The Girls Who Aren't There

I was nine years old at the time, and my dad had just passed away. My mom decided to move me and my brother up to a small town in Arizona so that I could be closer to dad. I was probably the most confused kid in the world when my mom told me that I needed to just accept that my dad wasn't coming back, but for some reason I still found myself sitting in my room, staring at a picture of us, listening to him. If you don't understand, I apologize. Mom told me that she would buy me a Gameboy Advance if I went camping with some old friends of hers up in Sedona. To my surprise, I actually had a lot of fun. My friends mom and her sister, who was also my moms friend, were up there as well. They had a fourteen year old daughter that was up there as well, who was my friends older sister. So there was me (9), my friend (11), his sister (14), my mom, his mom, and his aunt. The seven of us drove out into the desert up near Flagstaff and set up camp. It started on the first night. When we were sitting around the campfire, my friend and his sister started talking about how my mom had bought them Nintendo 64 games. I was a little upset, but I didn't say anything. When we went to bed, my mom told me that she had bought them games because they had been closer to my dad than I was. I didn't say anything. When I couldn't sleep, I went out to the campfire and saw the two of them out there. They were talking to two girls, who I assumed were the sisters friends. One had blonde hair and one had black hair, and they were both wearing the same white t-shirts and jeans. I think the blonde had a bandana on her head. They saw me and waved, but I just went back to bed. The next day, we went on a hike. My mom ended up going back to camp after only a little while. I don't remember why, but it might have had something to do with the heat. As we hiked, we met the two girls again. They told us that they were also camping in the area, and that they had come out to explore. Was I ever excited? I had made two friends without even trying! They were a little older than me, which made them seem even cooler at the time. They had snacks and canteens, so I ended up going with them for a few hours while my friend and his sister hiked ahead. They asked me questions about my dad, and I told them about how he had died. They told me that I was really brave, and offered me Oreos and water. They were really nice, and I feel bad saying this, but I don't remember their names. I do remember them telling me their names, but like I said, I was only nine. I can't remember a lot of things about that camping trip. My friends sister ended up asking why I had been gone so long, and the two girls ended up leaving. I told them about the two girls I had met, and my friends sister asked who they were. I told her their names, but she said she didn't know who they were. I asked my mom who the girls were, and she said that she hadn't met them. I told her the names, and she said she didn't know who they were. I was very confused, but I just forgot about it. I had enough on my mind with dad and all. My mom ended up going back to camp early again, and we met the girls again on the trail. I ended up going with them again, and I don't really remember what happened. When I got back to camp, my friends sister was looking around frantically, calling my name. I told her I was sorry and that I would never wander off again, but I don't think she believed me. That night, my mom bought my friend and his sister Chili Cheese Fritos. I got regular Chili Cheese Fritos, but without the chili. ''This is a special treat, just for you two.'' she said. I was a little upset when I saw that the Fritos my mom had bought me were smaller than the ones she had bought my friend and his sister. I was starting to realize that I wasn't one of them. My mom and her friends treated me differently. They paid more attention to my friend and his sister than they did me. I think that my mom might have been a bit of a narcissist. The next day, my friends mom told me that I couldn't hike because I wasn't good at following rules. My friends sister told me that I could stay with her at camp, but my mom said she didn't want to be left out. So I stayed in camp with my mom and her friends. They talked about dad, which I didn't like. They made me listen to them while they talked about him, and my mom smoked pot with her friends. That night, the two girls showed up again. This time they were both wearing bandannas and they both had little backpacks on. I remember wanting one of those little backpacks, but I didn't want to ask for one. They were talking to my friend and his sister, but when they saw me they started walking towards us. I waved them off and went to bed. I don't know why, but somehow I knew that something was wrong. I had started to feel like something wasn't right with the two girls, but I couldn't tell why. It would be a few years before I connected all of the dots. The next day, we packed up camp and left. My mom and her friends dropped us off at their house, and then they went out to a bar. My friends sister and I stayed in the living room, and my friend went to his room. Around midnight, my friends sister started to hear noises. She thought that my friend was messing with her, but I told her I was positive that he was asleep. She ended up falling asleep too, and I stayed up all night waiting for my mom to come and pick me up. It wasn't until a few years later, when I was twelve, that I thought back on my camping trip. I was laying in bed, thinking about how much I had changed. I thought back on all the fun things I had done, and the camping trip up in Arizona was one of them. I remembered my mom buying my friend Nintendo 64 games, but I didn't let it get me down. I thought about my dad, and how he used to tell me to ''soldier on'' when I was feeling down. I thought back on the camping trip again, and I remembered the girls. How I had met them and how they had been nice to me. I started to think more about the girls, and I started to piece together how weird the whole experience had been. Why didn't anyone else know their names? Why did I end up with a smaller bag of Fritos? Why did my friends sister think we weren't going to hike because she wasn't good at following rules? It hit me like a ton of bricks. The girls weren't there. There was no reason for the girls to be out in the desert. They didn't have cars, and it was a twenty minute drive just to get to the camp site. We were the only people camping up there, and I know my mom would have told me if the girls were her friends. I know that the girls weren't there, but I don't know why they weren't there. I know they weren't my friends, but I know that they said they were. I know they weren't there, but I still can't stop thinking about them. I wish I could have met them, but I can't change the past. I can only hope that they aren't out there somewhere, thinking about me. If you're out there, girls, I'm doing just fine. Thanks for asking. Edit: Thank you all very much for your comments and your kind words. I think I'll stop by here every once in a while, but I don't think I'll post again. You have all been very nice, and I really do appreciate it. I'll just say this: I might have been confused as a child, but I fully understand now that the girls weren't real. I'm not saying that they were demons or aliens, just that they weren't real. I think it's likely that my mom was involved in some way, and that the whole camping trip was some sort of psychological test. As for the girls, who knows? Maybe my mom hired some college students to mess with me, or maybe it was all in my head. I'll never know, but I'm not going to worry about it. My mom is dead, and I have nothing to worry about. If she's out there somewhere, please know that you failed. I'm an adult now, and I take care of myself. I'm not your little

The Girls Who Aren't There

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