By Bessie Grimes:

It all started the day four-year-old Susie visited her Grandma.
“She has a cat; a nice one that purrs all the time. She let me pet it.”
Howard and Isobel looked at each other. Howard’s mother didn’t have a cat. She hadn’t had one for
years.
“Are you sure you weren’t just stroking her afghan?” Isobel asked.
“It was a kitty cat, Mommy. I know a cat when I see it. She let me bring it home with me. See!”
Susie did, indeed, look like she was holding some sort of animal, but not very securely. There was a problem, though. Isobel couldn’t see it.
“This is my Mommy, Bootsie,” the child said. “She’ll feed you and look after you.”
Isobel looked at Howard in alarm. There was no animal in sight. It was all there, though, in how Susie was holding herself. She definitely thought she had a cat.
Howard sighed. “I don’t think Mother picked up a new pet recently, but I’ll check.” He reached for his cell phone.
“Hi, Mom. Thanks for minding Susie.”
“It wasn’t any problem at all,” his mother replied. “She’s a good kid.”
“Mom, you didn’t just pick up an animal for Susie, did you?”
“An animal? No. Why?”
“She thinks she brought one home with her and you gave it to her.”
“Oh, no, dear, that didn’t happen. I read to her for awhile, mostly stories about cats and kittens, now that I think of it. Yes, the book’s right here.”
“How did she react to the stories?”
“Well, she was really interested; then, she got sleepy and dozed off. She had a good afternoon nap.”
“But, if you didn’t give her anything, what’s wrong with her? To look at her, you’d swear she was holding a fair-sized cat, but we don’t see one.”
His mother laughed. “She’s a typical kid. You should have seen you when you were her age. You thought you had a pet rattlesnake. Your dad and I panicked until we realized you were imagining it. You outgrew it by the time you were six.”
“I didn’t do that!”
“Well, dear, you did. It’s something l won’t forget in a hurry.”
“So – how does that relate to Susie?”
“She’s following in your footsteps. Be glad it’s a cat and play along. At least you don’t have to feed it or change the kitty litter.”
“Won’t she notice if we don’t?”
“She might, but she hardly realizes what’s involved in caring for a real pet. There’s time enough for her to learn all that when she’s older.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Howard put down the phone. “Does Susie still think she’s got an armful of cat?”
“Yes.” said Isobel.
“Mom says she didn’t give her one, so we don’t have to search the house. She also says we should play along. Apparently, it’s a stage some kids go through.”
“Oh, boy! That’s all we need! Wouldn’t it be better to tell her the truth? There is no animal!”
“Not according to Mom. In time, she’ll get tired of the animal and forget all about it.” Howard hoped he was right.
The next few days were certainly different. Susie held her imaginary pet constantly and even slept with it. No real cat would have tolerated that sort of treatment. She didn’t notice that Isobel didn’t feed it until about the fifth day.
“Mommy, Bootsie’s going to starve! You’re not feeding him. He’s getting weak.” Susie started to cry.
Isobel decided enough was enough. She snapped her fingers. “Susie, wake up! You’re living in a dream. That cat isn’t real. It’s imaginary. lt doesn’t exist except in your imagination. I’m not going to put food out for an animal I can’t see. The food would spoil.”
“But, Mommy, you don’t understand! Bootsie is real!”
“Describe him to me.”
“He’s black with purple and pink markings.”
“Really? That’s not a usual colour pattern for a cat.”
“It isn’t? That’s what was in Grandma’s picture book!”
“Susie, those were just pictures, not real animals. Did you think one jumped out of the book and into your arms?”
Susie hung her head. She had. She looked at the way she was holding her arms and let them sag.
“I’ll never see Bootsie again!” She sobbed.
“Yes, you will when you visit Grandma. His picture is still in the book. She’ll show it to you if you ask her nicely.”
“She will?”
“She will.”
But a week later, when she went back to Grandma’s house for a visit, she forgot to ask. By that time,
Bootsie wasn’t even a memory.