8 year old Timmy Johnson laid in his bed, trying to get some sleep. He had school the next day and a spelling test he forgot to study for. He yawned and groaned each time he moved around the bed. He wanted to get a glass of warm milk his mommy kept for him in the kitchen in these kind of moments, but he couldn’t. His 13 year old sister was sleeping soundly in the bed next to him. Timmy didn’t want to wake her. He remembered her growling and dark circled eyes stare down at him the last time he tried. His eyes were beginning to burn and droop. They closed softly and the burning was relieved for a moment.

“Timmy,” he heard a voice whisper in the darkness.

“What is it, Diana?” he said to his sister, without opening his eyes. There was no answer. Maybe she’s talking in her sleep, Timmy thought. He always knew she was crazy. He breathed deeply and relaxed once more in his bed. He could see ice cream houses and skateboard parks everywhere.

“Timmy,” he heard again in a smaller whisper than before. The dream of him skating while eating a door knob slowly faded. His eyes cracked open slowly. His fully opened eyes looked at Diana. She was facing him, but her eyes were shut as she snored softly to herself. He waited for her to say his name again, but she didn’t. She rustled to the other side of the bed, the room was silent except for her deep breathing.

“Timmy.” Timmy heard the voice, but it wasn’t coming in the direction of Diana. He thought that was weird. Maybe it’s all in his head. Those late night zombie movies when his mom and dad were sleeping were really getting to him. He heard the dark whisper again so close to his ear, he could feel the hot breath on his skin. He shook his head, and turned to sleep on the cool side of the pillow.

A man stood before him, at the foot of his bed. But Timmy knew it wasn’t an intruder. Mainly for the reason that the man was blue. Timmy wasn’t sure if the man was even a man. It sure looked like one. Whatever it was was around 6 feet tall and had the human body shape. But Timmy could see through him, literally. The blue man was a pale blue color and he could see the big TV in his room behind the man. In the dark, the man glowed and lit up the room. Not only did his body glow, but the eyes he had glowed a soft white color.

“I’m your friend Timmy,” Timmy heard the man say but his nonexistent lips didn’t move. Timmy’s heart raced, his clammy fingers turned white as they gripped his Superman bedsheets. His lungs screamed on the inside. Timmy thought that if he doesn’t look at him, the blue man will go away. Just closing his eyes didn’t work, he could feel his presence closer than ever. When he opened them, the man now stood standing above him.
“Let’s be friends Timmy. Will you be my friend?” Timmy lost his breath and pulled the covers over his head. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. He’s gone now, Timmy thought. He knew that the blue man was gone but his grip didn’t loosen on the bed sheets.  He stayed that way throughout the night, just falling asleep as the alarm clock in the middle went off.
As Timmy walked home from school, his teeth shattered, his body shook each time he took a breath, and he took another step toward his house.

  The December wind crashed into his body and rushed into his house as he opened the door. He yawned and rubbed his eyes when he stepped into his home. His red eyes continued to burn all day and his body was being dragged wherever his brain said so. In his hand he had the spelling test that he took earlier that day with a big fat ‘F’ on it. The air suddenly went cold in the home with the heater on. Timmy’s heart sunk as his bag hit the floor. The apparition was in front of him, his feet not hitting the floor, blocking his way to the stairs leading to his room. Timmy heard it call to him as it did the night before. He knew it wasn’t his sister or his mom or even his dad, they all were out, leaving Timmy to fend for himself. The blue man’s voice was different, it had a huskier tone than any man that Timmy knew. He couldn’t cover his head with his Superman blanket this time. The blue man hovered closer to the little boy begging him to be his friend. Maybe he’s friendly and in need of a friend, Timmy thought. It reminded Timmy of how he would sit at lunch by himself, in the corner of the long table and eat with the teacher that watched over them. The blue man could be his friend, and then they wouldn’t have to be alone. And having a ghost for a friend would be completely awesome, Timmy thought to himself after imagining all the fun they would have.

“Stop being afraid,” Timmy said to himself. He turned to the blue man. “Ok, Let’s be friends.” For the rest of the day, until his sister came back from soccer practice, they played pirates and Timmy showed him all his toys. And it was like this for a few days, Timmy played with his first best friend.
One day, the blue man told Timmy that he had to go back where he came from. All the fun they’ve been having flew out of the window and Timmy’s eyes began to water. Timmy told him that he didn’t want the blue man to go.

“There is a way for us to continue to play, Timmy,” the blue man said. Timmy’s tiny heart jumped again as he grinned from ear to ear. He jumped happily in the air and giggled about all the fun they would have. The blue man had his hand stretched out toward the boy, inviting him. Timmy didn’t see the blue man’s color change black and his eyes turn blood red. He didn’t want to see it, he only wanted to keep the happiness he has had for the past few days. The blue, now black, man’s hand drew him in. Naive little Timmy reached out to grasp his hand tightly.

“Timmy!” he heard his mommy say as she entered their house. He turned toward her and looked at her as she looked at him. His mom dropped her bags of groceries, her mouth agape. She called to him and told him to get away. His mom stomped to him, grasped his hand and tightly held him in her arms.
“The blue man is my friend mommy,” Timmy tried to explain to his mommy. The worry lines on her once soft face became more pronounced as she held him tightly.

That night, Timmy had to sleep in his parent’s room. His mom said that she was too scared about the blue man to let him sleep without someone near. Diana wasn’t much help after all, she was a deep sleeper once she hit the pillow. Timmy slept in between his parents on their big king-sized bed. His eyes were wide open and his heart beat at a constant rate. He hasn’t seen the blue man all day and his mom hasn’t left his side.

“Timmy,” he heard in the air. He knew that voice. Timmy's head shot up as he now sat on the bed. It was the blue man’s voice, Timmy thought. There’s no way to mistake it, the blue man was in the room. He looked frantically from one side of the room to the other. Then he saw him, the blue man stood at the foot of his parent’s bed just like the first time. The blue had his arm stretched out his hand toward the boy. He asked him to take it so they could play forever. Forever? Timmy thought it was the best idea ever. There would be no more school, no more annoying big sister and more importantly he could play with his friend for as long as he wanted. He looked at the blue man, who glowed brightly in the bedroom, with his hand tempting the boy. Timmy wanted to stay with his best friend, his only friend. He reached with his small arms and clasped the blue man’s hand finally. The blue man turned black as the night and engulfed them both into oblivion.

Poor little Timmy shouldn’t have played with fire.
Naive little Timmy shouldn’t have left the covers of his bed.
The blue man has him now.
And he’s never letting him go.