Harry

Harry
    by Rosemary Timperley

Such ordinary things make me afraid.Sunshine.White roses.Children with red hair.And the name- Harry.Such an ordinary name!
Yet the first time Christine mentioned the name, I felt a premonition of fear
She was five years old, due to start school in three months' time.It was a beautiful, hot day and she was playing alone in the garden as she often did.The sun shone on her pale red hair.Her big blue eyes were wide with concentration.Suddenly she looked towards the bush of white roses and smiled.
"Yes, I'm Christine,"she said.She got up and walked towards the bush."With my mummy and daddy,"she said clearly.Then, after a pause, "Oh, but they are my mummy and daddy."
Uneasy, without quite knowing why, I called her:"Chris, what are you doing?Come indoors now.It's too hot for you there."
She said, "I must go in now.Goodbye," then walked slowly towards the house.
"Chris, who were you talking to?"
"Harry," she said.
"Who's Harry?"
"Harry."
 I couldn't get anything else out of her.When Jim, my husband, came home I told him about the mysterious Harry.He laughed.
"It's not so unusual for only children to have an imaginary friend.Chris has never been keen on her dolls.She hasn't got any brothers and sisters, and she hasn't got any friends yet of her own age.So she imagines someone.Don't worry about it."
"It;s just that i feel extra responsible for her.More so than if I were her real mother."
"I know.But it's all right.Chris is fine."
I felt consoled.Until next morning.
Christine was sitting on the grass, starting towards the rose bush, smiling.
"Hello," she said."I hope you'd come.I'm going to school soon.Do you go to school?"
She was silent for a while, nodding, listening, absorbed.I called her in, slightly earlier than usual, for her mid-morning milk.
"Who is Harry, darling?"
"Harry's my brother.He's got red hair.Redder than mine.He's fourteen but he's as tall as you,Mummy."
"But Chris, you haven't got a brother."
"Harry's my brother.He says so."
Another week passed.It was Harry, Harry all the time.The day before she was to start school, Chris said, "I won't go to school without Harry.I want to be with Harry."
"Chris, stop this nonsense.Go to school, please."
She began to weep, loudly and painfully."Harry will go away if i do."
"You'll have other friend."
Chris and I didn't speak as i took her to school.I felt a sense of loss at parting with her but I reassured myself that every mother must feel that in the first day of school.