The Quiet Friend

Jake slowly walked along the sidewalk on his way to Midge's house. He stopped at Booker-T's house when he saw Booker-T running around his house and coming to the gate.

"Hi there Jake," greeted Booker-T.

"Hey there Booker-T," smiled Jake. "Are you coming to Midge's house with me?"

"Sure," said Booker-T. "Lets go."

The two walked to Midge's house and entered the front yard through the gate. They walked to the front porch where they found Midge sitting there talking to someone..

"Hi Midge," greeted Jake. as he looked around the front yard. "Who are you talking to? I don't see anyone here."

"Are you talking to yourself again?" asked Booker-T.

"Oh no," said Midge shaking her head.

"But I don't see anyone," said Jake.

"I'm talking to Mary," said Midge.

"Who is Mary?" asked Booker-T. "Is she an invisible friend like the human kids talk to?"

"No," said Midge. "She sits and listens to me talk and sometimes I sing to her."

"Where is she?' asked Jake.

"She is here with us," said Midge. "She is listening to us talk."

"Why don't I see her?" asked Booker-T. "Is she hiding. Are you two playing hide and seek?"

"No," said Midge. "She is here and she can see all of us."

"But we can't see her," said Jake. "Why?"

"Because you aren't looking," laughed Midge. "She is sitting right in front of you."

"No one is sitting in front of me," said Jake. "And I don't see anyone sitting in front of Booker-T or you."

"She's not a ghost," said Midge. "She is in plain sight."

"Where?" asked Booker-T. "Can I talk to her?"

"Sure, if you want to," said Midge. "She likes to have someone talk to her."

"Is she a dog or a cat?" asked Jake.

"No," said Midge. "She is like a human."

"I don't see any humans here," said Booker-T. "All I see is you, Jake and me and that doll sitting in that chair."

"That's Mary," smiled Midge.

"A doll?" asked Jake. "You are talking to a doll?"

"Sure," said Midge. "I hear my owners niece talking to her doll all the time."

"Where did you get a doll?" asked Jake.

"She belongs to my owner's niece," said Midge. "She listens to everything I tell her and she is really good at keeping secrets. You can tell her anything and she won't tell anyone."

"I don't think she tells anyone," said Booker-T. "Because she can't talk. Maybe she don't know what you are saying to her."

"But the little girl talks to her all the time and she laughs," said Midge. We don't know if she can hear or not. Maybe she hears everything we are saying."

"She is like an imaginary friend," said Jake. "My owners little nephew likes to play with these plastic cowboys and horses and he talks to them all the time."

"Do they talk back to him?" asked Booker-T.

"No," said Jake. "But he always asks them questions and then he answers the questions."

"He talks for the plastic cowboys?" asked Midge.

"He does," said Jake. "He even makes the sound of a horse when he puts the plastic cowboys on top of them."

"Wow," said Booker-T. "That sounds like fun."

"See guys," said Midge. "It's more fun to be a human. I want to be a human so I can do what they do."

"But we are dogs and Booker-T is just a cat," said Jake.

"I'm not just a cat," said Booker-T. "I'm a small black and orange tiger cat. I'm like a big tiger only smaller."

"We are all good," said Midge. "But wouldn't you like to be a human for a day?"

"I don't know," said Jake. "We can do things that humans can't do."

"Like what?" asked Booker-T.

"Well," said Jake. "You climb trees."

"I see little humans climbing trees too," said Booker-T.

"We can bark and meow," said Midge.

"But the little humans do it too," said Jake. "I hear them but they aren't as good as we are."

"That's right," said Booker-T. "They can't bark and meow as good as we do."

"They are really funny when they try to bark and meow," said Midge. "I laugh at my owners little niece when she tries to bark at me."

"We do a lot of things that humans can't do," said Jake. "And they do a lot of things that we can't do."

"But some of the things they do are so much fun," sighed Midge. "Like riding a skateboard, riding a horse, riding those good rides at those things called amusement parks."

"But humans have to work when they get bigger," said Jake.

"And the little ones have to go to school," said Booker-T. "I don't want to go to school."

"I don't want to go to school either," said Jake. "Do you want to go to school Midge?"

"It might be fun going to school," said Midge. "You have all those little humans to play with."

"We have a lot of animals we visit," said Jake. "That's fun."

"Who?" asked Booker-T.

"We always go visit the animals at the little zoo building," said Jake.

"And we go to the farm to see the horses and the cows," said Midge. "That's fun."

"I like my little Mary doll," said Midge. "I will talk to her and tell her my secrets when no one is here."

"Okay Midge," smiled Jake.

"Do you want to go see what animals are in the zoo building today?' asked Booker-T.

"Okay," smiled Midge. "Lets go."