Imaginary Friend

Unlike what the idealized nostalgia of childhood would lead one to believe, imaginary friends are not the result of over active imaginations or schoolyard loneliness, but rather are tools for eluding punishment. A child can place blame on a silent and invisible partner, and thus forego any consequences for mischief-the perfect scapegoat. This may work for the child, but what about the imaginary friend? What kind of life is that-voiceless, manipulated, trapped? An imaginary friend thus has a choice: continue living as an invisible whipping boy--unable to speak on his own behalf-or, emancipate himself and perhaps fade away, for, what's the use of an imaginary friend if you can't blame him? Enter Paul (played by PAUL BUTCHER): painfully aware of his situation as an imaginary friend, and perhaps even more painfully besotted with his host, Lucy (played by MIA FORD). As his lens to the world, Lucy enraptures him with childish abandon, and for a moment he is free and happy. He spends his days accompanying Lucy, whenever she is feeling lonely, insecure, or in need of a good scapegoat. However, Paul must endure the sufferings of a voiceless existence, for, if he maintained his dignity and gave up, there'd be no existence to have. His fate is directly linked to Lucy's belief that he exists, without her, his window to the world is shut and he fades into oblivion. Paul knows that when Lucy grows up and grows past him, he will be as useless as her old coloring books and Barbie dolls; what he doesn't know is what will happen next. Will he disappear in oblivion? Or just hang around and watch life pass him by? Paul isn't sure, but he's ready to find out.