Friends

Flash Fiction

Friends

"James! Why are you down here? You’re supposed to be cleaning your room!"

“They’re back. I have to wait till they leave.”

“They who? There’s nobody here but you and me.”

“And Rootie and Pickle…”

“Rootie and Pickle? Did you invite friends over and not let me know? And I don’t remember any of your friends named Rootie and Pickle…”

Well, I don’t know if I can call them friends exactly. They just com around sometimes. I usually see them in my closet.”

“In your closet? Why are they in your closet? I didn’t even see them come in. You’re still supposed to ask me if you can have friends over, especially if they come in the house. And, you know you’re supposed to ask me, before you invite friends over…”

“I never invite them over! They just show up sometimes.”

“But you must let them in.”

“No, they come in somehow from my closet.”

“You have friends that come to play in your closet?”

“No, no. They don’t play. They’re usually looking for food…”

“Food? Like my cookies? No wonder they disappear so fast!”

“No, no. Well, yes, they would eat cookies. But I think they like the bird seed better.”

“What?! You feed your friends bird seed?”

“No, no…”

“Well, you just said…”

“I said they eat the bird seed; they like it. They started coming after we put the bird feeder up in my window.”

“So, your friends come over to eat the bird seed in the bird feeder in your window…?”

“Yes, but if it’s cold out they go home through my closet…”

Mom went over and put her hand on James’s forehead.

“What are you doing?”

“I’ve never seen these kids, Honey…I think you are making them up…”

“They’re not kids… they’re mice…”

Mom fainted.