My ‘Imaginary Friend’ Wasn’t Human

People often talk about kids having “imaginary friends,” and a lot of parents seem to have stories about strange things their children used to see or talk to.

But what if the “friend” wasn’t another child?

When I was around 2–3 years old, my parents and my uncle all swear that I used to see a lion.

Apparently, there were multiple incidents involving it.

One of the stories my mom still tells is how I’d randomly come up to her asking for biscuits not just for myself, but for my “lion friend” too.

It apparently went something like this:

Me: “Mom, can I have biscuits?”

Mom: “Okay.”
hands me some

Me: “For my lion friend too?”

Mom: “Your what?”

Me: pointing seriously beside me “My lion friend. He’s here.”

My mom says what freaked her out wasn’t what I said, but how serious I was while saying it. I was apparently a very playful, giggly kid who could never keep a straight face, but during moments like these, I’d speak so casually and confidently, like it was completely normal.

At one point, my mom finally decided to ask me more about this “lion friend.” She asked me who he was and what he did. And apparently, I answered very seriously, saying, “He’s nice to me. He plays ball with me and then he goes home at night.”

There were other incidents too.

My parents would hear me laughing in another room like someone was actively playing with me and they said it sounded different from the way I laughed while watching cartoons or TV. It sounded more interactive, like I was genuinely responding to someone. They’d come to check on me, and whenever they asked what I was laughing at, I’d casually say, “My lion friend is making me laugh.”

I’m an only child.

Sometimes they’d also see me rolling a ball back and forth with “someone.” And I’d often ask for extra food “for the lion,” which was weird because I that was way beyond my usual appetite yet there would barely be any leftovers.

The creepiest part is that all three of them, my mom, dad, and uncle still remember it clearly to this day and fully stand by it whenever it comes up.

I obviously don’t remember any of this myself, but hearing them all recall the exact same details years later still gives me chills.