Imagination Gone Too Far?

Kabili Harrington was a special child. He had a powerful imagination. The other children would make fun of him. It wasn't his fault; he was just like that.

* * *

Kabili H. - 6 years old

"Kabili! Are you listening to me?"

"Mommy! Daniel doesn't like to be interrupted." He directed his attention back to his friend. "Go 'head, Daniel."

Kabili's mother stared a while longer. Finally, she turned and walked into the kitchen. She dialed a number from the home phone and waited. The secretary answered, "Office of Dr. Michael Rubio, PhD, child pyschologist. May I help you?"

* * *

Kabili H. - 10 years old

"Daniel! Help!" Kabili yelled. He giggled as he fell off the side of the couch. "Daniel, save me!" The dragon's gonna eat my head off!" He laughed and they ran to his room.

"Jennifer! Do you see what's happened to our son? Dr. Rubio hasn't lifted a finger to help him." Johnathon Harrington complained.

"John. He said Kabi would grow out of it. Just give it some time. I promise."

"I have! Four years and nothing's changed!"

* * *

Kabili H. - 16 years old

"I hate them, Daniel! They don't understand. Nobody ever understands me," he announced.

"I understand you." Daniel's voice always seemed to calm Kabili since the first day they met. "I always understand you."

"I know. But they don't. Why would they? Even they think I'm crazy. They send me to a doctor and expect me to talk to him. There's nothing wrong with me."

"I know. Everything will be alright. I promise."

Daniel stormed out the room. If Kabili couldn't talk sense into John and Jen, he would.

When he reached the foot of the steps, he yelled, "John! Jen!"

"Yes, Son?" Jen replied coming out of the kitchen.

"What?" He was confused. "Don't call me that!"

It was Jen's turn to be puzzled. "What? Why not?"

"Because I'm not your son!" he yelled.

John rushed in. "What's going on here?"

"I need to talk to you." he said.

They nodded but Daniel hesitated. Could he tell them this?

"Kabili wants to be left alone. There's nothing wrong with him!"

"Son?" John asked. "Are you okay?"

"I said stop calling me that!"

"Kabili?" Jen turned to face her husband. "John, what do we do?"

"I don't know. Call Dr. Rubio?"

The thought of that stupid doctor coming here enraged Daniel further. "No!" he yelled and pulled out a knife from behind him. He had hoped he wouldn't have had to do this. He hesitated when they gasped.

But they'd already seen him for what he really was. So he closed the steps between them.

* * *

The bloody knife fell with a clang on the floor.

"What have you done?" Kabili asked.

He walked to the mirror and stared at his best friend.

Daniel smirked and asked, "Don't you mean what have we done?"