Submitted by Sandy Sands
Sometimes you remember things from when you were a little kid, but you're not really sure if you saw it on TV or it actually happened, right?
This memory has always been questionable in my head.
When I was little, I had an imaginary friend. I was between five and six. Nothing unusual there. His name was Reg and I talked to him in the bathroom. I liked it because, the way it is in my memories, his voice echoed against the bathroom tiles and it sounded cool. He had a voice that was airy and high, like a little boy's but also kind of like if a little kid was imitating an old person. It was funny! That's the only way I can describe it. That's why I figured I remembered this from the Muppets or something. A weird voice.
I don't really remember much about what he looked like. But I know he was a he and – I know how this might sound – he always hid in my peripheral vision. I could barely see him.
But Reg was fun. And because I was by far the youngest kid, and my siblings hated me, I had lots of free time to play alone with Reg.
I'd fill up the tub a little and we'd play with plastic animals or give a doll a bath. I could spend hours in the bathroom splashing around until my mom or sister would yell at me to get out of there. Half of me knows I was alone in there, but half of me remembers Reg really clearly, laughing with me and playing games with me. I know my mom or dad came in sometimes to check on me, and it was like Reg would just "not be there" while they were there.
Typical imaginary friend stuff.
So I grew up eventually and Reg became just something from childhood. Even though I remembered Reg, I was also a little unclear on him. You can see why I wondered if I got Reg confused with a TV show I saw or something.
I never really talked about Reg with my family until recently. I was chatting with my mom and I laughingly told her about my imaginary friend and how I'm pretty sure I got my memories confused.
My mom laughed but also gave me a questioning look. "Imaginary..." she said.
I laughed. "Yeah! I can still hear his voice! I wonder where I got 'Reg' from?"
My mom had a strange look on her face. "I was never sure what was going on...but I remember hearing two voices. Not all the time. But a couple times."
I was dumbfounded. "Really?"
She said, "I thought maybe you were talking to yourself, but that other voice was so high and garbled I couldn't imagine you talking that way. At least I'd never heard you talk that way. Or I thought maybe you had brought in a friend that I didn't know about. But you were always alone."
"Mom," I said. "I don't know what 'Reg' was."
My mom shook her head and said slowly, "I remember hearing two voices. That's all. And when I looked in on you, you were always alone. So either you were talking to yourself or...who knows. But it was kind of creepy actually!"
Yeah, mom. And now I'm creeped out.
Image: "Bathroom at the End of the Hall" by joshuaseye is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0