Friends and Others
The main character of my book, Ben Walters, tells a story of his growing up with a birth defect in a single parent home. His mother works two jobs, and he is left with an elderly neighbor most of his growing years. It is a lonely childhood and he does what many children in that situation do. He creates an imaginary friend named Theo.
Theo stays with him into his high school years, and then disappears as Ben is hospitalized after an accident. Ben continues on to college, still leading a fairly solitary existence. In his senior year at college, he encounters big problems. His girlfriend leaves him, his car has mechanical problems, and the biggest issue of all, his mother dies.
Ben is depressed. He needs support. As if in answer to his despair, his imaginary friend from childhood comes back to help. Only now, Theo is a real live person.
Ben and Theo naturally run into problems and then they discover there are also 'Others' they need to contend with. It seems the 'Others' are the creation of "monsters under the bed", and other childhood fears.
Ben and Theo find 'Friends' that help them in their efforts and they also discover that Theo was endowed with a few "extras" when Ben created him.
