THREAD BARE FRIEND (polyphonic prose story)

Thomas is clean, his clothes are all neat, but he has a messy friend you don’t want to meet. In his room, in his bed, when he pulls the covers up over his head, something lives down there, down by his feet wrapped up in the sheet.

Thomas brings it string and colored thread. That's what it eats, when it wants to be fed. Starting out as belly button lint, it’s now much bigger, and leaves giant footprints.

It’s not mean and doesn’t complain, since it only has string for a brain. Sure, it groans and grimaces, while growing bigger every day. "It’s my very best friend," Thomas would say.

It's nothing imaginary… not a pretend friend. It's not too ugly, bad mannered, and won’t usually offend. But when it wanders out on the streets, at night, it often gives people a terrible fright.