38One day she sat in her playroom playing with her new Barbie. Out in the kitchen her mother and father yelled at each other. Something smashed and Mary turned her head. Her mother was on the floor with glass shattered around her head. Mary got up and walked into the kitchen.
"Daddy. Why is mommy on the ground?" Mary asked.
Her dad walked towards her. He opened his mouth but then quickly closed it.
"I love you." He kissed Mary and then walked over to the phone and picked it up.
Mary walked over to her mother and sat next to her head.
"Mommy?" Mary said.
Mary's mother did not move.
"Mommy?" Mary repeated.
Mary's father then stormed out of the kitchen. He went upstairs and into his room. He grabbed a bag out of his closet and threw all of his belongings into it. He zipped up his bag and stormed back downstairs. He walked out the front door and drove off.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mary. Your Aunt Michelle has decided to take you in. You're going to go live with your Aunt Michelle, ok?" The police woman said.
Mary sat in the chair of the office in the police station brushing out her Barbie's hair.
"Will Katherine be living with her as well?" Mary asked the police woman.
"Is Katherine your Barbie?" The woman asked.
"No. Katherine is my friend." Mary tilted her head.
"Where is Katherine."
Mary looked around as if looking for something.
"She's right behind you." Mary pointed behind the woman.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day Michelle arrived at the police station to pick up Mary.
"Thank you so much for watching her until I could get here." Michelle said to the police man who handed Mary over to her.
"Well you're very welcome." The man said smiling.
Mary held her small suitcase in one hand and her Barbie in the other hand. Michelle offered her hand to Mary. Mary looked up at Michelle.
"My hands are busy at the moment." Mary said.
Michelle chuckled.
"Well then just follow me." Michelle said.
It was a six hour drive from New York to Michelle's New Hampshire home.
Michelle's two story county house was out in the middle of nowhere. There were woods all around the house. A huge red barn was just on the edge of the woods. There was a small fenced in area outside it. As soon as the car stopped Mary got out and ran around singing.
"Ring around the rosie. A pocket full of posies."
Michelle smiled and grabbed Mary's suitcase out of the trunk. It was getting dark out and Michelle didn't want Mary wandering around in pitch black.
"Mary don't you want to go see your new bedroom?" Michelle yelled.
"Why aren't we going to my mommy's funeral?" Mary asked as she ran toward Mary.
"Uh, Um." Michelle didn't know what to say. "Where did you hear anything about a funeral?"
"Katherine told me." Mary grabbed Michelle's hand.
Michelle stopped in her tracks.
"Who is Katherine?" Michelle asked.
"My friend. Not a lot of people can see her. Only me and my mom." Mary said.
"Well, what do you want for dinner?" Michelle asked to change the subject.
"Do you have macaroni and cheese?" Mary asked.
"I think we do."
They walked in the door and stood in the kitchen.
"David!" Michelle yelled.
A man walked in from the other room holding a newspaper.
"Mary. Do you remember your uncle David?" Michelle asked.
"No, but it's nice to meet you." Mary held out her hand.
David crouched down and shook it.
"Ya know, the last time I saw you, you were only a teeny baby." David said.
"Really?" Mary asked.
"Yup. Here wanna see something?" David asked.
"David, I'm gonna bring her stuff up to her room and start cooking dinner, ok?" Michelle said.
"Yea. I'll keep her busy until then." David kissed Michelle on the lips. "Do you like horses?"
"The flying ones." Mary said.
"Oh, well I don't have any flying ones but I have ones that you can ride on."
"Really." Mary said really excited.
"Sure, come with me."
David grabbed hold on Mary's hand and led her out back the door. They walked back to the barn. Mary could hear neighs as they came closer. David let go of Mary's hand to push the doors to the side. He walked in and turned the lights on. Mary walked in and looked around. There were three stalls, each one with a horse in it. There were two brown horses and one black.
"What are their names?" Mary asked.
"Well the brown one in the first stall is Kiko, the other brown one is Gregory and the black one is Aiden."
"I like the black one." Mary said as she walked in front of Aiden's stall.
She climbed up on the wooden gate and looked into the stall. Aiden walked right up to Mary and stood face to face with her. They both stood there staring at each other. Mary reached her hand out and stroked the side of Aiden's face.
"Would you like to take him out right now?" David asked.
"Yes please. Can I ride him?" Mary asked eagerly.
"Well not in the dark. Tomorrow I promise though." David said as he unlatched the gate.
Mary got down and stepped back. David opened the gate and Aiden came out without hesitation. David walked into the stall and grabbed a stool.
"You can stand on this." David said.
Before David could set the stool down Aiden had already dropped to the ground and was lying right before Mary.
"Huh." David said as Mary got on her knees and began stroking Aiden. "Never seen that happen before." David smiled.
David heard footsteps and turned around to see Michelle walk in.
"That's strange." Michelle said smiling as she walked up to David.
"I know. Aiden came right out and lied down."
David and Michelle both stared at Mary and Aiden.
"Well the macaroni is cooking. It should be done in 5 minutes."
"I wanna stay with Aiden just a bit longer." Mary pleaded.
"Ok. But your macaroni will be cold." Michelle said.
"That's ok." Mary smiled a big toothless smile.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At 8 o'clock David and Michelle put Mary to bed. They read her a story and then tucked her in. They kept a night light on for her and walked out. Michelle left a small crack in the door. David and Michelle walked back down the stairs.
"David, Earlier today Michelle mentioned something about an imaginary friend named Katherine." Michelle said concerned.
"Yea so."
"Do you remember my sister's imaginary friend? Well her friend's name was Katherine as well. She didn't stop believing in Katherine until her 16th birthday."
"Well, what should we do about it?" David asked.
"Do you even remember what happened because of Katherine? My sister almost went insane!" Michelle raised her voice.
"Yes I remember darling. Just calm down. Mary probably just needed a friend. You know, it's kinda hard for a 6 year old to lose their mom."
"Yes. I know."
David wrapped his arms around Michelle. They both sat down on the couch and snuggled together.
Mary sat on the stairs listening to David's and Michelle's conversation.
"Katherine did you do that?" Mary hissed.
Mary made a look as if she was a mother scolding their child.
"Don't you dare lie to me." Mary whispered.
Mary stood up and quietly walked back up the stairs to her room.