Dear Creepypasta [#Wattys2016]

Tall Terry

When I was 6, my dad died. See, my dad traveled a lot. Be it a plane, train, or automobile—he was traveling. It was part of his job. I don't remember much about that night. I only remember my dad leaving the day prior, calling my mom the next day, and later that night, police showing up at our front door and my mom collapsing.

It was a drunk driver...a drunk teenager to be exact. He had left a party extremely intoxicated and sadly, decided to take the same route as my father had on his trip home to his family. His killer lived as is always the case in drunk driving accidents. And while he laid in a hospital bed, bruised and battered, we put my father to rest. That day I do remember well; the way the glass beads of the night's previous rain stuck to my black shoes, my mom holding my hand and squeezing it tightly as she stared blankly at the casket containing her husband, my father's mother at her side, their arms interlocked. She too knew what it was like to lose a husband and now she was burying her son right next to him. I knew I was sad that day, but being so young I didn't quite grasp the reality of death and what that meant. I only knew I wasn't going to be seeing my father anymore and that it saddened me greatly.

However, this sadness was short lived because this was about the time that Tall Terry appeared.

Tall Terry was my imaginary friend. I gave him that name for obvious reasons: he was quite tall. When you're six years old, many adults seem to tower above you but for Tall Terry, this was an understatement. To me, he seemed so tall that his head would skim the ceiling, and ducking while passing through doorways was mandatory. To match his lofty stature, he had two lengthy arms that would sway to and fro as we walked through the garden of my home or the local playground. Tall Terry resembled a man... but not exactly. His head was small and round, a hairless melon perched upon a tall narrow neck, his face was always docile and frequently bore a placid smile. I found this odd as he never spoke but seemed to understand me despite the lack of ears. We seemed to communicate through those large round eyes that harbored no pupils but just shiny, black, iridescence. While most of the time he lumbered around as what we could call "naked", though I don't know if that word applies considering his lack of any anatomical correctness, just a pale oval shape with arms and legs, on occasion I would find him wearing the most random and peculiar articles of clothing: A bow tie, a hat, gloves, socks. I would just giggle and point and Terry would form a grin and we would continue playing.

Tall Terry and I were quite a pair. We'd sit in the living room and he would watch as I pet the cat and sing to her. He'd stretch out a long white finger and trace the curve of her back, she'd purr loudly as any contented house cat would and he'd grin. We'd draw, have tea parties, play hide and seek which admittedly he was wasn't very good at on account of his height.

"Terry, if you don't want to be found all the time you have to hide somewhere bigger... like behind the tree!", I would inform him. He'd bring his hand to what I assume would be his chin and he'd blink questioningly. So I'd count again and when I'd turn around after counting to 20, I'd see Terry standing behind the hedges of our neighbor's yard. His big hands over his eyes, a cheeky grin outstretched on his head.

No one could see Tall Terry but me. That seems to be written the rule with imaginary friends. And like all kids I asked for a place to be set for him at dinner, extra toys for him at bath time, he even got to choose the books at bedtime with me. My mother was happy to oblige as she saw this to be a part of the grieving process for a child who had just lost her father. My grandmother even bought Terry his own toys at Christmas. His favorite seemed to be The Topsy Turvy action figure: a doll that had a four sided head, all bearing different expressions. You'd push a button on the top of its head and it would spin, randomizing each facial gesture. Tall Terry loved Topsy Turvy and he became a regular companion on many of our adventures. Some days we'd sit in the yard and Tall Terry would press the button over and over watching each time as the expression changed. It would click and make a whirring sound just before stopping suddenly much to Terry's delight. His already massive eyes would widen and he'd smile, repeating to process. That towering humanoid made the days after my father died, ones that I truly enjoyed, clearly I considered him to be my best friend.