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It was an out of the way place, recessed behind a long, gravel driveway and a wall of forest on all sides. Your closest neighbor was half a mile away. That was fine with you; you liked your privacy. One of the downsides of living in an apartment building in the city was that everyone knew everyone's business. If it wasn't fighting, it was fucking, and you didn't want to listen to either of those things.
Luna was excited about actually having a back yard, even if it was surrounded by trees, as she'd only ever lived in apartments before. She asked if she could have a pet now, and you said you'd think about it as long as she kept it small.
The first day, after the movers had dropped off the boxes and you and Luna had eaten a pizza for lunch, she went out into the backyard to play.
"Don't go into the woods!" You called to her. "I mean it! I want to be able to see you from the kitchen window. If you go past the treeline, you are dead meat, little missy!"
"Okay, Mama!" She called back, taking her biggest tonka truck out with her, her curly pigtails bouncing as she ran. You supposed you were going to have to built a sand box for her eventually.
You set about unpacking the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher for a quick rinse, then started hanging a few decorations. That's when you heard Luna scream.
Looking out of the window, you realized you couldn't see her. With your heart in your throat, you raced outside.
"Luna!" You shouted. "Luna, where are you!"
"Mama!" You hear her call somewhere you your right. You saw a flash of her bright pink shirt and ran toward it. She was quite a ways into the forest, you saw with irritation. When she finally came into view, she was sitting on some kind of rope swing and jumped down when you approached. The rope was white, opalescent, and the circumference of your forearm, attached to the branch above her. Her truck was nowhere to be found.
You fell to your knees and took her by the shoulders. "What were you doing out here?!"
"I wanted to climb the tree," She said in a piteous voice. "I never had before. But I fell."
"Are you hurt?" You asked, checking her limbs for scrapes or cuts. She shook her head hard enough that her pigtails whipped around her face.
"Jin caught me," She said, pointing to the rope.
Your brow furrowing, you asked, "Who's Jin?"
"Jin's a big spider!" She squealed delightedly. That was Luna, no fear of anything, even creepy crawlies. "He's got so many arms and legs! He caught me when I was falling and then made me the swing so I could get down." She pointed to the rope again.
Hmm. Luna hadn't had an imaginary friend before, but she was at the right age for one, and a big move like this, especially now that her father was out of the picture for good, definitely could trigger a sudden need for a friend. You smiled.
