The 3rd Book About Absolutely Anything!

Imogen

(Anther story I wrote recently. And by recently I mean I literally submitted this to my teacher almost an hour ago lol. Beware that this may have things which may trigger stuff for readers such as mental illness, suicidal thoughts, etc.)

One of my earliest memories starts with me all alone. It was w a hot summer day, with the bright sun radiating its warm heat, the sky clear and blue; it was the perfect day to go to the park and have fun. Which I wished actually happened. While all the other children were noisily playing, their loud shouts of excitement filling the air, I was sitting by myself on the swings. Most of the paint had already peeled off and it made an unpleasant creak every time I moved, I wasn't quite sure if it was even safe to sit on them but 5-year old me didn't care. All I cared about was how I was sitting by myself with no-one to accompany me, wasting my day away with each passing second.

This feeling wasn't new to me, loneliness and isolation was something I lived with everyday, yet I couldn't get rid of the lingering itch that begged and pleaded and clawed into my skin for someone, anyone, to save me from this solitude. Hours went by, people came and left, busy with their daily tasks, not one of them stopping to sit on the empty swing next to me. Just as the sun was setting down, a mix of orange and red filling the evening sky, I decided had to go home before it go too dark.

The park was empty by then. Or so I thought. As I slowly got up, the swing making a creaking sound in the process, I saw a girl with a purple bow, tied to the back of her short, blonde hair. This girl was on the other side, sitting on the edge of the sandpit, some sand stuck on the back of her blue dress. Her knees were brought up to her chin, but I couldn't see her face.

She must be lonely too.

A nagging feeling within me told me to talk to her. I ignored this feeling, telling myself that she was probably waiting for her parents, other friends, anyone, any excuse which told me that I was making the correct decision. With one more glimpse of the girl, I walked back home, thinking I would never see her again.

Until I did see her.

After that event, I started to see the same girl with the purple bow more often. At first it was only on every so occasion, at parks, grocery stores, on my walks home. I assumed it was just coincidence, but the older I got, the more I began to see her in my everyday life. Whenever I felt alone, her presence was always there. She even went to my school, even though I had no prior knowledge that she did. Each time that I saw her, I felt like I needed to talk to her. I didn't know why I had this feeling, but I always ignored it, always made up the same excuse that she probably has other friends she'd much rather talk to.

---

I was in the girl's school bathroom, sitting in the corner next to the sink. The walls were filled with colourful graffiti, and the floors were covered with wet tissues no one had bothered to pick up. The light flickered every so often, but I couldn't care less about the quality of bathrooms in this school. My eyes were blurry as hot tears streamed down my cheeks. I let my hair cascade down my face like the disgusting grimy mess it was, and buried my face into my knees. The only thing which could be heard was the sound of my sickening sobbing.

I soon heard footsteps, as they became louder and louder, coming closer to the entrance. I immediately got up. I went to the sink to wash my face, ridding of any evidence that I had been crying and put on a smile. When the person came in, I didn't dare look at them, scared that my cheery demeanor would fade. I continued to 'wash' my hands, keeping my head down. The person sauntered over to the tap next to me and began to wash her hands. Allowing my eyes to look at her from the side for a few seconds, I almost jumped at the recognition. The person who came into the bathroom was the same girl who had always appeared whenever I felt alone, the girl with purple bow, she was here.