Excerpt: The Legend of the Ims

Ton was born like most of us are: thrust into a very large world, with very little knowledge. In confusion, in fear. Completely alone, all on his own.
Alone, at least, for the first moment. Because in a matter of seconds, there she was, waiting patiently for him. Then all the sudden he had a mother, someone to take care of him, and show him the world. He had a friend.

Maggie picked up the pink plastic teacup and took her pink plastic tea pot and poured invisible tea. She placed the cup back down on the saucer sitting on the kid-sized table.
Ton smiled, and while picking up the cup said “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome Ton.” Said Maggie brightly. She took her own cup and sipped at it carefully, making sure to keep her pinky out. Then she picked up a plastic biscuit and a grey plastic knife and spread invisible butter on it. She opened her mouth, and held it over the brown biscuit. She moved the biscuit away and closed down, chewing.
She handed the biscuit to Ton. “Would you like some?” she asked with her mouth full.
“Yes please,” Ton said, taking the biscuit from her and taking his own bite. “If only food were always like this. You can take as many bites are you want and it never ever goes away.”
“But it never fills me up.” Maggie pointed out. “Should I go ask Mommy for some better food?”
“No. She’ll just say no. We’re not allowed to have it up here, and she’ll just tell you that it’ll ‘spooooil your diiineeer’” Ton said in an exaggerated squeaky voice.
Maggie giggled. “You’re right. Let’s just go outside and play.”
“Can we play hide and seek?” Ton asked.
“No way! We’ve played that three days in a row. I want to play something else today.”
“Like what?”
“Ummm…how ‘bout… let’s make up our own game. It can be our secret special game, that no one else it allowed to play!” Maggie said, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
“Ok. What do we do?”
“You’ll see!” Shouted Maggie as she dashed out of the room. Ton got up and followed her downstairs. She was already outside, sitting in the grass. Her blue jeans were covered in grass stains, and her yellow t-shirt was a little stretched out on her shoulders. Her straw colored hair fell across her face, flying wildly around her head.
Ton skipped over to her. Even though he was a grown man, he acted more like a kid than anything, because that’s how Maggie acted. He was waiting for her to grow up so they could be grown up friends.
“Maggie, do you promise that we’ll be friends forever?” He asked her as he sat down next to her in the grass.
“Do I promise? More like do YOU promise?”
“I asked first.” Ton insisted.
“Of course I’ll be your friend forever. You’re my only friend! How could we not be friends forever? Who would I be friends with then?”
“That’s true.”
“Now… will you be my friend forever?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“Promise? I know you have more friends than I do.” She crossed her arms and pouted.
“But none of them are my BEST friend, like you are, Maggie.”
“Do you promise?” Maggie asked again, ignoring his last statement.
“Promise.” He said.
“Pinky promise?” She held out her pinky, much like she had been doing before with her teacup.
Ton took her pinky in his and they shook on it.
Maggie smiled. “Want to know about our game now?”

Maggie was 5. She was in preschool. But she was a quiet girl, and didn’t talk to many people. There were too many loud kids running around in her classroom, too much commotion and chaos for her to step up and make some friends. That was what Ton was for. Every day she would get up and go to school, and Ton would wait patiently at home for her.
She’d return in the afternoon, often bringing home an artwork made of macaroni or painted fingers, and play with him. They did all kinds of things, from hide and seek to watching TV together. Maggie confided everything to him, and he soothed her. He made sure there weren’t any monsters under her bed or in her closet, and that she always had her stuffed rabbit at bed time. They discovered new bugs together, and charted unknown regions of the park together. They were best friends.
She made her parents worried. They didn’t know how to approach Maggie’s behavior. She was their first child, and wanted her to have an active social life. Talking all day to an invisible friend who no one else could see made them nervous. Trying to get her to grow up as a normal child, they set up play-dates with other kids, but Maggie would usually ignore the other child and play with her friend ‘Ton,’ the nickname for ‘Antonio.’ But she was happy, so they decided to wait and hope she would grow out of it.
Maggie graduated preschool one day. She played with Ton all summer.
Then one day in first grade, a girl approached her.
“Hi.” She said
“Hi,” said Maggie quietly.
“Do you want to play?” she asked
“Play what?”
“Tag”
“Ok.”
“What’s your name?”
“Maggie.”
“I’m Julia.”
“Nice to meet you Julia.” Maggie said politely, and curtsied.
Julia giggled, “You’re silly.”
Maggie smiled.
“Want to be my friend?”
“Ok.”
“Ok.” Julia said, “Let’s go play now. You’re it!” And she took off, Maggie following not far behind.

Ton loved Maggie, but he mourned her new acquisition of friends. But she was so happy about it, so he never let her know. When she came home now sometimes she would bring friends and ignore Ton. Even if she tried to include Ton, her friends would look at her in puzzlement, confused as to who Ton was. They didn’t like Ton, and Ton didn’t like them.
Maggie didn’t understand. Why couldn’t they just all be friends? But they wouldn’t get along at all. It made her sad.
Ton felt hurt. There were nights when she didn’t ask for him to look in her closet. She wouldn’t even talk to him. She just climbed into bed and fell asleep. She said she was tired from all the things she’d done all day. Now that she had a lot to do at school and also at home with friends, her life was busier than ever. She paid less and less attention to Ton.
In second grade the teachers started assigning children homework. One afternoon she took home a spelling worksheet. She set her stuff at the kitchen table, took out her pencil and sharpened it, and sat down to work. She wasn’t very good at spelling, so she had to try very hard to get things right.
“Hi!” said Ton, appearing suddenly behind her shoulder.
Maggie jumped. “Ton! You scared me!”
“Sorry,” said Ton, “What are you doing?”
“Spelling homework.” She grumbled.
“Ooooh. Spelling is hard. I’m pretty good at it though. I can spell every word from A to Z you know.”
“Yea right.”
“No really. I read a lot of your books while you’re at school sometimes. When there’s nothing on TV of course.”
“I don’t need any help, Ton.” Maggie said, “I can do it fine on my own.”
“Ok.” Ton fell silent. He sat next to Maggie and watched her struggle through the exercises. Eventually she got stuck. She chewed on her pencil, obviously in agony.
“I know the answer.” Ton said.
Maggie glared at him.
“Do you want to know it?” Ton asked.
“No.” she said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She said firmly.
“But its soooo easy!” said Ton.
“I don’t want to know I’ll figure it out myself.”
“But if I just told you, you could move on and then-“
“SHUT UP!” Maggie yelled. “I DON’T want to know. Go away and leave me alone!”
Ton stared at her. Then he silently got up and walked away. He avoided her for the rest of the day. She had never yelled at him like that.
The next day Maggie was his friend again. But she didn’t apologize for yesterday, she didn’t say a word about it. She just went on like things were normal.
But they were not. She was distant, growing farther and farther away. There soon began to be days when she didn’t talk to him at all, and they were becoming more and more frequent as she grew older. Weeks went by, months. Then one day, Ton felt his entire being falling apart. The threads of his memory were unraveling, his vision blurring, and his skin disintegrating. He was dying. Maggie had forgotten about him completely.
Soon there was nothing left but his soul. He tried to lament. He tried to call out for her. They were supposed to be together forever. He had loved her completely, and there was no one else in his life but her. But he had no voice left. There was nothing he could do anymore. Just float. And so he did.
He rose above the house, and the yard where they had spent so many hours playing games. He rose above the town. Maggie’s oldest friend was leaving, and she didn’t even realize it. Soon he was above the earth. It was completely dark. The blackness was infinitely stretching before him. This was it.
That’s when he bumped into someone else.