Imaginary Enemy

This week’s story is inspired by my son’s imaginary enemy. I hope Dr Evil Evil won’t mind too much.

Imaginary Enemy

Ahmed knew most children had imaginary friends rather than enemies, but he had the Purple Menace. He was much better than an imaginary friend. He was so tiny he couldn’t be seen and he could run through drains or electric cables. Best of all he had laser eyes. Luckily Ahmed’s fingers shot anti-lasers which always beat the Purple Menace’s red glowing eyes.

There were some bad things about always being ready for battle though, Ahmed had to admit. He got told off by his mum every day on the way to school for being slow. He was only slow because he had to jump on every metal manhole cover he saw on the pavement to stop the Purple Menace popping up and shooting him. His mum sighed.

‘Forget the daydreams and get a move on Ahmed.’

Playtime was all right because he could look out for the Purple Menace and shoot him while he was playing tag. In fact it made him quite good at tag because he had to swerve and dodge so much he was hardly ever ‘it’.

In lessons, however, the Purple Menace did get him into trouble.

‘Ahmed, Ahmed! Will you answer me?’

‘Err, what was the question again Miss Wilson?’ Ahmed said guiltily, looking away from the computer cable he was sure the Purple Menace was skittering through.

‘Enough daydreaming. Get on with your work.’ Miss Wilson said. Ahmed thought she could do with being a bit more inventive; she must’ve said that at least a thousand times a day.

Ahmed never ate all his packed lunch. He had to dive under the table and shoot anti-lasers at the Purple Menace too often. He got shouted at for being too long when he went to the toilet in lesson time. He had to defend himself from the Purple Menace popping out of the taps. That was tricky fighting because the little villain kept popping in and out of the taps, and there were six of them. Ahmed always got him in the end but Miss Wilson was never very happy.

There was one good thing about having an imaginary enemy at school; that was in English class. Ahmed had absolutely loads of exciting stories to write thanks to the Purple Menace. An imaginary friend would have been boring, but with an imaginary enemy Ahmed was a superhero fighting the villain and saving the town, or the school, or his friends. So many dangerous shooting matches and daring rescues. Such exciting chases. Miss Wilson loved his stories and told him he was very imaginative. His friends ‘Oohed’ and ‘Aahed’ whenever he read his stories out.

Daydream boy always saved the day with his amazing anti lasers and sent the Purple Menace away shaking his fists and vowing to return one day.