Imaginary Friend - Stephen Chbosky Page 0,101

at the title page again.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

The phrase that was underlined was…She

Christopher turned the pages until he found the next underline. He saw the word was…thinks

The temperature rose. Christopher could feel a presence in the room. He looked back to see if anyone was watching him. But no one was there. Christopher quietly turned back to the book and flipped pages until he found the next underlines.

The first two underlines were…She thinks

The next two underlines were…you are

And the next…reading

And the next two…right now.

And the next…Do not

And the next…write this down

And the next…or she

And the next…will know,

And a series of letters…C-h-r-i-s-t-o-p-h-e-r.

Christopher got silent. And still. He knew the hissing lady was watching him right now from the imaginary side. So, Christopher did his best imitation of reading a book as he flipped through the pages and read nothing but David Olson’s underlines. This is what it said.

She thinks you are reading right now. Do not write this down or she will know, Christopher. She is watching you right now. She is always listening. You can never speak your plans out loud, or she will kill your mother. Do not contact my big brother Ambrose. She will kill him instantly if she finds out I’m helping you.

Christopher kept turning the pages at lightning speed.

I know you have questions, but we cannot speak directly, or she will know that I have turned on her. I’m sorry that I scare you in nightmares, but I have to prove my loyalty. I will leave you clues when I can, but if we are going to defeat her, you must rescue HIM. He is the only person who can help us. I called him the soldier. You call him the nice man. He was put here to fight the hissing lady. Without him, your world is doomed.

Christopher thought about the nice man. The soldier.

When you see him, tell him that the hissing lady has found the way. It’s already started. You have seen some of it. You haven’t seen other things. But it’s spreading beyond the woods. Beyond the town. She is only getting stronger without him to check her power. And when the time is right, she will shatter the mirror between the imaginary world and yours. And there will be only one world left standing. She doesn’t know that I know, but I can tell you the exact moment WHEN everything will be revealed.

Death is coming.

Death is here.

You’ll die on C-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s Day.

The words flew through Christopher’s mind. He looked up at the calendar. Tuesday, December 17. He went back to the book.

The soldier is our last chance. If we can get him out of the imaginary world and back to the real one, then he can stop her. But if we can’t, all is lost. I will do what I can to help you, but you must rescue him alone. She keeps him chained in my house. Go in during the day. Be absolutely silent. She will test to see if you are there. DO NOT FAIL THAT TEST. If she catches you, she will never let you out of the imaginary world again.

Christopher, I have been here for 50 years. I don’t want you to be trapped like I was. So, please be careful. And if you do find a way to get HIM out of here, PLEASE TAKE ME WITH YOU.

Your friend,

David Olson

Christopher turned the pages and reached the end of the book. There were no more underlines. No more words. Christopher returned the book to its shelf and casually left the library. Then, he went to his locker, grabbed his coat, and slipped into the “long shot” bathroom on the first floor. There was an open window the fifth graders used to skip school. He didn’t know if he had heard that or simply read it in someone’s mind. All he knew for sure was no one would see him leave, and he could make it back before the final bell. After all, it was only a two-hour walk to the tree.

Then, another ten minutes to David Olson’s house.

Chapter 48

The house was smaller than he remembered it.

Ambrose had not been back since he moved to Shady Pines, but when he woke up that morning, something compelled him to go. It was more than a hunch. It was more than grief. He simply knew he had to see the old house before his eyesight was completely gone.

And he had to go today.

He would have left that morning if it hadn’t been