Lost Fic: "Let's Be Friends" (PG, Cassidy, Clementine, Ghost!Boone)
Title: Let's Be Friends
Characters: Cassidy, Clementine, implied Ghost!Boone
Rating: PG for implied death; some mild creepy
Length: 610 words
Notes: I realize most people might view it as an exercise in futility by this point, but I've decided to at least make the attempt to catch up on the Luau prompts I missed. So for Queen halfdutch, here's some Cassidy with a mild chaser of Ghost!Boone.
Summary: "And would your 'friend' like a cookie, too?"
It started when Clemmie was about four. At first Cassidy didn’t even notice: as a toddler, she was prone to so much babbling and conversations with inanimate objects that nothing stood out right away. It took her a couple of months to realize that a lot of the chatter sounded like part of an actual conversation, and that it wasn’t directed at one of her teddies or dolls.
Cassidy thought it was cute. A lot of little kids had imaginary friends, after all. What could be wrong with that?
“Can I have a cookie, Mama?”
“Of course, sweetie.” She bent forward with her hands on her knees as she smiled, trying not to let her amusement show or else her girl might think she was teasing her. “And would your friend like one too?”
Clemmie looked up and to her right, at about where the head of an invisible adult would be. Then she turned back with solemnity on her chubby face.
“He says ‘no thank you’.”
When Clemmie started preschool, her friend went with her. Cassidy thought nothing of it, as long as she was playing with other real children as well. But about a month into the program the teacher called her in with some concerns of her own.
“Now, I’m not saying that there’s a clear problem with Clementine. As you said yourself, imaginary friends are common in any child with a healthy imagination of her age. But there are some features about this particular ‘friend’ that might be…a bit of a red flag.”
She tried not to gape in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Most imaginary friends tend to be of a similar age to the child imagining them, like the way a real friend would be,” the teacher explained. “The fact that Clementine’s is an adult, particularly a male one…a lot of experts would theorize she might be trying to create some sort of father surrogate.” She smiled apologetically: “To make up for a lack in her real life.”
Cassidy felt a little leaden twist in her stomach. “Oh.”
Before that she’d never had much interest in the details of Clemmie’s “friend”. But that night she sat her down and asked the question she dreaded hearing the answer to.
“Sweetheart,” she asked gently, “is Mr. Boone supposed to be your daddy?”
“Of course not, Mama.” The incredulous look on Clemmie’s face could be best described as the little girl equivalent of an eyeroll. Cassidy tried not to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Oh. Alright.”
“He is a friend of Daddy’s though.”
Her heart sank again. “He is?”
“Uh huh.” Clemmie fiddled with her doll, evidently not seeing what she was saying of being of much importance. “He says he knows him from the plane.”
“Did…did you say ‘the plane’?” Her emotions quickly reversed themselves. She gently took Clemmie’s chin in her hand to make her look at her. “Clemmie. I never told you about the plane.”
“Of course you didn’t, Mama. Mr. Boone did.”
She pointed at where her imaginary friend was supposed to be standing in the corner of the room.
“He says they weren’t real good friends, but he came to watch over me for Daddy. Because he can’t do it himself. Because he’s still with the plane.”
The flight manifest of Oceanic 815 was a matter of public record. It would be easy to get her hands on a copy, to look it up and see if there really was anyone named Boone aboard the fateful flight. Just for the sake of doing it. Just out of curiosity.
But Cassidy never dared. Some things, she thought, one was better off not knowing.
Characters: Cassidy, Clementine, implied Ghost!Boone
Rating: PG for implied death; some mild creepy
Length: 610 words
Notes: I realize most people might view it as an exercise in futility by this point, but I've decided to at least make the attempt to catch up on the Luau prompts I missed. So for Queen halfdutch, here's some Cassidy with a mild chaser of Ghost!Boone.
Summary: "And would your 'friend' like a cookie, too?"
It started when Clemmie was about four. At first Cassidy didn’t even notice: as a toddler, she was prone to so much babbling and conversations with inanimate objects that nothing stood out right away. It took her a couple of months to realize that a lot of the chatter sounded like part of an actual conversation, and that it wasn’t directed at one of her teddies or dolls.
Cassidy thought it was cute. A lot of little kids had imaginary friends, after all. What could be wrong with that?
“Can I have a cookie, Mama?”
“Of course, sweetie.” She bent forward with her hands on her knees as she smiled, trying not to let her amusement show or else her girl might think she was teasing her. “And would your friend like one too?”
Clemmie looked up and to her right, at about where the head of an invisible adult would be. Then she turned back with solemnity on her chubby face.
“He says ‘no thank you’.”
When Clemmie started preschool, her friend went with her. Cassidy thought nothing of it, as long as she was playing with other real children as well. But about a month into the program the teacher called her in with some concerns of her own.
“Now, I’m not saying that there’s a clear problem with Clementine. As you said yourself, imaginary friends are common in any child with a healthy imagination of her age. But there are some features about this particular ‘friend’ that might be…a bit of a red flag.”
She tried not to gape in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Most imaginary friends tend to be of a similar age to the child imagining them, like the way a real friend would be,” the teacher explained. “The fact that Clementine’s is an adult, particularly a male one…a lot of experts would theorize she might be trying to create some sort of father surrogate.” She smiled apologetically: “To make up for a lack in her real life.”
Cassidy felt a little leaden twist in her stomach. “Oh.”
Before that she’d never had much interest in the details of Clemmie’s “friend”. But that night she sat her down and asked the question she dreaded hearing the answer to.
“Sweetheart,” she asked gently, “is Mr. Boone supposed to be your daddy?”
“Of course not, Mama.” The incredulous look on Clemmie’s face could be best described as the little girl equivalent of an eyeroll. Cassidy tried not to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Oh. Alright.”
“He is a friend of Daddy’s though.”
Her heart sank again. “He is?”
“Uh huh.” Clemmie fiddled with her doll, evidently not seeing what she was saying of being of much importance. “He says he knows him from the plane.”
“Did…did you say ‘the plane’?” Her emotions quickly reversed themselves. She gently took Clemmie’s chin in her hand to make her look at her. “Clemmie. I never told you about the plane.”
“Of course you didn’t, Mama. Mr. Boone did.”
She pointed at where her imaginary friend was supposed to be standing in the corner of the room.
“He says they weren’t real good friends, but he came to watch over me for Daddy. Because he can’t do it himself. Because he’s still with the plane.”
The flight manifest of Oceanic 815 was a matter of public record. It would be easy to get her hands on a copy, to look it up and see if there really was anyone named Boone aboard the fateful flight. Just for the sake of doing it. Just out of curiosity.
But Cassidy never dared. Some things, she thought, one was better off not knowing.