2004-12-04 
 

what would william think?

When I was younger I created a variation of an invisible friend. His name was William, and I met him for the first time on a day I'd stayed home sick from school.

I lay in bed, finally bored of the many puzzles Mommy had brought in to amuse me. My little world of the bedroom had become tiresome since I know that doing anything too noisy will cause a scolding to come my way. Looking at the bookshelf, I can't find anything that hasn't been read at least two or three times already. So I curl up into the bed and pull the blanket over my head.

The realization that I'm a caterpillar in a cocoon hits me suddenly. I feel my body slowly morphing. Little legs are sinking back into my body, while at my back I feel wings sprouting. I can't see them, but I know that they're the most beautiful wings in all of the world! With a sudden burst of energy, I throw off the covers and stand wobbling on the soft mattress. Then another burst of knowledge. I'm not a butterfly at all! I'm William, and I must be having an incredibly odd dream. You see, I'd gone to sleep the night before, laying on a most comfortable pile of hay that I'd pushed into the corner after cleaning out my master's stable and tending to the horses. I remember settling in to the comforting straw and falling asleep giving thanks to the heaven's that they helped me to find such a good master. His given name was Ethan, though I had to call him Sir Gothardt as a sign of respect. I did so gladly. Sir Gothardt was a good master, and I led a good life as his squire.

But the world around me looks nothing like the stable I know so well. What, after all, could that strange object in the corner be? It was tall and looked a bit like the harpsichord I'd seen on a visit to Lord Darkwind's castle, but it was made from a strange purple marble. I remembered Lady Ursula explaining to Sir Gothardt that the harpsichord sounded better than any other in the country because of the fine wood it had been crafted from. This marble object couldn't be a musical instrument, could it?

Glancing down, I can see my feet causing an indent in a bed of some sort. But what a strange bed it is! And how unsteady I feel trying to keep balance on the softest of mattresses! My unsteadiness convinces me that the best course of action would be to sit down. So I do.

I pull the sheets up over my lap and realize that I must be in one of Lord Darkwind's rooms. After all, the material is soft and colored a pale green, I decide that this must be the silk Lady Ursula raves on about. I look behind me and see a pillow wrapped in a patterned field of hundreds of flowers. It's then that I notice the strange device sitting on a short table at the side of the bed. It's black and made from a shiny black substance that is slick to the touch. On the very front is a very small and very odd metal bar. Above the bar someone has written the word "ON" upon it in a very neat hand. A short bit below the bar, I see the word "OFF" in the same writing. I puzzle over this for a bit. What does it mean? As I run my fingers over the bar, it shifts upward.

I jump back as a bright light shines suddenly from the top of the device. Fire! I look around for some water to throw on it, but my panic subsides as I see that the flames are not spreading. In fact, the light is steady and not flickering at all. Cautiously, I reach toward the object. It is much warmer at the top, but not at all hot. The little bar remains cool. I flick it back down, and the light is extinguished. It makes me sad to lose the light, but after a moment, the significance of "ON" and "OFF" comes to me. I push the little bar back upward and the light once again shines on the room around me.

As I switch the magical light on and off joyfully, I know what my mission must be. This isn't Lord Darkwind's castle at all. It's a wondrous new country that I've somehow traveled to in my sleep. It's clear that I've been sent to this place as a scholar, and must detail and catalog everything I see so that I can share them all with the people back in the lands I came from.

I go slowly around the room, discovering any number of other magical items. The craftsmanship of the shelves amazes me, but more wonderful are the small framed paintings. Paintings made with such skill that no brushstokes are visible. Then there's the unending supply of exotic toys! I do feel a bit silly playing with them at first. After all, I'm an old boy now and a squire to boot. Toys are things for small children of 5 or 6...but the discovery that some of them boast the magic of "ON" and "OFF" and can MOVE ON THEIR OWN, convinces me that they fall well within my mission of discovery.

Finally, I'm finished with the shelves, and approach the marble structure in the far corner. I feel it tentatively expecting cold stone, but am surprised to find that it's much softer than that. In fact, it's made from wood after all. Someone has only painted it to resemble marble. When I touch one of the little white planks on the front, it does indeed make a sweet sound, just like the harpsichord back home. This too, must have fine wood underneath the purple and grey paint. But it looks so strange! I hit more of the little planks and marvel at the minds that must have decided to create such a strange object.

Then a voice calls out, "Michael? Was machts du?" It's German! At least I think it must be German. It sounds quite like the language Lady Ursula and her sisters talk when they're telling secrets.

I decide that the best course of action is to crawl back into the bed, pull the covers over my head and return quickly to my own country.

Pulling the soft cotton covers down from over my head, I'm Mike again. But a much happier Mike who is willing to see what a great world we live in.

Since that first time, William's been to visit me many times. He never comes in such a dramatic fashion anymore. In fact sometimes I'll just be pulling on my sock and he'll be there, wondering what marvelous technology created such a comfortable and finely spun garment.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Rereading that, I realize that it might have been clearer to call William an alter ego from the start, but isn't that exactly what invisible friends are?


This entry is dedicated to several people:
Emma, whom I hope finds someone as magical as William in her own life.
Mom and Dad, for never stifling my odd creative bursts
Mark, who asked me to blog something soon.
and Greg, for always reminding me that there's magic in the world

Labels: dose of mikey, memory lane, shout out, spirit

* posted by me at 10:17 PM

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