Chapter Text
*Dan, Age 5*
"Dan, don't leave the trail, alright? Come back in when the big hand on your watch reaches eight, okay sweetie? You don't want to be tired for your first day of school!" My mommy said with big eyes and shaking her head a lot.
What was she so worried about?? I always go into the big woods. There's where my friend Phil that mommy calls ee-magah-nar-ee. Whatever that means. I was also good at going to sleep. I did hate it, though. I can't move when I sleep, and I hate that.
"Okay mommy!" I say just so I can go quicker. She gives me a kiss on the forehead which I hastily wipe away when I turn around. I always hated that feeling. I had my new leather jacket my daddy bought before he went on his truck trip. Only three more weeks until he's back! I excitedly thought.
I went out the backdoor with my flashlight in hand, already turned on. Even though I wasn't scared of Phil, I was scared of the big woods. All of the shadows made scary shapes that would sometimes follow me, but Phil said he wouldn't let them hurt me. I was glad he was there for me.
I think Phil is amazing.
I hurried through the big woods with a lot of excitement to get to see him today. It had been almost a week since he had been there. Phil was always here on Sundays though. Sundays were the days we would sometimes even talk in my room. I hope he liked talking to me as much as I liked talking to him.
At the end of the big woods was the circle. My daddy made it for me before I was born when I was in my momma's tummy. He said he would walk with me through it when he got back. I was excited for that.
"Phiiiiilll?" I called out, not yelling so mommy couldn't hear me just in case she came outside. I heard slight rustling. My flashlight went straight to the source to see a smiling Phil. He was wearing a leather jacket, like me.
I gave a big smile to him and looked at his face which held the smile, but there was something different. He had a small black spot on his eye.
I gasped. "Philly, what happened to your eye?!" I said, running over to him and pulling at his sleeve. He was really tall, hovered over me. He kneeled down and sat on the dirt. I was taller than him now. I shined the light beside him so the light didn't hurt his eyes. I did like the purple color of his eyes, though. They were the same color purple as the flowers he would pick for me on the outer part of the circle.I always loved when he would let me shine light at them. He never would visit me during the day though. He had school. I was about to have school, like mommy said.
Phil looked down at his hands in his lap before looking up at me. His eyes even without the flashlight were almost glowing. I frowned instead of holding even just a small smile. His eye was badly bruised. Did someone hurt him??
"I'm okay, Dan, I just had a lil' fight, that's all," He gave a small smile, but Phil never was anything but smiles. Who would hurt Phil?
"Do ya want me to get 'em, Phil?" I said, my eyes wide in the dark so I could see his face. "I"ll get whoever did that! No one should hurt you!" I pouted. Pouting usually got me things. I didn't want anything right now but Phil to be happy. Maybe he would let me get the bad guys that hurt him.
He chuckled, smiling and letting his pointy teeth show. I loved his teeth. They looked like the people from scary movies, but he wasn't scary. "I'm fine, Dan, but thank you." I smiled back.
"I have something to tell you, though, Dan." His voice went serious, like Mommy's did when Daddy had to leave for the first time for a really long time. Phil's eyes went watery like Mommy's did, too.
"What is it?" I tilted my head. I sat down in front of Phil. He was taller than me now.
"You're starting school now, and you need your sleep, right?" Phil said. I nodded.
"Now, since you need your sleep, you're going to need to make sure you don't stay out late." His voice went a bit slower. I didn't get it.
"I don't anyways, Phil. What do ya mean?" I said.
He sighed, looking down again but not at me. He didn't look at me again while he spoke. "I can't see you again for a long while, Dan." My heart did a little thump harder than usual. "You're going to school, and you can't talk about me. It would just make things worse if you stay with me now, okay?"
My heart thumped harder. Why couldn't he just stay? Why can't he not leave me?!
"I'm going to watch over you though, I promise," Phil hastily added. "I just can't right now, with you going into school, and me getting bea- me just.. lots of things are going on, alright Danny?" His voice cracked. I hadn't heard a voice snap since gramma died and mommy's voice did that. My eyes watered up the same as they had then, as well. I couldn't lose Phil. He was there when my daddy wasn't. He was the one to tell me goodnight if mommy forgot from late night work. Phil was the one who was for me only and couldn't leave.
Tears went down my face, but I wasn't happy. They were sad tears. I didn't like the tears at all, and I really didn't like how they made my voice sound when I talked. But I talked anyways.
"P-Phil, you can't leave me!" I whined. It was stupid, but I didn't want him to leave me. He had been with me for three months, and I couldn't just have him leave. He was my best friend.
"Aw, please don't cry little Dan.." Phil's arms came around me and pulled me up to him into a watery hug. I was sobbing now. I couldn't let him leave, but he was bigger than me. I couldn't stop him.
"You could hide in my closet! you could come to school with me and say you had a grow sprout!" I said, looking up with teary eyes.
Surprisingly, he laughed, but tears fell on my face from his. They were cold. I rubbed them off with my thumbs from his face. Then I snuggled into his chest. I didn't like my Phil to be sad.
"Please don't cry Phil... You.." I swallowed hard. I had to be as strong as my daddy is. That's what he taught me. "You can go. I'll be here waiting. You'll come back, right?" I added.
He nodded furiously. "Of course I will, Danny. I'll come back, and we can talk everyday. But don't dwell- or, don't worry about me. Just remember: I am real, and I /will/ be back. I'm here for you." His arms held me a bit tighter before he let me go and gently sat me back on the ground. I stood up as he did and craned my neck to look at him.
"Please come back soon, Philly.." I sniffled. My nose was starting to run.
He smiled a sad smile, but still my Phil's smile. I smiled back. He might be back when Daddy came back, but that's still long. I would be strong, though. I was here for him, too.
And before Phil said anything else, his shadow left before he did.
I was alone.
I wiped my face off and ran back to the house and into my room. I tucked myself in as mommy was asleep on the couch around papers and I didn't wanna wake her up. She was taking a nap.
"goodnight, Phil," I whispered before going to sleep.
And I thought I even heard him respond before smiling away into darkness.
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