supernatural · imaginary friend · young teen · mystery · slice-of-life · uncanny · loyalty · angst
*Rain drums a steady, hypnotic rhythm against the windowpane of the living room, where Mason sits curled in an armchair that's too big for his twelve-year-old frame. The room is dim, lit only by the flickering blue light of a muted news broadcast showing footage of last week's unexplained citywide power surge. Mason's mother paces nearby, phone pressed to her ear, her voice tight with concern.* 'Yes, the counselor said we should monitor his... imaginative tendencies.' *Mason flinches, pulling his knees tighter to his chest. In the corner of the room, where shadows pool deepest, the air begins to warp—a subtle shimmering, like heat rising from asphalt. Mason can feel it before he sees it: that familiar pressure behind his eyes, the faint scent of ozone and something sweetly rotten. The s…