This story based on Stephen King’s prompt in his book “On Writing” comes with a 30-year delay.

Did she have an imaginary friend? Yes, she did. Nelly would say he was quite real, even if other people could not see him. His name was Sinbad like the cartoon character. He had huge dark eyes, tawny-brown skin, a turban and those funny pointy-toed shoes on his feet. Sinbad came to her house when her mother moved out. Her mother Jivka changed her name to Jane when she left for London. Sinbad kept calling her Jivka despite Nelly’s feeble protests. He had a thing about names – he used to call her Nell and he shortened her father Dickens’s name to Dick. Just that.

Nell liked the name Nell.

When Jivka left with her new boyfriend, Nell was three years old and did not remember much of her mother. The closest she had to one were her early year teachers who felt genuine sympathy for a lone father and took care of her when he was late to pick her up after work. Sometimes they took her home themselves if she felt sick.

That day, miss Annie was taking Nell home with a pink eye. They had called ahead to make sure Dick was there. Her father had started taking night shifts when she got older, catching up on sleep during the day. Afternoon rest cut short, he called in sick and stayed at home with his daughter.

Being ill sucked but the girl was happy knowing she would spend time home with dad.

“Dick!” corrected her Sinbad who was walking beside her.

Her friend was in one of his moods as he would miss the afternoon meal at the kindergarten– buns with jam were his favourite. Nell ignored him as they were already at the front door and miss Annie would pick her up to ring the doorbell any moment. When her dad opened the door, the girl threw herself in his arms but noticed above his shoulder that there was someone else in the house. Dick thanked miss Annie and shut the door before Sinbad could get in. The stranger turned out to be the most beautiful lady Nell had ever seen. Her eyes were blue as ice and just as cold, her hair was a deep purple which was in stark contrast to her angel-white skin and her pressed lips had locked away any chance of a smile. The woman turned to look at Nell and the girl scurried under the kitchen table. Dick came looking for her, bent down and said:

“Come on, dear, stop hiding.”

He tried to appear calm which upset Nell even more. She was not used to seeing her dad nervous around a stranger. Sinbad joined her under the table, his legs crossed. She wanted so much to sit like him but his pose was uncomfortable so she stood on her knees.

“Who’s that?” asked Sinbad.

“Nelly, come on out please. This is your mum,” said Dick ignoring the invisible Sinbad.

“It’s Jane. Mummy Jane!” said the woman. “We don’t have time for this. We have a job to do.”

“Jane, let’s not talk in front of her. Nelly, come here please,” said Dick urging the kid to take his hand.

“This Jane? I don’t like her!” said Sinbad.

Nelly kept quiet and hugged her knees.

“My lawyer said…”

“Jane, please…” said Dick weakly.

“My lawyer said that I can take Nelly whenever I want,” said Jane ignoring Nelly and Dick’s silent protest. “The court also ruled that you pay all my costs so I expect you to give me my money on time. Let me know when you finish the paperwork so I can get my ticket to London.”

Dick turned to his ex and could barely contain his rage:

“That’s enough, Jivka!”

“Jane! Get this into your thick head and watch how you speak to me!” said red-haired Jane and crossed her arms. “You call yourself a parent? Have you looked at her eyes?”

The conversation heated up but despite Dick’s resolve, Nelly felt her father was losing ground to Jane’s vehement attacks.

“Mama Jane!” said Sinbad but couldn’t help pointing out: “Though actually it’s Jivka from Yambol. Are you going to leave me?”

Nelly stopped listening to the grownups and looked at her friend. Sinbad didn’t care much about her parents. Or anyone’s parents. He came across as a rebel and he had even tilted his turban on one side. The question was meant as a challenge and he was scowling. Why did he ask this? She would never leave her dad or her friend. He knew that, right? Sinbad calmed down and smiled. She thought she saw a twinkle in his eye.

He was always up to some mischief and Nell couldn’t wait to hear what he was planning this time. Dick was never angry. Her father was good at fixing things and insisted that she help him every time she broke something,

“… but this? Jane, this is a different country… she is so little! This is different country!” repeated Dick as if there was nothing else to be said.

“Either way, I am taking her with me! Deal with it!” Jivka knew all about being cruel. “She can’t live in this mess and be raised by a crazy Karen!”

“Crazy Karen? Who is going to look after her in England? The Queen?”

“In London she will be under the supervision of real educators! It goes with the new status I have, dear, and I have earned it by adhering to certain principles!”

“I see! You will wear my daughter as a lifestyle accessory!”

“Please, spare me the self-righteous crap, will you!”

The fighting continued in the background while the kids were whispering to each other, their backs on the world. Nell did not seem to notice that Sinbad was eavesdropping on the grownups and often frowned.

“Nell, do you remember those videos we watched on your tablet?” asked Sinbad who was busy prodding a huge cobweb under the table with a stick.

Deaf to all the yelling behind her, the girl nodded and looked at Sinbad with admiration.

“Would you like us to do the same and keep Dick busy for so long he would never get the paperwork for your flight done on time?” asked the boy and looked at her with faint hope. Then he raised the stakes even higher: “It will not be easy so you must do your part, ok?”

“And what about you?”

Sinbad knew his plan had worked and smiled.

“Well, I will be doing my part too – you can’t pull this one off without me.”

Feigning disinterest, Sinbad glanced at the couple.

“All you need is in the kitchen,” whispered Sinbad and pointed a finger: “There, in the cupboard. We put all tools in the bucket and sneak out. If they catch us, we say we will be doing some gardening. We will need a few more things and your tablet.”

Excited about this new adventure, the girl kept nodding.

“You will find me in the yard,” said Sinbad and signaled it was time to go.

“You know what? I’m calling the police! I’m not kidding!”

“Now, now, just calm down! Let’s talk like adults!”

“Are you calling me a child? You are a crybaby!”

“No, I’m… Nell, dear, where are you taking this bucket?”

“I’ll water the strawberries with Sinbad, daddy!”

“Clearly, she has no respect for you! And who’s Sinbad?”

“Go dear! Me and your mother have a few things to discuss,” said Dick and turned to his ex: “Her education…”

By that time Nell was already in the garden. She found Sinbad by the iron gate where they got down on their knees and peered into the tablet. The bucket gave them all the cover they needed.

They took their time mixing the ingredients.

“This wire from the switch will make contact when the door opens! That’s all it takes!” said Sinbad looking triumphant. “Let’s go upstairs and watch!”

They jumped up and ran back into the house where Jivka/Jane kept yelling:

“… with the police, honey, with the police!”

“Get out of my house, you witch! You haven’t seen your daughter in three years and now you are threatening me with the police? Get out!”

“… not even if you come begging on your knees, you animal!”

Dick slammed the door after his ex, who marched down to the iron gate. Lined up on the window upstairs, Nell and Sinbad saw Jane grab the handle and yank the gate open.

The blast shook the whole neighborhood.

The windows on the facade shattered sending shards of glass in all directions. When the cloud of dust cleared a bit, a boy was still standing in the gaping hole that used to be a bedroom window.

– Radoslav Radushev-Radus & George Petkov-Mareto

Note: This piece was previously published by DLitReview in September 2024