The Invisible Friend  

by Janeal Canizares 

It has been just a few days after our vacation to the Philippines, and I currently lie in the center of my bed. Because we had traveled to about three countries to return to America, we all got a great case of jetlag, a sleep disorder that happens when you travel to multiple countries with different time zones. We still had jetlag now, but I can handle myself well because of my youthful age. My parents, however, could not cope with it so well...and here they are, sleeping on the other side of the bed while snoring as loud as a lion’s roar.  

The covers on my bed are pink and green and the air conditioner in our room blasts chilly air onto my face. That is the reason all three of us must wear blankets over us; otherwise, we would be freezing all over! In this case, though, that did not matter to me at all. I was not focused on being warm because, well, what else could I do now? The only action I can do is gaze at my white ceiling on the top of my room and just listen to the snoring of my parents. I have no one to play with other than them, so if they are asleep, I have only myself. Just me unless I have an imaginary or invisible friend around me, which is impossible...maybe... 

As I boredly fiddle my fingers and hands, I gaze wonderingly at my ceiling. Now, it is summertime, but the vacation is nearly ending. School is nearly coming, and I cannot wait for that! Sometimes I wish that school would be right now, so I could have something to do rather than just stare at the ceiling and listen to my parents’ snores. I give one last sigh before one of my parent’s snores abruptly interrupts my thinking. I immediately sit up in exasperation, boredom, and just wondering what to do. I climb down the bed in frustration of what to do, walk on the black carpet covering our wooden floor, and sit on the soft black chair near the back of the room. The air is blowing hard here, but what does that matter now? There is another wooden table in front of me, and I take a while to stare at it...I need to do something now. 

I forced myself to stand up and grab the blue spiral notebook on my bed, grab the black pen on top of the drawer, then return to my seat. I place the notebook on the table, open the notebook to see the first fresh open page full of faint blue and red lines indicating space, and... stare even more! What should I do now? Draw? I can draw and would not mind that at all; something is pushing me though. For some reason, something stronger is tugging me to do something else rather than just draw... My parents’ snoring got even louder than I thought, and my exasperation increased. Well, that is about it! I now have the idea to just write a passage based on my feelings. Simple as that!  

It did not take long for me to produce a title, and I immediately wrote, “Blank Nothing.” Blank Nothing...it fits how I currently feel. Having nothing to do, no one to play with as a playful child, and having an absolute “Blank Nothing!” Satisfaction filled my heart as I began to produce the next paragraph, then the next, then the next, and all the way until I would write the end. I felt at ease as I wrote the paragraphs as if there were weights lifting off my shoulders; my exasperation and boredom decreased as well.  

Then, I realized something in my passage. Even if I was an only child with not much to communicate with, I still had a friend. In fact, it is an invisible friend! Few would consider it as a friend, but everyone in the world is born with this friend. This invisible friend is with you each day and, though it might be hard to find in a few scenarios, they are with you every day! My invisible friend was my creativity! Every single person has that in them—whether they realize it or not! I will admit that my friend is not a person, but writing this passage gave me a new lesson: sometimes you do not need to physically release your boredom but calmly write your feelings out. I suppose it worked; I feel much better than before! Plus, creativity is always on your side and can help you reach far!