I'll Always Come Back To You
21 year old Mary looked around her room, satisfied that nothing had changed since she’d left for the fall semester at her university. Although she had only been home a few weeks prior for Thanksgiving, she didn’t go a single day without missing her beloved bedroom. From an early age, her parents had noticed her bizarre attachment to the room. She was a healthy, active girl most of the time, but if she didn’t have to leave her room for anything too important she wouldn’t. Especially at night.
Mary always went to bed at a respectable hour with no coaching from her parents. Growing up she hadn’t begged for five more minutes or for a longer curfew to stay out with her friends. She was the perfect child, but it sometimes concerned her parents. Beyond just her good sleeping habits they noticed something else just a little too odd for their comprehension. No matter how old she got, every night she wore the same type of outfit to bed: a long pink shirt and purple leggings.
“I just don’t understand it,” Mrs. Gibbs, Mary’s mother, said as she came into her daughter’s room. Mary had just changed into the familiar outfit and was working on putting her hair up into pigtails - another sort of ritual her parents had taken notice of. “You’re 21 now. Sweetheart, don’t you think you can try to get over this…whatever this is? Are you okay? Do we need to talk to a doctor?”
Mary rolled her eyes a little. She’d been having the same conversation with her mother since she was at least 16. No matter how many times she told her mother how she felt, the woman was convinced that maybe she was obsessive compulsive or denying some childhood fear of sleeping or the dark or something else. “I’ve told you before, mom. It’s just my thing. Aren’t people allowed to have quirks? I’m a good student. I’m not rebellious. I don’t even have a boyfriend. Can’t I do something a little offbeat?”
Her mother sighed. “Mary, I’m just concerned is all. I don’t want you to lie to me if you’re hiding something.”
“Don’t worry, mom,” Mary smiled and hugged her mom. “I’m just fine. Promise.”
“Alright,” Mrs. Gibbs relented. “Goodnight,” she kissed her daughter and left the room, shutting the door behind her. However, as soon as she was gone, the smile fell from Mary’s face. The fact was she was lying, she was hiding something and she certainly wasn’t just fine. He had stopped coming.
It had been more days than could be counted since James P. Sullivan had last opened her closet door. Only, she was keeping count. And every day that went by made her feel less and less like the perfect girl she’d always been exalted as. Her emotions spun out of control and made her feel crazier. Was he real? Was he ever real? What if she was all a trick of her mind? A psychological problem? No, she certainly didn’t believe that. He was definitely real.
But what if he didn’t care anymore? Maybe he’d grown bored of their friendship. Of course, her heart told her that could never be it either. They had been so happy together the last time she’d seen him. Her mind then usually wandered down darker paths. What if he couldn’t come back? What if something had happened to him? She knew Monsters weren’t the same as people. They had longer lifespans. Sulley had assured her of that. But he hadn’t said they were immortal either. She tried to reassure herself that at least Mike would have the decency to come back and tell her. Or was he too afraid? Or was he gone too?
“Get a hold of yourself,” she audibly coaxed herself. She didn’t want to think the worse. Suddenly, she wondered if maybe he had come while she’d been at school. When she was younger, she had come up with a way for them to leave secret notes to one another in case he ever came looking for her and she happened to be away somewhere. Maybe he had responded to the note she’d left before leaving for the semester.
Walking over to her dresser, she opened the second drawer and pulled up the lining. Pulling out a piece of paper, she held her breath and unfolded it. Her heart dropped as she realized nothing new had been written.
Kitty,
I’ve gone off for another semester of university. Do they have colleges in Monstropolis? I’ve never thought to ask. In case they don’t and since I never had a chance to explain them to you, they are places for learning. I’ll be living there for the next few months. I’m sorry if you come and I’m not here. I miss you so much. Sometimes I’m afraid I’ll never get to see you again. So, please, if you do come at least tell me why you’ve been gone for so long.
Love always,
Boo
“Oh, Kitty, where are you?” Mary sighed, trying to hold back a few tears. She took the paper and placed it in a box of other unanswered notes she kept - along with some of the ones from previous visits that he had answered. Closing the lid, she almost felt like one day she would have to close it for good. She couldn’t keep doing this to herself. Her heart told her to keep waiting. Wait forever if you have to. But her brain said otherwise. It looked at things more realistically. She only had one semester of college left. Who knew what changes would come after that? She couldn’t live with her parents forever. And if she moved her closet door to a different place, would it still work?
Looking across the room, she caught sight of herself in her mirror. The same outfit and pigtails as always. If only her parents really knew. She wondered if Sulley had ever even figured it out. She gave a half-smile as she admired the image, not for vanity but because of what the outfit reminded her of. Maybe it wasn’t logical, but she thought - just maybe - as long as she wore that outfit, he’d always know it was her when he opened her door.
“He’ll open it again. He’s just got to.” she said determinedly, trying to convince herself not to lose hope yet. “I love him.” Those words she only dared to whisper when her heart was close to giving up. She wasn’t sure how it had come to be, or even why, because she was often too afraid to think about it. Yet, it was there. Somewhere over the years he had gone from naively sing him as just a big Kitty to understanding and appreciating him for the unique parallel race he was. He was a Monster. A very human Monster. And somewhere along the way, she had fallen in love.
Mary always went to bed at a respectable hour with no coaching from her parents. Growing up she hadn’t begged for five more minutes or for a longer curfew to stay out with her friends. She was the perfect child, but it sometimes concerned her parents. Beyond just her good sleeping habits they noticed something else just a little too odd for their comprehension. No matter how old she got, every night she wore the same type of outfit to bed: a long pink shirt and purple leggings.
“I just don’t understand it,” Mrs. Gibbs, Mary’s mother, said as she came into her daughter’s room. Mary had just changed into the familiar outfit and was working on putting her hair up into pigtails - another sort of ritual her parents had taken notice of. “You’re 21 now. Sweetheart, don’t you think you can try to get over this…whatever this is? Are you okay? Do we need to talk to a doctor?”
Mary rolled her eyes a little. She’d been having the same conversation with her mother since she was at least 16. No matter how many times she told her mother how she felt, the woman was convinced that maybe she was obsessive compulsive or denying some childhood fear of sleeping or the dark or something else. “I’ve told you before, mom. It’s just my thing. Aren’t people allowed to have quirks? I’m a good student. I’m not rebellious. I don’t even have a boyfriend. Can’t I do something a little offbeat?”
Her mother sighed. “Mary, I’m just concerned is all. I don’t want you to lie to me if you’re hiding something.”
“Don’t worry, mom,” Mary smiled and hugged her mom. “I’m just fine. Promise.”
“Alright,” Mrs. Gibbs relented. “Goodnight,” she kissed her daughter and left the room, shutting the door behind her. However, as soon as she was gone, the smile fell from Mary’s face. The fact was she was lying, she was hiding something and she certainly wasn’t just fine. He had stopped coming.
It had been more days than could be counted since James P. Sullivan had last opened her closet door. Only, she was keeping count. And every day that went by made her feel less and less like the perfect girl she’d always been exalted as. Her emotions spun out of control and made her feel crazier. Was he real? Was he ever real? What if she was all a trick of her mind? A psychological problem? No, she certainly didn’t believe that. He was definitely real.
But what if he didn’t care anymore? Maybe he’d grown bored of their friendship. Of course, her heart told her that could never be it either. They had been so happy together the last time she’d seen him. Her mind then usually wandered down darker paths. What if he couldn’t come back? What if something had happened to him? She knew Monsters weren’t the same as people. They had longer lifespans. Sulley had assured her of that. But he hadn’t said they were immortal either. She tried to reassure herself that at least Mike would have the decency to come back and tell her. Or was he too afraid? Or was he gone too?
“Get a hold of yourself,” she audibly coaxed herself. She didn’t want to think the worse. Suddenly, she wondered if maybe he had come while she’d been at school. When she was younger, she had come up with a way for them to leave secret notes to one another in case he ever came looking for her and she happened to be away somewhere. Maybe he had responded to the note she’d left before leaving for the semester.
Walking over to her dresser, she opened the second drawer and pulled up the lining. Pulling out a piece of paper, she held her breath and unfolded it. Her heart dropped as she realized nothing new had been written.
Kitty,
I’ve gone off for another semester of university. Do they have colleges in Monstropolis? I’ve never thought to ask. In case they don’t and since I never had a chance to explain them to you, they are places for learning. I’ll be living there for the next few months. I’m sorry if you come and I’m not here. I miss you so much. Sometimes I’m afraid I’ll never get to see you again. So, please, if you do come at least tell me why you’ve been gone for so long.
Love always,
Boo
“Oh, Kitty, where are you?” Mary sighed, trying to hold back a few tears. She took the paper and placed it in a box of other unanswered notes she kept - along with some of the ones from previous visits that he had answered. Closing the lid, she almost felt like one day she would have to close it for good. She couldn’t keep doing this to herself. Her heart told her to keep waiting. Wait forever if you have to. But her brain said otherwise. It looked at things more realistically. She only had one semester of college left. Who knew what changes would come after that? She couldn’t live with her parents forever. And if she moved her closet door to a different place, would it still work?
Looking across the room, she caught sight of herself in her mirror. The same outfit and pigtails as always. If only her parents really knew. She wondered if Sulley had ever even figured it out. She gave a half-smile as she admired the image, not for vanity but because of what the outfit reminded her of. Maybe it wasn’t logical, but she thought - just maybe - as long as she wore that outfit, he’d always know it was her when he opened her door.
“He’ll open it again. He’s just got to.” she said determinedly, trying to convince herself not to lose hope yet. “I love him.” Those words she only dared to whisper when her heart was close to giving up. She wasn’t sure how it had come to be, or even why, because she was often too afraid to think about it. Yet, it was there. Somewhere over the years he had gone from naively sing him as just a big Kitty to understanding and appreciating him for the unique parallel race he was. He was a Monster. A very human Monster. And somewhere along the way, she had fallen in love.