Goodbye To The Weirdest Boy's Family

I opened my eyes slowly. The sun was shining brightly outside. I got up from my bed, walked towards the window. It was a beautiful world. I wanted to sing ‘The colors of the wind’. Birds were chirping. The cool breeze caressed my face. Flowers were blooming. Beautiful beautiful world. I sighed happily. I’d never felt so good before…. Then somebody yelled my name …I bent forward to look and then I was falling…..falling into the darkness….
‘AAAAHHHHHHHHH’ I screamed and instantly felt foolish as I realized I was only dreaming. God! This was the third time I’d this dream... Or should I say nightmare. I knew it’d to do with Coral and Camper. And after all today was ‘the’ day. I didn’t want to get up from my bed. I just wanted to sleep, sleep and sleep. Why did I say yes to Jane? I’d asked this question to myself and my friend, Sana, again and again. Because you were greedy, the same answer, always. I dragged myself from the bed. I brushed my teeth 4 times as it is my lucky number, washed my face 4 times, brushed my hair 4 times and then went for breakfast. No, I didn’t eat 4 times... I’m not that stupid!
‘Hiya’ I slumped wearily into the chair.
‘You look horrible’ Dad said. His face was hidden by a newspaper as usual.
‘Thanks a lot!’ I replied sarcastically. I sighed. Lately I’ve been sighing a lot.
‘Are you feeling alright?’ Mum and dad both asked worried.
‘No ...I’m sick. I don’t think I can baby-sit for Coral tonight’, I gave them my puppy-dog look.
‘Too bad, you’ve to’, Dad said cheerfully ‘It’s your job’ he emphasized the word ‘job’.
Mean. Mean mean mean! Couldn’t they see I was feeling horrible? Couldn’t they see I was being bullied by a child and two imaginary enemies? I sighed, again. I hadn’t heard the voices since last week but I was afraid if I’d go to Coral’s place I’ll hear them again. I munched on my apple, thinking of a way out. But there was none. Like Coral had said ‘when you’re in there’s no way out’ I thought darkly. How true.
*********
Jane had asked me to come at 7. It was six now. I can’t go alone, I told myself. There’ll be no Jane and not even Camper. Coral could do anything to me. I’ll be at her mercy. She’ll torture me with her Voldimod and maybe she’d kill me ….SHUT UP! I scolded myself. It’ll be ok, I consoled myself.
I decided to call Sana and ask to come with me. Coral won’t kill us the two of us.
I grabbed my cell phone and dialed her number. After few rings:
Sana: Hey…!
Me: Willyoucomewithmetonight?
Sana: What!?
Me: Will you come with me tonight?
Sana: To the Mall? Sure!
Me: Not the Mall!’ this was getting difficult ‘Remember Camper? The boy at Summer Fun Classes I told you about? I’ve to baby-sit his little sister so I was wondering if you’d come with me?’
Sana: Camper? You mean that cute boy you told me about? You are going to baby-sit his sister? Sure!!! I’ll come.
Oh man!!!
Me: not the cute one, Sana, the weird one.
Sana: oh that one…
Me: Oh please, do come with me!!
Sana: I don’t want to die…
Me: Please!!! ..I’ll give you anything you want.
Sana: really?
Me: Yes!!!
Sana: Umm …let me see …can I’ve that Zac Efron poster you bought on Thursday?
Me: No! Not that one! Beside you bought one yourself too.
Sana: Yeah, but yours is different and I think he’s looking way cuter in it.
Me: You can have my pink earrings. You were practically drooling on them when I showed you.
Sana: Now I think they’re a bit childish. Give me the poster only for two weeks; I want to show it off to my cousin. Ok?
Me: only for two weeks. And come over my place, now!
Sana: hey! You can’t boss me around.
Me: The poster! (In a sing song voice)
Sana: I’m coming ….we don’t wanna be late, do we?’
Me: Yes, we do not. Cya!
Sana: Bye!
Me & Sana: And thanks!
Me & Sana: Whatever!
Me & Sana: What are friends for!
Me & Sana: Yeah right! Bye!
I cancelled the call and went to my room to take off the poster of Zac. Oh Zac! I looked at his face for one last time ‘goodbye Zac’ I told his smiling face ‘see you after two weeks’. I took it off, careful not to tear the edges and rolled it. Sniffs.
Sana arrived checked the poster thoroughly, making sure it was the same one. Then we were off to Coral’s. In 15 minutes we were there, we threw our bicycles in the garden and rang the bell. I hope my bicycle would get stolen, I wished, so then I’d get a new one.
Jane opened and hugged me and looked inquiringly towards Sana and me.
‘This is Sana. My friend’ I introduced her to Jane ‘And Sana, this is Jane, Coral’s mother’
‘Nice to meet you’ they shook hands ‘I hope you don’t mind I came’
‘Oh of course not’, she smiled at her and then just to show that she meant it she hugged her too.
‘Hey what’s that?’ she pointed towards the poster Sana held in her hand
‘You brought my precious poster HERE!’ I whispered furiously
‘Oh, so that’s explained why I couldn’t ride the bicycle! How come you didn’t notice?’
I just didn’t.
‘Is this for Coral?’ Jane took it from Sana and started to unroll it.
‘Umm….’ I was speechless.
‘Oh it’s that boy on TV you girls always talk about. Coral loves him!’ she exclaimed happily ‘Coral just look what Sidrah and Sana have brought you!’ she said to Coral who was coming downstairs with a bear in her hand.
‘Who’s Sana?’ she asked rudely.
‘Sidrah’s friend’, Jane smiled ‘Look at this, it’s for you’ she handed her the poster.
Coral took a look at it and said thanks then put it on the sofa.
‘Ok I must run now’ Jane wore her jacket and took the umbrella (I don’t know why as it was a sunny day), ‘Goodbye! I’ll be back in 3 hours’ then she was gone. We were on our own. For a moment three of us stood there staring at the door. Then Sana broke the silence by sneezing loudly.
‘Oops sorry’, Sana laughed.
‘I’m going to my room. Don’t disturb me’, and to my dismay Coral took the poster and walked upstairs. ‘Thanks for the poster’
‘Hey Coral, listen, it’s a mistake.. I mean it’s not for you, really …your mum just thought we brought it for you ...’ I didn’t know what else to say. I crossed my fingers and prayed she’d give my poster back.
‘Is that so?’, Coral raised an eyebrow ‘well, you can have it back when you’re going but meanwhile I’m going to play with it’, she ran to her room and shut the door loudly.
‘She’s up to something’, I told Sana.
‘I don’ think so. She looks fine to me’
‘Then you’re mistaken because she’s not.’
For half an hour we watched a cartoon interestingly named “Foster’s home for imaginary friends’. It was good. I liked Blue. If I ever had an imaginary friend, which I’m sure I won’t, it’d be Blue. Cool, funky & blue.
‘I’m hungry’ I told Sana
‘You’re always hungry’ Sana said flatly.
‘No I’m not!’
‘Yes you’re’
‘Cut it out! I’m hungry...I want food!’ I went to the kitchen and grabbed three apples from the basket. Two for me and one for Sana.

We ate our apples in silence watching ‘Fairly odd parents’.
‘I’m bored!’ Sana said when the cartoon ended.
‘So am I’, Coral was in her room. Camper and Jane out. It was a perfect chance!
‘Let’s play Spy’ Sana agreed. We love mysteries and love to solve them even when there is none. We went to Camper’s room first. The table he’d during meeting wasn’t there but there were colorful cushions in its place. There was a bed, a writing desk, a cupboard, a computer …hmm …I glanced at Sana. She was looking at the computer too. Great minds think alike.
‘Let’s check it out’, we both said. We switched it one and waited for the windows to load. The wallpaper was of some green ball like cartoon with orange nose and a bright smile on its face. We checked all the documents and found nothing interesting, just some Placebo & Nirvana music, few videos and millions of pictures. Of Camper, Coral, and Jane and of a man I didn’t recognize and said so.
“It must be their father’ Sana said to me. Then it occurred to me that I’ve never met Camper’s dad.
‘I’ve never met him’ I told her.
‘Maybe they’re divorced ...Jane and the man...I mean’ Sana suggested.
‘Yeah maybe’ we went through other folders and found some more pictures. This time of Bobble and Voldimod. They were given a special folder named ‘Imaginary Pals’. Bobble was the same orange-green thingy. And Voldimod was a handsome cartoon boy.
‘Coral have a crush on him’ I sniggered.
‘He’s cute’ Sana said
‘But he’s a cartoon!’
‘You told me once that you like Brock in Pokemon’ this shut me up and wiped my smile. We shut down his computer, disappointed. Then we went to Jane’s room. We looked at each other guiltily. Jane was such a nice person.
‘Jane’s nice. Let’s clean her room’ Sana nodded happily. We went in. It was a simple and tidy room consisting of some furniture. A bed, dressing table, a shelf, a writing desk and a closet.
‘Sooooo.. We can clean her closet’ I tried to open it .It was locked. I wanted to find something, a clue or anything unusual. I read the labels of books she kept in the shelf; Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, Jane Austen and many others whose names I can’t recall now. Actually I can’t remember the spellings. So, well, I was just standing there, frustrated that I couldn’t find anything when Sana called my name.
‘Yeah?’ this was sOooo boring that I almost missed Coral’s company.
‘Look at this’ she shoved some papers to me.
‘What are they?’ I asked
‘These are the letters’ her eyes were shining. I looked closely and became excited. They really were letters. Written By someone called James to Jane. There were total four letters, we read all of them ….there was one photograph too. Jane and James holding hands, smiling at each other. The same man I’d seen it on Camper’s PC.
The letters were funny. James had written to Jane that he was going away to a place called ‘Malta’ and is never coming back because Jane and his children are driving him crazy. He didn’t want to join the Imaginary Club and Jane was bizarre and now she’d made his children too. He told her that he loved her and Camper & Coral but he couldn’t live with them anymore as he hear voices in his head and he’s afraid he’d go mad. The second letter was short about how he loves living in Malta and he’s found a great job. He’d sent them ‘lots’ of money. Third letter was saying that James couldn’t come to visit them and he’s sorry. Again ‘lots’ of money. Fourth letter said that he missed Jane and his children. He’d also lost his hob. He hates Malta. He’s coming back. And he’s going to join Imaginary club. His imaginary friend ‘Monni Moose’ is going to live with them.
‘Good God! The whole family!’ James had finally gone mad. If I visit them regularly I’d go to mad too. I’m never coming here back again. No seriously, I’m not.
‘So when do you think he’s coming back?’ I asked Sana.
‘How would I know?’ she was right, how she could know.
‘The letter was written last week’ said Sana ‘So he must be here now’
‘Yeah. I don’t think Jane is at work, it’s late and it’s a weekend anyway’ I remarked.
‘She must have gone to meet James! How romantic’ Sana sighed. I couldn’t see what so romantic was. But she must have had her reasons. We were just sitting there on the bed going through the letters again and again when we heard a loud thud from above. ‘It’s Coral!’ I made a face. We went upstairs and knocked her door.
‘Coral, what are you doing?’ I demanded.
‘None of your business, silly girl’ she yelled.
‘Open the door, Coral’, I said, this time really gently.
‘Wait! Give me 5 minutes’ she said. Now I was sure something bad is gonna happen. We waited silently, and then suddenly the door stood open. Weird.
‘Come on in’, Coral whispered. We stepped inside carefully. I was suspicious; I mean Coral opened up the door! How come? She never listened to me. Her room was spooky, it was large and dark. I switched on the light. Everything was black. I mean black black. Walls were black, curtains were black, bed was black, cupboard, her toys, even the paper dustbin, were all black. Spooky! Only colorful thing was my precious poster. Oh dear! I don’t think Zac had a beard and a moustache. I wished I was only seeing things. Too bad I wasn’t. It was all real. I looked at Sana, she’d a same expression. Sad, lost and mad. I was thinking about strangling Coral when she said ‘You can have your Poster back, Sidrah. I’d so much fun playing with it. It’s the best toy I ever had’ she said with an angelic smile.
‘You …..’ what could I have said to an 8 year evil child? Thankfully the bell rang. Saved by the bell, I thought. It was Jane and Camper and a man.
‘Have you had fun?’ she kissed Coral and hugged Sana and me. The man said ‘ahem ahem’ we all looked at him.
‘Oh, this is James’, Jane told us, ‘Camper & Coral’s Dad’
‘Hello, nice to meet you’, Sana and I smiled feebly. He smiled back, running his hand through his red hair ‘I’m too, girls, I’m too. Jane has told me so much about you’
‘Has she?’ I tried my best to smile but I couldn’t, ‘Jane, we’ve to go now, it’s getting late’
‘Oh we can drop you, girls’ Jane offered. We shook our heads firmly. No way! I’m not gonna sit in their car.
‘Its ok, we’ve our bicycles’ Sana said.
‘You’ll ride on one bicycle?’ Camper asked puzzled.
‘No’ I said slowly ‘why?’
‘Because there is only 1 out there’ I went to the garden. Sana’s cycle was there, safe and sound. I couldn’t see mine anywhere. I winced. I wanted to cry, this was so unfair! The song popped in my head ‘careful what you wish for coz you just might get it’
‘Yes we’ll take turns. It’s a way we do it!’ I hoped they’d buy it. They did. Jane gave me my money and said ‘We are going to Malta on Wednesday, forever’ she looked sad for a moment then was back to her happy-go-lucky manner ‘we’ll miss you. I’m going to meet your Mum tomorrow. I’ll bring Camper and Coral’ she hugged us goodbye and then closed the door.
‘Lets walk’ Sana said ‘I’ll take my bike tomorrow, or it’d be better if it’d get stolen like yours’ she laughed.
‘It wasn’t James’ I said after a moment. Sana nodded. James on the picture was thin and quite handsome with dark brown hair but this man was totally different. He was fat and wide with red hair. Only feature that was same was the eyes; piercing blue.
‘He gained weight and dyed his hair, maybe’ Sana said ‘the truth we’ll never know’
‘Maybe’ I shrugged ‘but the in the letter James said that he hates Malta and why on earth they’re going back?’ this was all so confusing. We couldn’t even ask Jane by giving ourselves away. And it’d be embarrassing to tell we’ve been snooping in her room. We reached my home in half an hour. I said bye to Sana and went inside, lost in my thoughts. Next day Jane came to meet us with Camper and Coral. Jane went to the kitchen with Mum. I was left alone with Camper and Coral.
‘Where are your brothers?’ Camper asked.
‘In their room. You can go in’ I told him.
‘Ok’ now I was alone with Coral. We looked at each other, not blinking.
‘It’s not over, you know’ Coral said softly.
‘Huh?’
‘We’re going away but that doesn’t mean we’ll never meet again. Because we’ll’ she said firmly.
‘Oh, ok’ I wasn’t sure what to say ‘Why are you going to Malta? I thought your Dad doesn’t like it there’ I blurted it out.
‘So you were snooping, right?’ she smirked ‘I knew you’d. Dad’s has gotten his old job back and now that he’s money he loves Malta again’
‘But what about the pictures in Camper’s computer?’ I asked. Well, she knew I’d been snooping around, ‘Your father doesn’t look like the man in those pictures’ Coral sighed and said ‘Dad caught a disease from his imaginary pal, Monni Moose, called ‘changallot’. It’s not fatal but it’s ….well it changes you completely. You start to eat a lot and do funny things to your hair, wear weird clothes ….’ She went on and on about the symptoms of changallot. I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t. I just nodded along and ‘Hmm’, ‘Oh’, ‘that’s bad’, ‘that’s sad’ and sympathized with her. His father has just gained weight and had gotten fat and dyed his hair. Ha-ha!
Then they were going. Jane had tears in her eyes and she hugged us all fiercely. Camper shook our hands, smiling in sad way. Coral just stood looking unsure.
‘Coral dear, did you give Sidrah her present?’ presents wow!
‘Oh I forgot’ she ran to the lounge and came back with two posters and a book. She handed them to me. I unrolled the posters. They were of Zac Efron.
‘Thanks’ I ruffled her hair.
‘No problem, I’m sorry I ruined yours …well, the other one is for your friend, Sana’ she said sheepishly. She gave me the book ‘I know you don’t believe in imaginary people but do read it, it’s good’ the book was called ‘How to make Imaginary Friends’. I couldn’t help laughing. Coral looked offended. ‘Thanks again’ I winked ‘I’ll definitely read it’ Coral looked happy again. And then they were going. We walked them to their car; Coral hugged me before sitting. ‘I’ll miss you’ she looked like she was going cry. ‘I’ll miss you too’ I told her. Camper said ‘Thanks for the idea, Sidrah, it worked’ he smiled. I smiled back. ‘Here’s my email id’ he handed me a chit. Jane started the car and they were off. I stood there waving, knowing that they can’t see me, until the car became a tiny dot. I sighed and went inside, took the posters and the book and went to my room.
So right now, I’m writing this and chatting with Coral and Camper. No matter how much I’d hated them in the start but in a funny sort of way I’m gonna miss them.