Imaginary Friends (short story)

"Imaginary Friends" is a 1991 fantasy short story by Terry Brooks, and was an early "prototype/precursor" of what would later become the Shannara series. It was published as part of Unfettered, which is a collection of fantasy short stories that Brooks contributed to, the proceeds of which went to his friend and editor of the book, Shawn Speakman's "considerable medical bills."

Plot summary
Jack is a normal 13-year-old boy living with his parents in a house near a park forest. The story begins with Jack being diagnosed with a blood disorder, like leukemia. A flashback reveals that when he was 6 years old he stumbled and fell while playing in his sand box, hitting his head. He then sees his dog barking at something and goes into the forest to investigate, despite having been told by his parents not to go into the forest. When he approaches the dog, he sees that he is barking at a tiny, strangely dressed creature. The creature says he is a wood elf named Pick. Jack chases the dog off and frees Pick from the brush he had become entangled in. Pick then shrinks Jack down to his size and they go for a ride on Pick's owl, Daniel. Jack sees the entire forest from above, and Pick points out a troll under the bridge. He also shows Jack a tree where a dragon named Desperado is being imprisoned. They land and Jack hears his mom call him, he turns to look and when he turns back Pick is gone. Later he searches for the tree where Desperado is imprisoned, and the troll, but finds nothing. He tells his mother about it, but she says that it is normal for kids his age to have imaginary friends, and that he should keep them to himself.

Later, after his medical diagnosis, he tells his friend Waddy that he has been given 6 months to live, but Waddy tells him that he’ll probably beat the cancer. That night, unable to sleep, Jack hears someone calling for him outside. He runs outside, but trips over the dog and falls off the porch, bumping his head again. He then runs into the forest and finds Pick locked in a cage hanging from the troll bridge, but the troll is gone. Pick tells Jack that the troll has gone to release Desperado from his prison and that he must stop him. Jack runs to the tree and picks up a trash can lid and branch that magically become a shield and sword. The troll is lying on the ground, burnt. The dragon is huge and is made up of all Jack's doubt, fears and sickness. He runs from him, but the dragon is everywhere he turns. Finally he resolves to fight the dragon and beats it back into its prison. He then awakes in the hospital, where his parents tell him they found him lying outside unconscious. During his stay, more tests are run and they find that all traces of the cancer are gone. Waddy tells Jack he knew he would beat it, but Jack knows that it was defeating the dragon that destroyed the sickness.

Characters

 * Jack: a 13-year-old boy, recently diagnosed with cancer and given 6 months to live
 * Waddy: Jack’s best friend
 * Pick: a tiny wood elf
 * Desperado: a dragon trapped by magic in a tree in the park forest

Reception
Sylas K. Barrett of Reactor writes "both traditional fairy tales and many modern children’s stories are designed to teach lessons to children, lessons about greed, or not trusting strangers, or how to face the trials of growing up. They can also provide tools to help children face those trials, and that is clearly what Brooks designed “Imaginary Friends" to do."