Childhood Spirits

"C'mon, kid. Don't be like that. I'm sorry, okay? I just really had to do that."

"I don't care about your reason! I'll throw you into the river to drown so you can't bother me anymore," Nico said as he swooped the blanket and tied it so the rat couldn't escape.

"Hey! That hurts! Be careful, kid. And you're not serious about drowning me in the river, right? Haha." But Nico wasn't answering him and he was starting to panic. "Kid. I know you're listening so hear me out. In case you don't know. I'm not capable of dying."

Nico indeed heard that but he didn't care and turned deaf ears to Rashanan's pleas.

"I won't die as long as you're alive! And I will keep on coming back and cause trouble to you until you listen to what I have to say. Over and over again for as long as I can until you're finally willing to listen to me."

Nico's rage suddenly spiked hearing that and he almost threw Rashanan to the wall across him. But he did a good job putting his emotion under control.

He took a deep breath. He knew he needed to act rationally. That's what his mother always tells him. Never let your emotions control you into making things you know you'll regret sooner. Against his will, he grumpily put down the blanket and said, "I'll — I'll listen to whatever it is that you wanted to say. But I'm warning you. If I deem that unworthy for jeopardizing my job at the shop, I won't think twice of drowning you."

Rashanan couldn't be any happier for the chance Nico has given him. "Okay… Okay, kid. But how about letting me out of here first, hmm? I won't escape, I promise. It's becoming harder to breathe here, you know?"

Nico furrowed his brows in irritation but untied the blanket anyway. "Phew! That was intense! Thank you, kid." the rat said earning a glare from Nico. "Fine! Fine! I will start. Uhm… You must have noticed it already. But I'm not a normal rat."

He waited for Nico's reaction to that but there were no changes on the kid's face at all.

"I know. I'm aware. You're just a part of my imagination, aren't you?"

"No! No! No! You're misunderstanding it big time, kid. I'm not a part of your imagination. Not even the slightest."

"But if you weren't then why can't other people see you except me? I'm afraid I'm going crazy despite being at a very young age."

"No! You're mistaken and you're completely sane. And like I said, I'm by no means any part of your imagination. I'm very real. If I'm not, do you really think I can do that thing at the shop earlier?"

"Well, indeed. My imagination cannot do that. But if you aren't then what are you?"

"Allow me to properly introduce myself to you. I'm Rashanan. And like I said, I'm not a normal rat. Because I am a childhood spirit. I am YOUR childhood spirit, Nico."

Nico struggled to find the right words to say after hearing that. He stammered a lot before he finally managed to say what was in his mind. "Cha — Childhood spirit? Haha. Stop fooling me. My mother never told me anything about that. Surely. You're just making that up, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not. I really am a childhood spirit. We came into existence whenever a child is born. Our forms and personality will be the reflection and the child. Some took the form of a toy, a ghost, an insect, or an animal like me. The possibilities are endless. But the only one who can see us is the kid who brought us into existence. That's why only you can see me."

"If what you're telling me is true, then why won't my family believe me? Surely. They must have seen theirs when they were a kid, right? Just like my father? So why?" He can't help but raise his voice. But Rashanan looked pained as soon as those words left his mouth.

"You see, kid. This is why I wanted you to listen to me. You see, childhood spirits are nothing but a bunch of unfortunate creatures. Though yes, we came into existence whenever a kid was born. But we will also cease to exist if that kid refuses to believe and trust us. What can we do? We-re just — We're just, after all, a reflection af the kid who brought us into this world. Heh! We didn't even wished for this."

Nico struggled to keep a straight face. He was trying to understand and empathize with whatever Rashanan was telling him. "But why?" were the only words he managed to say.

"Heh! That I don't know either, kid. Our fate was kinda cruel, you know? We never asked nor beg anyone to bring us into existence yet the moment we opened our eyes, we were shown the three possible futures that await us in the real world through a vision. There are only three. Either we earned the kid's trust and survive until the kid was big enough. Or vanish as soon as we lost the kid's trust. And lastly, something happened to the kid and we became corrupted and our form will morph into their childhood trauma. Forever hunting the kid to the rest of their lives until they learned to get rid of us."

"That's — That's very sad," Nico mumbled.

"I know, right?"

Silence reigned over them for a while. An awkward silence.

"Hey,kid! You might find it weird after all the things I told you just now. But did you know that there are kids — two kids who fully believed in us? You wanna see them? Maybe — Maybe, you know. Maybe you'll stop doubting me once you spoke to them. So you'll have proof that you're not going insane and is completely normal. But it's up to you, really. I'm not forcing you."