.”
“What about her. She is my best friend.”
“Right. And how long have you and Abby been best friends?”
“About two months now. She’s been hanging around more and more, lately.”
“Right. And do you have any other friends?”
“Nope. Just her.”
“Does Abby tell you not to do something or to do something to someone else maybe?”
“Never. She just tells me to not tell others about her.”
“I see.”
“Mom. How do you all know about Abby?”
“Well, dear, we’ve heard you talking with her for a little while now in your room, in the backyard, even in the shower. Your school also notified us that you have been talking with someone who wasn’t there.”
“But I love Abby. Have you ever seen her, mom?”
“Unfortunately, no dear.”
The doctor asked me more questions, and then he asked that he be able to talk with my mom, privately, for a few minutes.
I waited outside the room and could barely hear them talk. But I did hear him say to her, “At least she isn’t dangerous and doesn’t require hospitalization.”
A few minutes later, I was invited to come back in. Then the doctor told me the news I didn’t want to hear.
“Prisella, Abby is not supposed to be in your room with you. Nor is she supposed to be in your classroom, or at the movies, or anywhere else. She is a figment of your imagination.”
I started to tear up. “But I need her. She is all I have.”
“We understand. But we are going to try you on some medicine to help you to hopefully make real friends that you can have in your room. But they won’t be sitting on your teachers' desk.”
“I’ll never make any friends. I will be alone again. Please don’t take her from me!”
My mom tried to console me and wanted to reassure me everything would be fine.
The next morning, I started taking this new medicine the doctor prescribed. I still hung out with Abby that night and the next. We both laughed and played games.
But as each day went by, she could only stay for less and less time and wouldn’t come over as much. Soon, she never came back. No more best friends watching movies, playing games and no more talk of boys. I was by myself again.
But now, I didn’t feel like sleeping. I instead called one of the girls that slept over my house a while back and invited her to come over and hang out.
To my surprise, she said yes. She came over, and we had a blast. When she left, she said, “I’m glad you asked me to come over, and I’m glad you’re doing better. You’re so much fun now. I hope we can do it again soon.”
Yes, I started to make friends. It seems the medication was what I needed not to be “weird” anymore.
But deep down, I still missed Abby. For me, she will always be my best friend.
E.
Growing up, I was an only child with many toys and dolls to play with. My time as a child was before cell phones, tablets, smart TV’s, even microwaves were some years off.
Instead of intense gaming graphics and virtual reality, I used my imagination.
When you watch a young girl play with dolls or a boy play with trucks or cars, they are using their imagination. They are creating their own virtual worlds.
I used to host tea parties with stuffed animals, and to me, they all had a personality. I would serve them tea and pastries, and they always enjoyed them.
I would also serve my parents' tea, and of course, they enjoyed their tea very much, even though their plastic teacups were always empty.
I guess I was immature for my age because I still loved to play with my bears and dolls even at the age of sixteen. For some strange reason, I couldn’t make friends that I could keep.
I would invite girls to come over and spend the night. But they would never come back. It was very hurtful, especially when I knew they would be spending the night at someone else’s house or invite others to stay with them, but not me.
Almost every day after school, I would come home and play in my room, by myself.
My parents loved me very much, and I could tell they felt bad for me. That’s why we took so many beach rides together and spent so much time together as a family.
My mom would put together these lavish birthday parties, and I would invite kids from school. But once the party was over, so were the fun kids, and I was alone again. I guess they came for all the goodies my mom had made and to play all the games she planned, not just for me.
Then one day, I was playing with my stuffed bears. They all came over to have a slumber party, and we had all these grand plans; watch a movie, play games, even tell stories.
Part way through the night, I heard a female call my name, “Prisella.”
“Yes,” I answered.
But nobody answered.
I went on playing, and we had a great time that night.
A few weeks later, I was having another slumber party with the bears, and we were again having a great time!
I once again heard my name called, “Prisella.”
“Yes. Who’s there?” I answered.
My bedroom door was closed. I went out of my room to go check on my parents and found them in the living room, watching TV. I then walked out the front door and asked, “Did anyone call my name”?
But there was no answer. “Man, I must be hearing things,” I thought.
As the weeks went by, I kept hearing this invisible person call my name. Every time I heard it, I would turn and look. Sometimes I would answer her and people around me would look at me kind of funny.
“Sorry, thought I heard someone call my name,” I would say to them.
Then, about two months later, I was in my room playing with the door closed, when I saw this girl appear in my chair.
“Who are you?” I asked startled.
“My name is Abby,” she answered.
I was confused and very nervous.
“How did you get in here and what do you want?” I asked.
“I am your new friend. I want to play house with you and do all sorts of cool things together.”
I didn’t know what to say. Where did she come from? I’ve never seen her before in my life. Not from school, the supermarket, church, nor the neighborhood.
“How did you get in here?” I asked.
“It was easy, silly. You put me here.”
“How did I do that?”
“You wished for me to be here so you will have someone to play with. Now, I am here, so let’s play!”
“If my mom finds out, I could get in trouble. She doesn’t know I have anyone here.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t tell her then. I won’t if you don’t. Deal?”
I thought about it for a moment. I thought about running out of there and telling my parents. But I also was intrigued by Abby. And I was so bored and so desperately wanted some friends to hang with, even one friend.
I decided not to tell them and said, “Deal.”
“How old are you, Abby?”
“I’m the same age as you, sixteen.”
“What do you like to do for fun?”
“I like to play house, watch movies, and other things.”
“Like what?”
“Like talk about boys.”
“Oh, yeah. Me too. But I don’t have anyone to really talk about them with.”
“Well, you can talk to me, Prisella. I am now your friend.”
“That is awesome!”
I ran to go get some milk from the kitchen, but when I came back, Abby was gone.
“Abby? Abby? Where are you?”
There was no answer and no Abby. I was by myself again. I put my bears away and just went to bed, lonely and sad. “So much for that,” I quietly said to myself.
I didn’t see Abby for a while after. I also didn’t say anything to my parents, because that was the deal we made.
On a Friday at school, I was eating lunch with a few of the girls who had spent one night at my home in the past. They were talking about their slumber party that night. Right in front of me! I just got up, took my tray of half-eaten food and threw it in the trash. I lost my appetite.
I went into the girls' bathroom, closed the stall door and sat down on the toilet to cry.
“Why can’t I make any friends?” I said sobbing.
Then, I heard this voice say, “You have me, Prisella.”
“Abby, is that you?”
“Yes, it is. We can hang out tonight if you want?”
“I would love too! Thanks!”
“Anytime, friend!”
When Priscilla opened the stall door, she saw three girls staring at her.
“Who were you talking to?” one girl asked.
“My friend, Abby,” she replied.
“Where’s Abby at? There’s no one else in here but us?”
I looked around but didn’t see Abby. I thought she was standing outside the stall door. I didn’t know what to say and felt embarrassed.
“You’re a weirdo,” one of the other girls said.
I quickly walked out of the bathroom and just headed to my next class.
Later that night, while I was playing with all my bears, I waited for Abby to show. I watched a movie, played house, but there was no Abby. I spent the entire night by myself, once again. And I knew the other girls were having so much fun at their sleepover. At around midnight, I went to bed.
When I awoke the next morning, I remained in bed and stared at the ceiling. Then I heard her voice, “Sorry I missed you last night.”
I sat up in bed and looked across my room. There she was, sitting in the chair. It was Abby.
“Where were you last night?” I asked.
“Sorry, I couldn’t get out.”
“Well, I missed you!”
“I know. But we can hang out today and every day. Just don’t tell anyone or they will ruin it.”
“OK. I promise.”
My dad knocked on my door and asked if I was OK.”
I told him I was. Then he asked who I was talking to.
“Just my bears.”
“Oh, okay.”
Because of my very vivid imagination, my parents knew I still talked with them. But I knew I needed to start keeping my voice down. I didn’t want them to know Abby was there.
Over the next few days, I started seeing Abby more and more. The whispers at school were getting louder about me talking to myself, as I would occasionally slip up and chat with Abby when others were listening.
We enjoyed spending so much fun time together. We went to the mall, watched movies, I would sometimes see her in my classes, sitting on the teachers' desk or standing in the corner of the classroom.
We would secretly talk about boys, makeup, TV shows, even talk about how mean the other kids were to be calling me a freak and psycho.
They couldn’t see what I saw through my own eyes.
Abby and I became best friends! I finally had someone I could always talk to and depend on to be there for me.
One day, after school, my mom told me we had a doctors’ appointment. I told her I didn’t know I had one and was surprised.
“Are you sure, mom? I’m not sick.”
“It’s a new doctor. He just wants to talk to you.”
“About what?” I asked.
“We just want to make sure everything is alright. That’s all.”
I went along with her explanation, and we showed up at this corner office building, surrounded by beautiful landscaping. We went inside, and mom filled out a bunch of paperwork.
The door opened, and a lady called us back. We followed her and were shown into this room with a fancy couch, recliner chair, and a middle-aged man, wearing glasses sitting at a desk.
Hi Prisella, my name is Dr. Habaley. Please, have a seat.”
I sat down on the couch, next to my mother.
“How are you feeling, Prisella?”
“I’m feeling fine. Why do you ask?”
“I ask because your parents have a few concerns about you lately and they just want to make sure you’re fine.”
“What kind of concerns?”
“I would like to talk to you about your friend, Abby.”
“What about her. She is my best friend.”
“Right. And how long have you and Abby been best friends?”
“About two months now. She’s been hanging around more and more, lately.”
“Right. And do you have any other friends?”
“Nope. Just her.”
“Does Abby tell you not to do something or to do something to someone else maybe?”
“Never. She just tells me to not tell others about her.”
“I see.”
“Mom. How do you all know about Abby?”
“Well, dear, we’ve heard you talking with her for a little while now in your room, in the backyard, even in the shower. Your school also notified us that you have been talking with someone who wasn’t there.”
“But I love Abby. Have you ever seen her, mom?”
“Unfortunately, no dear.”
The doctor asked me more questions, and then he asked that he be able to talk with my mom, privately, for a few minutes.
I waited outside the room and could barely hear them talk. But I did hear him say to her, “At least she isn’t dangerous and doesn’t require hospitalization.”
A few minutes later, I was invited to come back in. Then the doctor told me the news I didn’t want to hear.
“Prisella, Abby is not supposed to be in your room with you. Nor is she supposed to be in your classroom, or at the movies, or anywhere else. She is a figment of your imagination.”
I started to tear up. “But I need her. She is all I have.”
“We understand. But we are going to try you on some medicine to help you to hopefully make real friends that you can have in your room. But they won’t be sitting on your teachers' desk.”
“I’ll never make any friends. I will be alone again. Please don’t take her from me!”
My mom tried to console me and wanted to reassure me everything would be fine.
The next morning, I started taking this new medicine the doctor prescribed. I still hung out with Abby that night and the next. We both laughed and played games.
But as each day went by, she could only stay for less and less time and wouldn’t come over as much. Soon, she never came back. No more best friends watching movies, playing games and no more talk of boys. I was by myself again.
But now, I didn’t feel like sleeping. I instead called one of the girls that slept over my house a while back and invited her to come over and hang out.
To my surprise, she said yes. She came over, and we had a blast. When she left, she said, “I’m glad you asked me to come over, and I’m glad you’re doing better. You’re so much fun now. I hope we can do it again soon.”
Yes, I started to make friends. It seems the medication was what I needed not to be “weird” anymore.
But deep down, I still missed Abby. For me, she will always be my best friend.
E.