Chapter 3
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Time flew fast, and before anyone knew it, Edith was going to school. Six years old and in the first grade, she still had the active imagination that allowed her to see, or at lease sense, Raum at some points. However, Mable had become invisible to her ever since she had turned two. Raum was at least somewhat satisfied with being the monster she feared was hiding in her closet or under her bed, because he was at least a part of her life.
However, Edith wasn’t exactly popular with the kids at her school. Most of her classmates would ignore her and refused to play with her. When she came up to sit with someone at lunch, some would move away while others simply ignored her. The lack of attention and friendship made her lonely, which often led her to act out in school. She would hit other people, bite them, or steal things, and while her bad behavior did get her noticed it also gave her a very bad reputation.
The punishments that resulted from that bad behavior were dealt accordingly by her mother. If she’d hit someone, she’d be spanked. If she bit someone, she went to be without supper. If she stole something, something was taken from her in return; most often time it would be the angelic bear Mable had given her.
Mable was growing tired of Edith’s behavior. It pained her to see the innocent baby she’d known only a few short years ago turn into and attention-hungry brat that was always getting into trouble. Most of the time she blamed Raum for it, even though she knew—for the most part—it wasn’t all his fault. The devil was everywhere, and little kids didn’t know how to resist temptation.
“We have to do something,” Mable finally said, “We can’t just sit back and watch her give in to Satan’s every little wish.”
“You make it sound as if she’s a devil worshiper,” Raum remarked, “She’s a little kid; little kids get into trouble, and they learn fairly quickly that if you do something bad, something bad will happen in return.”
“I know that, but the only reason Edith is acting out is because nobody pays attention to her. She doesn’t have any friends. She’s six years old, Raum. No child should be friendless at six years old!”
“And what do you expect me to do? I’m the monster that lives in her closet, remember?”
Mable thought it over briefly. Edith still held a very wild imagination and she was still young enough to sense some things adults couldn’t.
“An imaginary friend.”
Raum tilted his head and blinked in confusion, “What?”
“Every child has one, at one point or another, “Mable explained, “And it’ll give you something to do!”
“You expect me to be this imaginary friend?”
“Would you rather live out the rest of her childhood as the monster in her closet?”
Raum crossed his arms, “What if I say, ‘No’? Why don’t you do it, Miss Goodie-Two-Shoes? You’re an angel. This sounds like a job meant more for you.”
Mable shrugged, “Why do I need to explain? Just do it!”
“Fine!” Raum cawed.
In truth there was one other form he could take aside from that of a raven or a demon. He rarely showed his human form, as most times his very large beak couldn’t be hidden well. It either caused the nose to discolor or become misshapen, and it did so in such a way that made it painfully obvious for people to see what he truly was.
The demon snapped his fingers and took the form of a handsome young man clad in black. His dark, soulless eyes lightened into a rich shade of brown and his face was hidden by a white bird-like mask. The feathers on his head turned into layers of jet black hair and his clawed feet turned into the hands and feet of a human.
“Not bad,” Mable commented, “But what’s with the mask?”
Raum shrugged, “This is the only way I can disguise my face. It’s hard to get rid of a giant beak.”
All throughout the day, Raum played with Edith. He pushed her on the swing sets, even though the only thing making her move was the pumping of her legs. They’d race in the schoolyard, and Raum would always let her win. They’d talk and laugh over silly little things kids laughed about. All the while, Raum knew this good time was only temporary. It would all last until God in Heaven brought along a real friend into her life.
When they came home, they played in the backyard until dinnertime and until Edith finally had to go to bed.
“Hey, Remy?” she piped up as she flopped down on the mattress of her bed, “Can you check and make sure the monster isn’t in my closet?”
Remy had been the name Raum called himself while he was still Edith’s friend, as he wasn’t allowed to reveal his true name to her. He could sense Mable watching him in her physical form as she sat perched in a tree. He knew he had to do it.
“Sure thing!” he said as he puffed out his chest, “I am Remy the Brave, the Fearless, and the Strong, and no monster of closet or bed shall hurt my friend so long as I still stand!”
His overly dramatic dialogue had Edith rolling in her sheets as she giggled and laughed until she turned purple.
The masked man marched over to the closet door, which had been left wide open and he threw himself inside of it.
“Any monsters in there?” Edith asked.
“I don’t see any.”
“Check everywhere, just to make sure!”
Raum resisted the urge to tear the hair from his head as he continued to fumble about in the closet for several minutes with a fake smile on his face.
“I have driven away all of the monsters!” They want me to tell you that they will never come back again.”
Edith smiled, “Thank you, Remy. Hey, Remy, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course you can, kiddo.”
“Do you think God’s real?”
The question made Raum freeze, “What?”
“Do you think God’s real?”
Raum could sense that even Mable was surprised by the question. He knew children were curious and full of questions, but he had never been asked to answer this sort of question before; and if he had, it must have been a very long time ago.
Very slowly, he answered, “I don’t think . . . I know.”
“Then, why hasn’t He given me any friends until now? How come no one else want to be my friend?”
Raum cleared his throat, “Well . . . sometimes God waits until the perfect moment to bring another person into someone’s life. You were so lonely, so He sent me to you.”
“So God’s real? He just waiting for the right time to give me more good friends?”
“Yes. Maybe if you stop being mean at school and stop stealing, God will start sending good friends to you.”
“Are you an angel? Is that how God sent you?”
Raum’s answer was very blunt, “No.”
“What if you go away? Will you still be my friend, Remy?”
Raum was silent for several moments before he let out a deep sigh, “If I go away, I will always think of you as a friend, and so long as you find a moment to remember me, then I will always be your friend. No matter what happens or where I am.”
Edith nodded and fell asleep. The moment that happened Raum morphed back into his demonic form and leaned against a wall far away from the bed.
Mable went from being a dove to being in her angelic form as she entered the bedroom.
“I didn’t know you demons were able to say things like that.” She stated.
“What? You think we all just burst into flames the moment we say ‘God’?”
“That’s exactly what I thought. You almost sounded like a die-hard Christian there, for a moment.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. Most of the things is said were either lies or sophisticated, wild guesses. What else was I supposed to tell her? I’m supposed to be her friend, not her enemy.”
“True, but you could have used those questions as the perfect opportunity to lead her astray and make her believe that God was the enemy. You could have done anything!”
Raum let out a frustrated hiss, “Do you really want to know what I did?”
“What?”
“I told that girl what she wanted to hear. I told her what you wanted to hear. I didn’t tell her anything I wanted her to hear. That’s all! She wanted reassurance. I don’t know if remembering me fifty years from now as the handsome young man who pushed her on the swings when she was six will still make me her friend. I’m just an imaginary friend, after all!”
Mable knew that he was right. It was phase that every child went through; having an imaginary friend that would be forgotten about as time goes on and the real friends start to take their place. This would inevitably happen with Edith, and she and Raum knew that there was no way to stop it.
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