Day 2,707

I stopped letting my daughter stay with my parents over the summer when she told me about her new imaginary friend, the Bare Bones Man. I told my daughter to tell her new friend that we'd come back in a few years so we could spend some summers by the seaside instead, which placated them both, or so I thought.

I never expected her to tell him where we lived.

I never expected to wake up and see the Bare Bones Man walking out of my room and down the hallway, holding my daughter's tiny hand as he tried to lead her outside. Of course the bastard vanished as soon as I called out to them, as he did when my older sister called out some twenty years ago.

Who'd have imagined I'd be in her shoes, desperately trying to figure out how to move homes without the Bare Bones Man finding out and without putting another family's lives in danger should they move in. For her it was easier as he kept his focus on me, allowing her to house hunt and eventually take me with her while he ignored our parents entirely.

She told me he was only imaginary.

Now I'm left adding more and more locks to the doors and debating how to burn it all down without anybody knowing it was me, without losing my daughter, in the process. It's the only thing I can think of to get him out of our lives and keep my child safe.

I just need to burn my home down with him and only him inside.