PHAN I'll Always Be Here for You - Chapter 1

For Dan it was over in a flash. All he had wanted to do was get his ball off the road. But a car had interrupted that, and his life for that matter.

But he was not alone on the road on that Friday evening; a small boy was also playing in the street. A six year old with dark brown hair and crystal blue eyes watched the horrific event unfold. He ran towards the younger child after the car sped off. Not wanting to deal with the consequences of ending a child’s life.

A life that hadn’t really started yet that was already over.

Little Phil looked at the bloody bruised child, and started crying. The boys brown curly hair was matted with blood and his eyes were dull. He ran to his house for his parents as any child would.

Parents fix everything, they can make anything better. Surely they’ll fix this boy for him.

There were lots of police and other important people on Phil’s street that night. Phil’s parents talked to him about death and how accidents like that are terrible but they happen all the time. Phil nodded. They gave him lots of ice-cream so he didn’t mind them talking for such a long time. He just wanted that boy back again.

“I want to be that boys friend, mummy.” He told his mother as the tucked him into bed that night.

“Aw sweetie, you can’t now, he’s gone. But if you really want we can go to the funeral, to say goodbye properly.” She kissed Phil’s pale forehead and left his room, leaving the door ajar slightly to let the hall light in.

Phil still didn’t understand. ‘Why can’t I be his friend, I’m sure he’s going to be lonely wherever he’s going.’

Little Phil closed his eyes and started to dream about his little friend with brown curls.

A loud crash came from the other side of Phil's bedroom. 

Phil opened his eyes quickly to see a young boy rolling onto the floor from his bedroom window.

The little boy sat up and started to cry.

“Shhhh!” Phil jumped out of bed and raced toward the little child.

“You’ll wake mummy and dad.” He whispered taking the child’s hand.

“Sowwy.” He said looking slightly guiltily. “It’s just that I’m lost.” He looked up at Phil.

“Hey you’re the boy from the car crash.” Phil exclaimed noticing his small curls and brown eyes. The little Dan nodded solemnly. “You don’t look hurt anymore.” Phil helped the child up off of his bedroom floor.

“I don’t really feel anything anymore. I can’t hear my heart beating and I don’t need to breathe anymore. It feels so funny.” He put his hands on his own tiny chest.

“I think you might be dead.” Phil stated.

“What’s that?” Little Dan asked with his eyes wide open.

“I’m not quite sure, Mummy says that you aren’t alive any more, meaning you can’t move or eat anything. Then people who love you give you a funeral and put you in the ground. Apparently your spit then goes into the sky. I’m not too sure. I don’t know why your spit goes, it sounds icky.” Phil scrunched his face up. Little Dan giggled.

“You look funny.” He said laughing.

“Hey!” Said Phil, “I don’t think I like that.” But he was laughing too. “What’s your name?” Phil asked inquisitively to the small boy. “And why are you in my room?”

“My name is Daniel, I think. But my mum calls me Dan. I’m not sure why I’m here. I saw a car and then my head hurt lots, but then I saw you, but I wasn’t on the ground I was in the air. So when you went to bed I sort of wanted to see you and suddenly I was on your floor.” He spoke so quickly that Phil couldn’t make out everything he had said.

“Oh well Dan, my name is Phil. Will you be my best friend? I’ve always wanted a best friend, but no one likes to play with me at school.”

“Okay, Phil. I’ve always wanted a friend but I never played with other kids.” He looked at the slightly older boy, tilting his head slightly. “You have really blue eyes.” He blurted out suddenly.

“Uh, thanks.” Phil said then started to giggle. “I really like your curly hair.” He smiled at Dan.

“I don’t like it like that; I want it to be straight like yours.” Dan said pouting.

They sat in silence for a few seconds.

“Phil? I feel cold.” Dan said. “But not just cold outside, I feel cold inside me. I’ve never felt like this before.”

“Here, you can sleep next to me in my bed. Like a big teddy bear.” Phil smiled to Dan softly. “I’ll make you warmer. I promise.”

They got into bed, Phil wrapped his arms around the smaller child and they both fell asleep.

When Phil woke up in the morning, he was alone in his bed. Instead Dan was standing at the window watching the road where he had been killed, it rained overnight and his blood was no longer stained on the tarmac.

Nobody saw Dan as he watched Phil eat breakfast or as he held his hand and walked to school. He sat down in the empty chair at Phil’s school desk, nobody noticed or questioned him. It became very clear to Phil that he was the only one that could see Dan, he liked it that way. Dan was his special friend. Nobody else could have him.

But as Phil grew up he found other friends. Ones that other people could see, ones that wanted him to play video games and have sleepovers with them.

Dan used to disappear when they came over. Fading intothe background, sometimes he wouldn’t come back till Phil was in bed. Dan would walk over to Phil’s side wearing a pair of Phil’s pyjama bottoms, which were too big for him. He would climb in and cling on to Phil’s sleeping body trying to warm himself with him.

One morning Phil noticed that Dan didn’t come, he didn’t question it and got on with his day, he was excited to be seeing all his friends at school. Phil didn’t realise that Dan had disappeared; he simply faded into the background and fuzzy memories of childhood.