I lived in San Antonio when I was little. I remember running around in the yard behind a white picket fence. There may've been burglar bars on many of the windows in the neighborhood I lived in, but at the time, that was the least of my concerns. I cared far more about the next My Little Pony doll or unicorn plush I could get next, as my parents pampered and spoiled me. I still remember my favorite outfit, too.
I had these little black tie-up dress shoes, white leggings, a pink tutu and a giant pink parka (it never really got cold enough for me to need it) that I wore whenever I got the chance to. My parents let me wear almost anything I wanted to, so long as I was covered up well enough to be decent. I was four or so, so my dad always tied my shoes for me, but quite often, they'd come untied. I really did get sick of running up to him and pointing to my shoes and putting on the pout. But I remember one night, when it got pretty late and I kept waking up out of my little twin-sized bed, I looked out the window.
Out in my yard, I saw a little girl in a yellow dress jumping rope. Why was she dressed for Easter in August? She appeared to be about six. Her hair was a very dark brown. She looked like she could've been half Hispanic. She looked very happy, but I just had to stare. What was she doing in our yard? I knew my dad had closed and locked the gate. Without thinking, I went outside. The doorknob was a little hard to reach, but I had a stool for that. Stepping out in my footy pajamas, I just approached the girl.
"Why are you up so late?" She stared at me and giggled.
"I don't have to go to sleep."
"Why not?"
"You don't have to sleep when you're like me."
At the time, I had no concept of ghosts. I didn't ask any questions, so I just smiled.
"Well, can I be like you, too?"
"I don't think your mom and dad would be happy." I still didn't understand, but I just nodded.
"What's your name?"
"Oh, my name is Emily."
At that point, I heard my parents call for me. I knew my rear end would be beaten red. I swiftly waved and ran back into the open door.
"Who were you talking to, sweetie?" My mother asked me. I was just glad it wasn't my dad. He would've spanked the heck out of me.
"Oh. I was talking to Emily."
"Okay, sweetie," Mom was always nice about things like that. "Good night, Emily, it's time for my little girl to go to bed!"
When I looked out the window, I didn't see her any more. Did my mom calling for me scare her away? I hoped not. I wanted to see her again. After I went to bed, it wasn't hard for me to fall asleep. I had a dream where Emily and I were running through a field of Black-eyed Susans playing tag. I slept very soundly. When I woke up, I could smell breakfast cooking.
"I heard you made a friend last night. Could you try to make friends a little earlier?" My dad gave a jovial smile. I just smiled back. I couldn't help how late she showed up.
"Okay, daddy," I said agreeably. I had two tiny pancakes and a few of those tiny sausages. I loved those. My father went off to work and at about eleven, after my little tea party (even though I just had juice) with stuffed animals, I went outside to play. I was wearing my favorite little tie up shoes, and my mom was busy and my dad was at work.
Surprisingly, I turned around and Emily was right there. I was happy to see her. I smiled widely. She did notice I was staring at my shoes, though. Hers weren't much different. She leaned downward and untied hers and tied them again slowly so I could do it step by step. After that, we just chased each other around the yard. Soon, I saw my mom staring out the window, seeming a little confused. When it was time for dinner, she called me in.
