"A Childhood Friend"

“A Childhood Friend”

 

1.

            Stephanie dashed out of the front door of the new home her parents just moved into the day before. She ran into the front yard and over to the tree on the edge of the property. Hanging down from a large branch was a thick yellow rope tied to a two by four. She smiled and sat down on it.

            Stephanie placed her feet onto the ground and pushed herself back as far as she could without her feet leaving the ground. She lifted her feet and began to swing back and forth. Stephanie laughed with joy at the feeling of the wind running through her hair when the swing swung forward and then back and then forward again. She continued laughing until she saw two black shoes appear from nowhere. She looked up. It was a man. The man was old. He had to be at the very least eighty years old. He was slightly overweight, but I guess that came with age.

            The man was wearing an all black suite with a white button up dress shirt and a black tie to complete the ensemble. This might frighten most children, but she really wasn’t. He didn’t seem dangerous. Not at all. He seemed like just a sweet old man.

            “Hi! What’s your name?” The man asked her as he bent over and placed his hands on his knees like old men do. Stephanie smiled.

            “Stephanie Mr.!” She said happily. “What’s your name?” She asked him.

            “My name is Mr. Wagner. I live just down the street at that little blue house on the corner.” The man said as he pointed to it. Stephanie turned her head to look and then looked back at Mr. Wagner.

            “That looks like a nice place to live! Maybe I could visit it sometime!” Stephanie said.

            “Maybe. But it would have to be okay with your parents first.” Mr. Wagner said. Mr. Wagner stood up and stretched. Stephanie could hear the crackles in his back and giggled. He smiled. They were silent for a moment but then he bent back over like he did before and looked at Stephanie.

            “Do you like it here Stephanie?” Mr. Wagner asked her. Stephanie shrugged not really knowing what to say. “Don’t worry Stephanie, I’ll keep it between us. You were happier where you were before didn’t you?” Stephanie nodded.

            “Yeah. We had to move here because Daddy got a new job. They asked me if I was going to be all right with the move and I told them I was but I really wasn’t. All of my friends are back in Betsy!” She explained. Mr. Wagner smiled and extended his right arm.

            “Well then, maybe you and I can be friends.” Mr. Wagner said with a smile. Stephanie smiled back and the two of them shook hands.

            “Will you push me Mr. Wagner?” She asked him. Mr. Wagner smiled and nodded. He walked over behind her and pushed her and the swing up into the air.

            “Stephanie, Time for dinner!” Her mother shouted from the front door. Stephanie slid her feet in the dirt and stopped the swing.

            “See yak later Mr. Wagner!” Stephanie shouted happily. Mr. Wagner waved and Stephanie ran into the house.

 

2.

            “Hi Mommy!” Stephanie said smiling as she ran over to her mother and gave a big hug.

            “Hi sweaty!” Her mother said. Stephanie let go of her and walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. Her mom pulled the large pot of mashed potatoes off of the stove eye and placed it in the center of the kitchen table. She sat down on the right side of her husband and grinned over at Stephanie.

            “You looked like you were having a lot of fun outside today Stephanie! I didn’t know you could go that high on the swing by yourself!” Bill, Stephanie’s father said as he smiled at his daughter.

            “I had a lot of fun daddy! I was able to go really high with Mr. Wagner pushing me!” She said happily. Bill and Marry, Stephanie’s mother looked at each other for a moment and then backs to their daughter.

            “Who’s Mr. Wagner honey?” Bill asked his daughter.

            “Mr. Wagner’s the nice old man that came over and pushed me on the swing today!” She said. Bill and Marry looked at each other once more and then back at their daughter.

            “Where did this Mr. Wagner come from honey? Does he live around here or something?” Bill asked as he reached a tablespoon over to the pot of mashed potatoes and slapped a spoon full onto his white glass plate. Stephanie nodded her head and pointed up the street.

            “He said he lived in that blue wooden house on the edge of the street!” She said.

            “Yeah?” Bill asked engaged as he took a bite of his mashed potatoes. Stephanie nodded again.

            “Yeah. He said that maybe I can go over to his house and play sometime if it is alright with you mommy and daddy!” She said in a sweet voice as she flickered her eyelashes as many little girls do.

            “Well, we’ll see.” Bill said as the three of them sat there and finished up their dinner.

            When they were finished eating, Mary stacked the now empty plates together and carried them over to the sink and placed them into it. She walked over to Stephanie and patted her on the head and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

            “Go up to your room honey! Give me and your dad a moment.” Stephanie obeyed and leaped back down on the floor and walked out of the kitchen.

            “What are you thinking?” Bill asked Mary. Mary looked at the window at the blue wooden house on the corner.

            “I’m thinking that maybe we need to go and check out this Mr. Wagner.” She told him. Bill stood up and walked over to her. He placed his hands around her hips and kissed her gently on the neck.

            “Perhaps maybe Mr. Wagner is just an imaginary friend!” Bill suggested. They stood in silence for a moment when they noticed an old woman step outside the house and water the flowers in the small garden at the front of her house.

            “Mrs. Wagener I assume?” Mary asked. They looked at each other and then walked out of their house and up the street to the blue house on the corner.

 

3.

            Bill and Mary walked through the white wooden gate at the front of the yard. The old woman was bent over with a green plastic watering can. She noticed the two of them in her yard as she looked at them between her legs.

            “Can I help the two of you?” She asked them as she stood up and turned around to look at them.

            “Yes, my name is Mary and this his my husband Bill! We just moved in down the street.” Mary said.

            “Oh yes, yes. I heard that we were getting some new neighbors!” The old woman said as she took off her gardening gloves and then extended her arm to shake Mary’s hand. They shook hand. “Would you guys like to come inside and have a cup of tea?” The old woman asked. Mary and Bill nodded and the three of them began to make their way up the steps of the porch.

            “Do you live here with your husband Ms..”? Bill asked.

            “Ms. Marsh is my name deer boy. No, I live alone. My husband, Richard Marsh, died years ago!” The old woman said. Bill smiled and gently tapped Mary on the shoulder.

            “See, I told you that Mr. Wagner was just an imaginary friend!” Bill said. Ms. Marsh stopped for a moment.

            “Mr. Wagner?” Bill nodded.

            “Yes. Our daughter said that there was a man that she called Mr. Wagner who lived here.” He told her. Ms. Marsh looked down at the floor and then looked back a Mary and Bill. She pointed over to a picture that was hanging on the wall beside her. The man in the photo looked almost exactly like the man that Stephanie had seen before.

            “My Daddy’s name was Herman Wagner! This house belonged to him before he passed five years ago!” She said. Mary reached over and grabbed the photo of the dead Mr. Wagner off of the wall.

 

4.

            “Stephanie!” Mr. Wagner said as he stood in the doorway of Stephanie’s rooms. Stephanie put down the Barbie dolls she was playing with and ran over to hug him. Mr. Wagner hugged back and then knelt down beside her.

            “I got to go Stephanie!” He said to her. She gave him a strange look.

            “What do you mean Mr. Wagner?” She asked him.

            “I have to go now! Your parents are over at my old house right now! Too many people know about me! I have to leave or they will find me!” He said to her.

            “Who will find you Mr. Wagner?” Stephanie asked.

            “There’s a group of men who are after me! They call themselves the Lowlanders. They’re bad, bad men!” He told her. “I need you to promise that if a couple of men wearing gray trench coats and a reporter’s hat comes to the door looking for me, you need to say nothing! Will you promise me that?” She asked her. Stephanie nodded her head.

            “What do they want with you?” Stephanie asked him.

            “Let’s just say they need me for something their leader wants to do!” Just promise me that you will stay inside if you see them. Let your mom and dad take care of them alright?” He asked her. Stephanie nodded her head as she began to tear up.

            “Will I ever see you again?” She asked him. Mr. Wagner stood up and smiled.

            “We may cross paths later down the road. Never say never right?” Mr. Wagner said. He waved at her as his ghostly presence disappeared into mid air.

            “Bye Mr. Wagner!” Stephanie said as tears began to roll down her face.

Copyright 2014 by Cody Williams
Courtesy of TTP Entertainment
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Author's Note

This is the first of a proposed 5 loosely connected stories through recurring characters. I can assure you that this is not the last time you will see Mr. Wagner. He might not make another appearance in this series of tales, but maybe in the Lost Empire Series! Enjoy!

-CW

Reviews

[NoelHC]

A good story, and you have opened up the possibility for follow up stories very nicely here. Many typos, one made me chuckle, " “Hi sweaty!” Her mother said. " Not exactly a term of endearment, that one.
You have a real talent with short stories, I for one find the errors distracting, you could clean these all up so easily.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Noel! I will go through them and clean up the errors. There will be others that follow this one that will hold a "loose" connection.

-CW

[Dayran]

This is quite an inspirational piece of writing. I'll have to say CW ... you are coming of age.

The story examines the relation between a child's identity ... with that of someone older ... who is nevertheless still relating to the child. Its a curios experience in a mind ... that may not as yet have come to relate to itself ... at the age she is at. We encounter this sometimes ... in the society we live ... but it remains a fascinating mystery of life.

Sometimes we experience it too late as a problem to be solved ... but to create an awareness of it ... is to foster real understanding of the self. I think this is one dove you'll want to follow ... forget the rabbit.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Dayran! This really means a lot.

-CW

[Stephanie M]

You sure had me fooled. I thought Mr. Wagner was some kind of pervert. I never would have guessed that he was a ghost. Nice twist.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Stephanie! He'll play a major roll in the Lost Empire Series! More stories that are connected to this one are on the way soon! Thanks again for reading!

-CW

[Stephanie M]

I look forward to reading them.