Safe

{ Mac }

I look up at the house currently looming over me; Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. I still remember having to bring my very best friend, Blooregard Q. Kazoo, here. I remember not want to give him up, not wanting to let him go. Although we were both hesitant at first, after being with each other for five years, Bloo settled in really well, and he's a lot safer here than he was at home. We've made lots of great new friends too: Wilt, Coco, Eduardo, Frankie, Mr. Herriman and Madame Foster.

Now, I wander up the drive and I find I can hear lots of panicked sounds coming from inside the ancient care home. Phones ringing, urgent voices and dashing feet. I crack open the door and pop my head round, Frankie is holding a clipboard and speaking hurriedly into a phone. Imaginary friends of all shapes and sizes are carrying round posters plastered with pictures of – Bloo?

I close the door behind me.

"Frankie?" My worry begins to grow as I search for my blue friend, without success, "Wh-What's going on?"

"That's right, officer," She say down the phone, " We'll let you know."

She hangs up and turns to me,

"Mac." She sounds relieved, she squats to my level, "Thank goodness! You haven't seen Bloo have you?"

Panic begins to set in, making me feel on edge.

"No. Why?" I'm almost too scared to ask.

"Rats! No one's seen him all day!" She stands straight again and looks round, then squats back down, "We thought he might be with you."

"He's gone?! But-"

Frankie pulls me closer,

"Don't worry, Mac," She stands and flips through her clipboard papers " We have a series of standard procedures for whenever we lose a friend."

"Lose?!" I'm starting to feel slightly hysterical. Lose? Lose? Lose my best friend?

"I just finished with the police, fire department and hospitals." She explains, we turn to Wilt, Coco and Eduardo behind her.

"Signs and posters are ready." Eduardo reports, Signs? Posters? My best friend is missing and they're making signs and posters? We have to get looking for him! Why do these things always happen so suddenly?

"Coco did a terrific job on these!" Wilt praises, unravelling the one in his hand to reveal a photo of Bloo with a moustache and glasses, and a series of 'Coco's beneath. Yeah, coz' that'll help.

"Now we just need a group to go out and canvas the surrounding areas." Frankie says, sounding frustrated.

"I'll go!" Of course I'm going to volunteer, this is Bloo we're talking about!

"Great! Thanks, Mac. You, Eduardo, Wilt and Coco split up and do the North side of town." North, North side. Oh, Bloo, where are you?

The four of us rush off to search, but I stop and turn to Frankie,

"You think he's, okay, right?" I question, not bothering to hide how scared I am.

"Oh, Mac." Frankie comforts," I'm sure the little goofball just got lost and is moping around somewhere, wondering when he'll see you again."

I smile uncertainly, I sure hope he's okay.

Half an hour later and my mind is going overboard with horrible scenarios of what could be happening to my best pal right now.

I hammer another poster to a power pole, not really noticing how loud I'm being.

"Knock off the racket, half-pint!" An old man's voice calls from the retirement home, "Some folks are tryin' to relax!" He shakes his fist in the air and turns back to his board game.

"Yeah!" His opponent starts," Back in my day we respected power poles!"

I look closely at the old man, Is that-?

"Bloo?" I drop my hammer and run over, not caring when the poster falls down, "Bloo!"

I pull him out of the wheel chair and squeeze him in a hug, getting a shock when I become soaked to the bone.

"Mac? Hey, buddy!" Bloo greets, sounding just as happy to see me as I am him.

The man in a uniform raises an eyebrow and Bloo changes his tune,

"I-I mean, say there, young fella!"

"Bloo, where have you been? And why are you all wet and wrinkly?"

He starts an explanation about him living in the retirement home, and I don't really get all of it, but whatever it is he's talking crazy about this time, at least I know he's safe.

Even though I had to endure a rant from my best friend about how cool being old is, a failed plan from Coco and Wilt and Eduardo, a crazy to-do at the house with Madame Foster pretending to be a super hero, Mr. Herriman proclaiming that 'This never ends well', a tumble in some bushes with Madame Foster making strange hand signals that I couldn't even begin to understand, trying to fit through a hole in a window, dodging guards, a conversation with Bloo about his favourite fruit, being ratted out by my brain-washed best friend, watching Madame Foster make a pantomime of herself through a window and a showdown between Bloo and Madame Foster that Bloo back down from in order to go back to sleep, everything turned out pretty well.

Everything was okay, simply because, even after all that,

My Bloo was safe.