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Great Writing - Home > For Kids > Will and Charlie
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For Children
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| Will and Charlie | |
| By robokent | ||||||||||||
| 24 April 2006 | ||||||||||||
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When Will was little, many years ago, he had a friend named Charlie. Will and Charlie went everywhere together. They were best friends. Whenever Will was alone, whenever he was sad or lonely, he would call Charlie, and Charlie would appear. They would play for hours. Sometimes they would play cops and robbers, or pretend to be superheroes. Sometimes Will would take a tennis ball or a football and they would make up games only the two of them understood, like rigwade or pop’em. Will’s mom and dad never met Charlie. But they liked him anyway. One day, Will and Charlie were pretending to be spies, and they overheard his mom saying to their neighbor Mrs. Shoehorn, “Well, Will is around here somewhere, playing with his imaginary friend. He’s so cute. He calls him Charlie, and he’ll make up stories and play for hours by himself.” Will did not understand what an “imaginary friend” was. He asked Charlie what that meant. Charlie said that that’s what grown-ups called friends like him. “See, Will, your mom and dad can’t see me. They’re too old. Because they can’t see me, they don’t believe I’m really here. They don’t believe in me. They think I’m just part of your mind.” Will still did not understand. “What do you mean, part of my mind? Why can’t they see you?” Will asked. “It’s complicated, Will,” Charlie answered. “Wouldn’t you rather just play?” So they played. Will found a fuzzy green tennis ball lying in the backyard grass and tossed it to Charlie. They played pop’em for hours, shooting the ball off the back wall of the house, counting the bounces and keeping score. The two of them played until the sun was almost gone. Will’s mom peeked out the kitchen window and told Will it was time to come in for dinner. Will knew his mom was fixing his favorite: homemade pizza. He dropped the ball and ran inside. After he had washed his hands, he sat down at the table with his mom and dad. He always left a little room on the edge of his seat for Charlie. Will’s Mom asked, “Did you have a good time playing today, Will?” “Uh huh. Me and Charlie—“ “Charlie and I,” his dad corrected. “Charlie and I,” Will repeated, “played pop’em for a while and, Mom, before that, we were spying on you and Mrs. Shoehorn!” Will announced this with a great smile on his face. He was very proud of himself and Charlie for not getting caught. “Really?” his mom asked. “And did you find out any secrets while you were spying?” “Yeah, I did. Mom, you told Mrs. Shoehorn that Charlie is my ‘imaginary friend.’ What’s that mean?” Will’s mom looked at his dad. They gave each other that look they always used when Will had asked something they didn’t know how to answer. They kind of squinted their eyes a little and curled their mouths down at the edges. His mom said, “Well, honey, an imaginary friend is someone only you can see. If I wanted to talk to Charlie, I couldn’t. He only talks with you.” Will looked puzzled. “Mom, if you want to talk to Charlie, you can talk to him. He’s sitting right here!” Will pointed to the part of his seat where Charlie was sitting. Will’s mom smiled. “Oh. I didn’t realize he was sitting right there, sweetie. Well, would he like something to eat?” Will looked at Charlie, who was sitting quietly, whistling to himself. “Do you want anything to eat, Charlie?” Charlie smiled. “No thanks, Will. I’m fine. But tell your mom I said ‘thank you.’” “Well, why don’t you tell her, Charlie?” Will asked, while his parents looked on with wonder. “Will, your parents can’t see me. And they can’t hear me. They don’t believe enough.” “I don’t understand, Charlie. They’re older than me. Shouldn’t it be easier for them to believe? Isn’t everything easier when you’re older?” “Oh no, Will!” Charlie exclaimed. “Things will get harder when you get older. But don’t worry. I’ll always be here to help you. Even when you can’t see me.” Will’s mom and dad watched with amazement as their little boy carried on this conversation. To them, it appeared that he was the only one talking. They thought it was good that he had such an active imagination. “But I’ll always be able to see you, won’t I?” Will asked. “Will, you better just eat your pizza. Your parents are going to think you’re crazy if you keep talking to me!” So Will listened to Charlie, and he went about finishing his pizza slice. His mom and dad were quiet for a while, and soon they were talking about grown-up things. The next day, and all the days that followed in young Will’s life, were filled with joy and adventure. He did all the things that little boys do. He caught frogs down by the creek and played with his toy soldiers in his room. And all the time, his friend Charlie was by his side. One day, Will began to stray too far into the creek. From her kitchen window, his mom called to him to be careful, to come back closer to the house. But Will was a little too adventurous sometimes. He saw a frog perched on a stone just out of his reach. If he could just stretch a little further, he could catch it. His mom knew he might be in trouble, so she moved quickly from the door and toward the creek. But she wasn’t quick enough. Will slipped on a wet stone and fell into the water. It was not very deep, but it was deep enough to drown a little boy. Will hit his head on a rock and was lying face down in the water. As Will’s mom ran to him, Charlie sprang to action. Charlie reached his hand into the cool water and helped Will right himself until he could stand on his own. Will’s mom did not see Charlie, but she was so happy to see that her boy was okay. She rushed to help him out of the creek, crying tears of joy. “Will, are you alright? I was so scared when I saw you in the water. An angel must have helped you out! Oh, Will, please be more careful. I love you, and I can’t bear losing you!” Will was a little shaken, but he did not understand fully what had happened. After all, he was just a little boy. He said to his mother, “Mom, you don’t have to worry. Charlie helped me out of the water.” Charlie was standing next to him now, humming quietly to himself. Will’s mom looked directly at Charlie. She could not see him, but she could feel him there. And finally she began to understand. Charlie was real. Even if she could not see him. “Charlie, thank you. Thank you for saving my little boy,” she said, as tears streamed down her face. “Don’t ever leave him, Charlie, even if he forgets who you are one day.” Charlie whispered, “I won’t. I’ll always be here.” And somewhere, in the back of her mind, she could almost hear him saying those very words. Will’s mom carried her boy back into the house and cleaned him up. They ate dinner when Will’s dad got home from work, and the sun went down on another day. Will got up the next morning and set out on new adventures with his friend Charlie. Day by day, Will grew up. He got older and met other boys and girls his age. He had lots and lots of friends, and soon he stopped leaving a little space on his dinner chair for his best friend Charlie. And just like other grown-ups, Will began to think of Charlie as just an imaginary friend he had had when he was little. But no matter where Will went, no matter whether he believed in him or not, Charlie stayed always by Will’s side. And Will’s mom? Well, she always worried about her little boy, even when he got older and became a grown-up. That’s just what moms do. But she also knew that Will was always being guarded by a friend she could not see. Charlie was always watching over her little Will.
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