Walter was a people watcher. He observed people and their habits from afar in the subway. He watched as a business man would always arrive at exactly eight o'clock every morning. An old woman that wore fancy clothing and furs with lots of jewelry would always wait for the ten o'clock train to go to the downtown area. And of course, there were always couples that would come and go, some with children, others without.

There was only one particular woman that he was interested in. She had short light brown hair and the greenest eyes he had ever seen. He had watched her come to the subway at 5:30 every day except Sundays for two years. She would come and get her husband and they would show their affections for each other.

It wasn't that interesting and he hardly ever paid attention to them except for this year. The woman was pregnant and looked as though she was about to have it at any moment. He had seen pregnant women before, but for some reason, he felt drawn to this one.
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Almost a month went by and he finally saw the woman again. She didn't come to see her husband for over a month and he had seen her again.

This time she was pushing a carriage. She was early this time by about half an hour. Walter watched her pull out a small paperback book and she began to read it. She was sitting one bench away and had her carriage facing towards him. He craned his neck to get a closer look but was blocked by some old women that were passing by.

"Oh! Look Milly! He's so adorable! He's sleeping!" Said one of them to her friend in a hushed yet excited tone. She had curly grey hair and was slightly hunched backed. She was leaning on a cane for support.

"Yes Wanda I see him," The one called Milly turned to the mother. "Did you just have him? He's adorable! What's his name?" Milly had what looked like dyed brown hair. And she was tall and skinny. Making her look like a brown haired walking skeleton.

The woman looked at the elder ladies and began to tell them in a whisper. Walter's curiosity finally got the better of him. He edged toward the carriage as quietly as he could. He could finally catch their conversation.

"Well, we named him Henry after my father. We thought about the name Scott, but in the end Henry won."

"Henry is a wonderful name. Don't you think so Mildred?"

"Yes indeed. The whole name sound wonderful. Henry James Townshend. It just seems to fit."

Walter was behind the women now, but he still couldn't see what the fuss was about. He shifted slightly for a look, a motion that did not go unnoticed.

"You! What are you doing over here! Get away from the child!" The one called Wanda hissed at Walter.

"It's all right. He can look." The woman said smiling at Walter. Wanda and Mildred reluctantly moved and walked away from the mother. They were whispering to each other and were glaring at Walter occasionally as they left.

"Go on." The woman urged him gently. He finally looked into the carriage and saw a baby with light brown hair. The baby was currently asleep. He looked like an angel. The dim light in the subway relected off his hair, making him seem even more angelic. Walter had seen babies, but none of them were this beautiful.

The baby started to stir, making small sounds as he was waking up. Henry opened his eyes and looked at Walter. His eyes were a hazel green and they were open for only a second before he fell asleep again.

"His name is Henry James Townshend. And my name is Lily. What's yours?"

Walter looked at the woman and thought about answering her. Finally he muttered, "Walter Sullivan."

"Walter. That's a nice name." Lily smiled and stood up as a train pulled in. " That's my train. Maybe I'll see you around."

Walter just nodded and watched as the woman greeted her husband. The husband had both brown eyes and hair. He kissed his wife and smiled at the baby. They left together. One big happy family. Something that Walter never had. He felt jealous. Why should this baby have such a happy family? What did he do to deserve it?

He had a mother. She was waiting for him to wake her up. He would wake her up soon. 'Just you wait mother. I'll wake you up.'

His thoughts strayed back to Henry. There was somehting about him that caught Walter's attention. There was something about the baby that was different. He liked him. But why, he couldn't put his finger on it.
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Five years later

Henry was sitting under a tree while he watched the other children play in the playground. His preschool teacher was talking to his mom about something. They were both frowning and his mother shook her head and looked at him. He hoped he wasn't in trouble. He didn't do anything.

He looked at the ground and started picking at the grass when he heard a rustling noise come from somewhere above him. He looked up at the tree and saw a man sitting on a tree branch looking at him.

Henry panicked and screamed. He ran to his mom and clutched onto her hand. "Mommy! There's a man in the tree!" He said pointing to the tree.

The teacher looked at him and blew a whistle to signal the end of play time and usher the kids back in. After ensuring all the kids were in she went to the tree and looked. She didn't see anyone.

"There's noone there Henry. Just some tree branches." She said walking back to them.

Henry's mother turned to him, "Henry, why don't you go inside with the other children? I'll be there shortly."

Henry nodded his head and went inside the door, but he stayed there. He wanted to hear what was going on.

"Henry has been insisting that there is a man here, but I don't see one."

"I'm sure it's just a stage. You know, imaginary friends? He'll get out of it soon."

"But he doesn't play with the other children. He just watches them."

"He's just shy. He probably doesn't know what to say. He's an only child."

"There are alot of "only childs" here, but Henry doesn't want to participate in any playtime activities. He doesn't play games or play with the toys here. All he does is look at pictures in the books that are in the back."

"I'm sure he'll be fine once he starts kindergarden."

"Well, if you say so."

Henry backed away from the door as the teacher pushed the door open. Henry's mother smiled at him. "You ready to go?"

Henry nodded his head and followed his mom. They walked outside and Henry took one last look at the tree. He didn't see the man there, but he still felt scared. When they reached the car and got in Lily turned to him. "Henry, the man that you see, is he....your....friend?"

He shook his head. "No. I don't know. He just follows me."

"When does he follow you?"

"I don't know."

"Henry, sweetie, there is no man. If this is an imaginar friend, then this has to stop. You can make real friends..."

"No! He's there! He's always there! I'm not lying!"

"All right. Calm down. It's okay."

Henry began to cry. "He scares me. I hate him!"

Lily was confused. Who could hate an imaginary friend? Somehow, she felt as though he wasn't lying.

"Henry, what does this man look like?"

Henry sniffled and did his best to stop crying. "W-well, h-he's really t-tall. A-and he w-wears a blue j-jacket. A-a-and he had long y-yellow h-hair."

Lily nodded and started the car. While she was driving, she couldn't help but feel as though she had seen that guy before.