In The Mind Of A Child

Nancy is a normal six-year-old with friends and parents who love her. She doesn’t have any siblings but she doesn’t mind that…or at least, she didn’t mind until she was six. Then...

"Mommy? When do I get a baby sister like Susie?"

Her mom has to catch the glass she nearly drops. "Oh baby, we aren't going to have any more kids. Just you." She pokes Nancy’s nose.

That night Nancy hears a thump under her bed. "Who's there?" No answer. "I'm not scared, you know! I'm the bravest girl in the High Queen’s Court! She made me a knight at recess today! So you can't scare me."

"Oh, a knight, eh?" A voice comes from under Nancy’s bed. "I didn't realize I was in the presence of such greatness." Suddenly a little monster, with wings, three eyes, a long tail, orange fur with purple spots, and hands that seemed to float, flies out from under her bed.

"Eep!" Nancy pulls her blanket up to her nose.

"What's this? I thought you weren't scared." The monster flies close to her face.

"I'm not! You startled me! And Mommy says there is a difference!" Nancy folds her arms, trying to prove a point. "And to prove it, I'm going to call you Bubbles. Because no one is scared of bubbles!" She smirks and waits for him to answer.

"A name? I've never had one of those before." He plops down on the foot of her bed.

"Well, if you promise to be nice to me, you can stay and maybe you can be my friend. But Susie is my best friend. So don't try to take her place!" With a sharp nod, Nancy curls up under her blanket and falls asleep.

The next morning, Nancy tries to tell her mother all about Bubbles, the monster under her bed. But her mother responds with a simple “That's nice, dear” and comments on her active imagination. When Nancy tells her friends at school about him, some laugh and others tell her it sounds cool. So, she decides to keep Bubbles a secret.

A few years go by and Nancy is nine, getting ready to go to summer camp for the first time. "Bubbles, are you sure you can't come with me?"

"Nope, I belong in your room. Besides, you'll have fun with your new friends. And isn't Susie in your cabin?" Bubbles sits on her bed, waiting for her to be done packing so he can move to his favourite spot on her shoulder.

"Yep! Or at least, that's the plan! Our moms marked us down as cabin buddies!" Nancy closes her bag. "Okay! I'm ready!" She flops down on her bed, and Bubbles curls up on her shoulder. "I'm going to have fun this week, right?"

"Of course you are! Camp is so much fun! There is candy and swimming, staying up late and meeting new friends. You'll be sad to leave, trust me." Bubbles smiles and does a flip in the air, causing Nancy to giggle.

"Okay, okay, I'll have fun and I'll come back and tell you all about it!" Nancy catches Bubbles as he flies back toward her.

More years go by and now Nancy is twelve years old - somewhere between a kid and a teen. One day after school, her mom sits her down to talk. "Nancy, your father and I have news."

"Okay, what's up?” She notices her parents aren't smiling. This has to be bad news, she thought.

"I got a new job,” her father starts. “It's in a different city.”

"Wait, a different city? Do I have to leave my friends? This isn't fair!” Nancy starts shouting.

"Wait, Nancy! You and I won't leave till school is out, and you'll still get to go to your summer camp. Then you'll start at a new school in the fall." Her mother smiles at her.

Nancy doesn’t care. She doesn’t want to move. She gets up and runs to her room, burying herself in blankets and hiding her face in the pillows. She can’t stop herself from crying. Suddenly, something lands on her shoulder.

"Hey kid, what happened?" As Nancy slowly sits up, Bubbles plops down beside her and lets her pet him.

"I'm moving, Bubbles. Away from my friends, my school, everything." She can't look at him. She stops petting him and picks at her blanket.

"Not right away, right?" Bubbles sits his hand on hers.

"No, I have till the end of the school year." Nancy still looks away.

"Well, alright then. You and Susie can create a school bucket list and see how many things you can get done before the end of the year." Nancy smiles a bit, but Bubbles knows Nancy too well, "Come on kid, what else is it?"

"Will you come with me? You never come to camp; can you leave this house?" She finally looks at him.

"Oh kid… of course, I'll come with you. I'm your monster. I belong in your room, wherever that is." Bubbles floats up and flips, and Nancy holds out her hands. He lands perfectly, she brings him close to her face, and they share a little hug. "And this time when I pop out from under your bed, I won't scare you." He winks.

"Hey, I wasn't scared, I was startled!" Nancy strikes that same sassy pose that she did all those years ago, then sighs. "Alright, I should go and apologize to Mom and Dad."

The school year goes by too fast for Nancy. Soon she and Bubbles are packing up her room and saying goodbye to the space. Nancy cries more than she thought she would.

But they move. Her new room is bigger. Bubbles likes having more space to fly around. Nancy dares to hope that maybe things in the new city will be okay.

However, Nancy decides that starting a new school at thirteen is the worst. The kids are mean, and she has no friends. She misses Susie.

"Come on kid, it can't be that bad," Bubbles says after a few months of listening to her complain.

"Bubbles, it's been months and no one likes me! I hate it here." Nancy paces around her room.

"Maybe you should join the school play or one of the sports teams and make friends that way,” Bubbles suggests. “If nothing else, it would give you something to do." Bubbles sits on her shoulder, getting her to stop pacing.

"I mean… I guess I could give it a try. Thanks, Bubbles."

Nancy does join the school play and the choir. While she doesn’t find a new best friend, she does get out of her shell. She finds a group of kids to spend time with at school, and that makes the days a bit easier.

Once Nancy gets to high school, she finds her friend group growing, thanks to the much bigger choir and drama club. Even though she feels like she belongs more in her high school, she’s still a teen….

"Bubbles, is something wrong with me?" Nancy asks. Bubbles sits on her shoulder as she tries to read for her assignment.

"What do you mean kid?" He’s been looking over her shoulder reading the book too.

"Well, I'm seventeen and none of the boys in the club or choir seem to like me." She sighs and closes the book.

"What do you mean? Didn't a bunch of those kids come over last week for a bonfire?" He flies down and sits on the book.

"Not like that, Bubbles…” She sighs and stares at the ceiling.

"Oh! You mean in the lovey-dovey kinda way!" He laughs.

"It sounds weird when you say it that way." She sighs again.

"Okay kid, come on, stand up." He flies over to her mirror. Nancy reluctantly follows. "What do you see?"

She looks at herself for a moment and speaks quietly. "Someone I don't like. I'm ugly and awkward; no wonder no one likes me." She looks down, feeling defeated.

"You know what I see?" Bubbles gently lifts her chin to look back in the mirror. "I see a girl with big dreams, who has a heart of gold. She has a smile that brightens everyone's day. She has a beauty that goes past the skin…and I wish she saw it too."

Her smile returns. So what if she doesn’t get a boyfriend in high school? She has Bubbles, her closest friend. Nancy catches him in her hand and hugs him. "Thanks, Bubbles."

More years fly by. Nancy is packing the last few odds and ends in her room for college - the box her parents called “the last-minute box.” "I can't believe I leave for college tomorrow, Bubbles! We're going to have so much fun!"

"Hey, kid." Bubbles tries to get her attention.

"It's the next big adventure!" She puts one last item in the box and tapes it shut.

"Kid..."

"I know it could be hard with a roommate and all, but we will make it work - I know it!" She's ignoring him and he can tell.

"Nancy, come on, stop." He lands on the box, not letting her ignore him anymore.

"No..." She fights back tears.

"Nancy, you know I'm not coming with you." Bubbles takes her hand and leads her to the foot of her bed.

"I...I know, but you'll be here when I come home for breaks, right?" She can't look at him.

"I think you already know the answer to that one, kid." He rests in her hand, looking tired now.

"You know…I think when we moved, I knew you weren't real. Then things were so hard, I didn't want to give you up." Nancy gives him a tear-filled smile.

"I know." Bubbles speaks softly.

"And now, it feels like giving you up is letting my childhood die." She didn't even try stop her tears.

"Oh kid, even grown-ups are kids at heart; you just have to learn how to let your child out every once in a while." He gives her a small flip, Nancy giggles, and he plops down in her hand again.

She blinks her tears away. "Alright, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. How do we do this?" She brings him toward her face, sharing one last, long hug.

After a moment Bubbles breaks the silence, moving to ride on her shoulder. "Let's go to the window." Together they walk quietly to the window.

Nancy slowly opens the window, wishing more than anything that she could stop time. "How will I do this without you?" Her voice is tight.

"Aw kid, all my ideas were yours anyway. You're gonna be just fine. I know, just know it." He gives her one last flip off her shoulder. "So long, Bravest Knight of the High Queen. May your bravery serve you well." He flies off into the night sky.

"Goodbye, my friend." Nancy lets herself fall to the floor and cry for a while. She knows she is going to miss him.

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