Today I am blind. Yesterday it was my hearing, but today my sight has left me. They warned me of this a thousand times.

"Leave while you still can." They often prompted me.

"Never Stay with an owner for more than six years." They recited the rules as I walked past them obstinately.

"An imaginary friend's life is that of a nomad." They reminded me.

In the past, I was just like them. When my time was up, I left no matter what. Hopping from kid to kid was my style. It was all of our style. That, however, was before Lisa. I vowed to never leave Lisa, NEVER. In truth, it wasn't even about Lisa. It was about Maggie.

I was Maggie's companion before I was Lisa's. With Maggie, I followed the rules to the letter. She was three when I arrived, just old enough to think of me and feed me with her affection. It was six years to the minute when I left. Nine year old Maggie didn't want me to go. She still believed in me. She shouldn't have.

When I left, Maggie tried to follow. In the middle of the night, she ran from her house and tried to fly off with me. Of course she couldn't. Little girls don't fly. Her parents found her a block away from the house. When they angrily asked what she was doing, Maggie admitted to chasing after a two headed teddy bear with tentacles for arms and strawberries for eyes. As adults, her parents did what society had programmed them to do. They got her therapy.

"Nine is too old for imaginary friends." Maggie was told by multiple therapists.

News of her often reached me through the imaginary friend grapevine. Every time a doctor told her to forget about me, she refused and rebelled. Maggie's life took a left turn after my departure. The joy and friendship I brought her left an unfillable hole once I was gone. I stopped requesting news of her. It got too sad.

There was nothing I could do for Maggie now. Returning to a child after leaving was the worst offense an imaginary friend could make. Instead, I made it my mission to make sure none of my other children ever turned out like Maggie. I would never leave again.

Lisa is not Maggie. I have been with her for ten years and indeed she has begun to forget me. When she forgets a part of me, I physically lose that part. Sometimes she remembers again. That's how I got my hearing back after losing it for a day. But, I haven't had my left tentacle for a year now.

Lisa is a fourteen year old girl. It is to be expected that she would forget me in exchange for real friends. Maybe I could still leave. If I found another child who believed in me wholeheartedly, perhaps I could keep my remaining body parts. I could do that, but to what end? Each child's life I entered was a chance for me to mess up. I made my vow for a reason and I'm sticking to it. When Lisa forgets altogether, I will disappear. It is for the best.

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