1989
''Phil, come on, darling, one more bite.''
The toddler pouted at his mother. He kicked and struggled in his high chair.
''No!''
Phil's mother sighed. ''Please, baby? For me? One more bite for mummy, come on.''
Phil struggled harder. ''No!'' he whined.
His mother sighed again. She was sighing a lot these days. Feeding Phil was always a struggle. She had tried everything; offering to give him sweets, pretending to eat the baby food herself and making loud ''mmm'' noises, even pretending to cry and asking Phil to eat his food so she would feel better. Nothing worked. Phil would pull the same stubborn face, his blue eyes glaring at the plastic spoon as he replied in the same petulant tone.
''No, no, no, no!''
Phil's mother was beginning to get desperate. She knew that refusing to eat food was common in toddlers. It was normal behaviour, but she couldn't help but worry endlessly. Phil was awfully scrawny. She racked her brain desperately for a solution, as Phil kicked his little feet against the high chair harder.
Then it came to her. ''Phil, if you don't eat the rest of this food, you won't be allowed to play with Dan any more.''
Phil stopped kicking, and looked up at his mother, his eyes wide with interest. His mother waited patiently, staring right back at him, just as determinedly. Phil could tell she meant business.
Reluctantly, Phil opened his mouth, accepting the spoonful of food. Phil's mother gasped exaggeratedly.
''Good boy! What a good boy! Yes you are!'' she praised, kissing him all over. Phil giggled at his mother's kisses.
''Can I go play with Dan now?'' Phil said, his voice muffled slightly as his mother held him close.
''Yes, of course, darling. Go play.'' she agreed.
Imaginary friends were normal behaviour in toddlers too. Soon, some day, Phil would be able to play with real boys and girls, and wouldn't be so difficult during meal times, either. That day couldn't come soon enough, she thought to herself, as she watched her son chatting happily to thin air.
1992
Mealtimes were a lot easier now.
''Dinner's ready!''
The whole family gathered at the dinner table. Phil's mum turned to him first.
''Would you like some roast potatoes, Phil?''
Phil nodded eagerly. ''Please.''
She smiled, and piled them on to his plate. Phil was a lot less fussy now. He liked lots of foods, and ate almost anything his mother cooked with no problem. There was one incident with mushy peas that Phil doesn't like to think about. His mum had shouted at him so much, she had nearly scared Dan away. Dan had tugged on his sleeve, pleading with him silently to eat his dinner, brown eyes full of fear at the thought of what Phil's mum might do if he didn't. Phil took one look at his friend's apprehensive expression, and started shovelling the peas into his mouth. His mother had stood in shocked silence, mid-shout. After that, Phil never kicked up a fuss. He couldn't risk losing Dan.
Dan was his best friend. He had been there for as long as Phil could remember.
When he was really small, Dan would make him giggle all the time, pulling funny faces and imitating his parents. His parents assumed he was just an unusually happy child.
Phil didn't like the other children on his road. They all had their own groups. They all had their own games. They were loud and sometimes they called Phil names. Phil didn't care anyway, he had Dan. Dan wasn't loud like the others. He was rather quiet, except when Phil made him laugh. Phil loved Dan's laugh, it was so loud and happy, and it filled his ears so clearly, too clearly to be imaginary. They always made eachother laugh.
When Phil tried to ride a bike for the first time, Dan was there, running along beside him, cheering him on. When Phil fell off his bike for the first time, Dan was there too. He got a huge scrape that went all up his left leg and it hurt so badly, and he cried until his face was cherry red and his voice was hoarse. Dan was there, stroking his hair soothingly, wishing he could get Phil's parents to come help and stop the pain, but Phil's parents couldn't see, or hear, him. Only Phil could.
That didn't stop his parents from using Dan as a tool in their discipline, though. Whenever Phil did something bad, it was always ''If you don't say sorry, you won't be seeing Dan for a long time!'' or ''This room better be clean in the next five minutes, or you won't be allowed to play with Dan again!''
Phil hated it when his parents threatened him with the absence of Dan. They didn't even know Dan. How could they make him go away if they had never even seen him? Still, he didn't want to risk it. Whenever he talked to Dan about it, Dan told him he better do what his parents said, because he didn't know if they could send him away either. So Phil did what he was told eventually, because he loved Dan, and he couldn't bear the thought of not having him to talk to all the time.
