Invisible Friends: Have Some?

It's a strange topic, I know, but one that needs something said. Yes, I have some invisible friends. They've been around for, oh, twenty-plus years or longer. When people speak of muses or 'voices' or other sources of inspiration that seem to pop in out of the blue and give us ideas (as writers) or make suggestions that seem to come from no where, we are sometimes hard pressed to give logical or even believable answers to the question: So, where did you get the idea for this story?

My invisible friends have taken on lives of their own. It seems, somewhere back in my dim memory recesses, that they first made an appearance in my life after watching Stephen King's The Shining... remember the one about the Overlook Hotel, starring Jack Nicholson and Olive Oyl? That was one scary movie and the remake did little to duplicate, match or exceed the original movie. Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Jack Torrance was outstandingly horrible. It was one of the scariest movies of all time in my book... not my book, but my opinion actually.

Anyhow, my invisible friends seemed to be along the lines of Tony, the invisible friend who talked to Torrance's son, Danny. They seem to be an amalgamation of Tony and Senor Wences' little face on his hand called Johnny.

My imaginary friends are a very lively crew that like to intervene at very crucial crossroads in my life, generally complicating mundane issues, making mountains out of molehills and bringing undue attention when it's least wanted. At any rate, no matter the trouble they cause or the messes they make, they have been my most steadfast fans and critics through years, never abandoning me through thick and thin and always ready to lend a helping 'hand' whether I need one or not.

They like bawdy songs, dirty jokes and slapstick humor. They off embarrass me and then act as if nothing were amiss at all. They seem to have their fingers in many pies and are never short of cash, though they spend it sparingly and always come up with excuses to disappear when the check arrives. They help themselves to the choices cuts of meat, the best part of the watermelon and like to wear my favorite socks outside without shoes.

All in all, I'd say that they are very much like BFF's everywhere and I don't know what I would do without them. (They also remind me to feed my hamster.)

So, if you have invisible friends, don't be ashamed to admit it. Be proud of being a member of the growing number of lunatics infesting our country at this time.