The Traveling Best Friend

Inside a large treehouse, a small girl sat alone, holding dolls and switching between highly exaggerated male and female voices. Occasionally, she would make one of the dolls say something and smile to herself. Every afternoon was the same for the little girl - she would play alone in her treehouse while her father finished up with work and cooked dinner.

But this time, things changed. Unbeknownst to her and her father, a seemingly lost small creature toddled its way into their well-kept backyard. It stopped right at the base of the tree and looked up at the ladder. The little girl's sporadic laughter continued to drift out of the treehouse until her father called from the kitchen.

"Alexis, it's almost time for dinner! Come help me set the table!"

"I'm coming, Daddy!" Alexis carefully laid her dolls on the floor of the treehouse and rushed down the ladder. But something got in the way of her foot as it was headed toward the bottom rung. She turned to look down and stifled a scream when she saw the small creature.

It was about two feet tall and barely came up to her waist. Its skin had a greenish hue and its wide, green eyes took up about half of its face. Instead of running for her father, she bent down on her knees. "Hello," Alexis whispered. "Are you lost?" The only response it provided was a blink of its huge eyes. As she pondered what to do next, her father called again, louder this time. After reassuring him that she was coming, she reached down and picked the creature up. "Let's get you into the treehouse, and I can figure out what to do with you after dinner." With a gentle push, the creature was able to climb the ladder and find its way up into the treehouse.

"Now stay put!" she called, craning her neck upward. The creature seemed to get the message and sat still inside the structure, gazing around in wonder. Alexis turned away from the treehouse with the brightest smile she'd had the entire afternoon.

After dinner, Alexis hoisted herself up into the treehouse to find the creature sitting patiently in the same spot. "Did you not move at all?" she asked, amazed. But, before the creature could provide any semblance of an answer, she shook her head, taking back her last question. "I've decided to keep you! I can bring you food and we can be friends and we'll have so much fun!" She continued on excitedly, and though the creature didn't seem to actually understand what she was saying, her obvious joy was contagious. "And," she continued, "most importantly, I've decided to name you Bo! Is that okay?" Bo just smiled.

"Alright, Bo! My name is Alexis and I'm five years old." She held up her hand with five fingers extended. "And I brought us some tea! Daddy made extra!" Beaming, Alexis reached toward Bo and handed him a steaming cup of tea. He immediately reached over and began to drink it. Alexis stared at him as he drank the entire cup of scalding tea in almost an instant. "How did you do that?" she asked curiously. Bo only responded with a silent grin.

Over the next month, each of them introduced the other to new things. Alexis showed Bo her extensive doll collection, her art projects from school, and twirled around during mini fashion shows to show off her new clothes. In turn, Bo helped her fix the treehouse as it groaned with age and was the first to introduce her to stargazing. Night after night, they would lay on a blanket together looking up at the vast sky spotted with bright stars. They would smile and drink hot tea until her father called her in to go to sleep. Bo would head up the treehouse ladder and Alexis would fall asleep with her thoughts still on her friend outside.

Bo had changed Alexis' afternoon routine, and more importantly, her life. Every day, Alexis had someone to come home to, someone to smile and joke with. She no longer had to pretend to bring dolls to life so she could have something to talk to - she had her own, real, friend who was always right beside her. One afternoon, when she was seven, she looked across at Bo as he downed his cup of scalding tea and said, "You're my best friend Bo. You're my best friend in the whole wide world." Bo's eyes shone brightly and a smile stretched across his face. Alexis wrapped him in a huge bear hug, beaming.