I'm a 32 year old mother raising a 4 year old boy by myself. My son Caleb struggles with respiratory conditions made worse by the rampant pollution in my home city. His health got so bad this year that I was forced to move us out to an isolated country house surrounded by dense woodlands. The doctors told me that as long as he takes his prescriptions daily and avoids excessive physical activity he should be ok in the long term.

The problem however, is Caleb's imaginary friend, Tobias. Before we moved here, he had a few imaginary friends I would occasionally hear him talking to. He was a lonely kid, so I figured it was natural for him to make some mental friends. But as soon as we moved he stopped talking to them. I asked him why and he told me that "Tobias" didn't want him to talk to them anymore.

This was a pretty creepy response, but kids say all kinds of weird things. I didn't think much of it and let him be. He went back to his normal behavior after a while. But then one day he suddenly started talking about Tobias again. This time he seemed very excited when he talked about his new imaginary friend.

"Tobias is really big and strong!" Caleb said, happily. "He has reeaaally long arms!"

I tried hard to keep the smile on my face as he went on, but the more he told me the more it sounded like he was describing some kind of demon. But, whatever right? He's a 4 year old with an active imagination, there's nothing weird about that. I rationalised my uncomfort as well as I could but I still flinched whenever I heard him sitting upstairs chatting away.

They would play together almost every day and Caleb would tell me all about their adventures. Tobias loved to take him all around the house, exploring and trying new things. Caleb would gush all about the dead rat they found under the deck, or the spider's nest in the corner of his room. It all seemed really strange. I mean, not so much that I could really take action, but enough to unsettle me even more. My suspicions around Tobias grew.

A few weeks ago Caleb took a turn for the worse. His coughing became more frequent, and he barely had any energy. The doctors advised me again to keep his physical activity down, and I tried my best. But every time I'd put him in bed, he'd be out again running around his room. His excuse was always the same.

"It was Toby's idea!"

It got worse from there. The adventures of Caleb and Tobias became...darker. The real wakeup call for me was when I found him opening a window that led to the roof. I pulled him down as he protested. In tears he shouted at me how Tobias told him to, that there was a secret up there and I had to let him see it. After hearing that, I have to admit I lost my cool.

I shouted at Caleb that I didn't want to hear anything about Tobias, and demanded he stop talking to him. I was sick of this stupid "imaginary friend" putting my son in harm's way. I expected Caleb to be angry, or sad but when I looked into his big brown eyes all I could see was fear.

That hit me hard, I never wanted to make him afraid and I shouldn't have reacted so angrily. I began to apologise for my outburst when he started muttering under his breath. The words were soft and quiet and I couldn't quite understand what he was saying. I lent in closer and listened.

"Please don't take her."

Caleb repeated this over and over again. Then it hit me. He wasn't afraid of me. He was afraid FOR me. My skin pricked up in fear and I hugged Caleb tightly.

"Nobody is gonna take me honey, I'm here, I love you."

He hugged me back and began to cry.

"I don't wanna play with Toby anymore..." He whimpered.

I reassured him that he didn't have to play with him, that I'd make him go away. That seemed to calm him and I was able to get him back to sleep, although he did sleep in my bed that night.

After that Caleb stopped talking to Tobias. That came as a huge relief to me. His health started to improve and eventually he could leave the house without fear. But I never lost the feeling that something was still with us.

A few days ago I was in the bathroom for my regular morning routine when I heard a loud tap in front of me. I looked into the mirror; no reflection. An invisible hand closed over my mouth, and a chill ran down my spine.

“Shhhhhh. We have so much to talk about.” Came a raspy voice.

I turned around. There was no one there. Spinning back to face the mirror I saw my reflection again and everything was normal. Unsure what to do next, I stood frozen in place for a while. I had just met Toby for the first time. Now I knew for a fact there was something going on.

My son has been missing since yesterday.

It was a Sunday. Caleb had gone outside to play and I was cleaning the kitchen. I had just finished washing the dishes when I heard him scream. I rushed out to find him standing in the middle of the backyard, looking around in confusion. I called his name and he turned to look at me.

"I don't wanna go..." He said in a fearful tone.

I felt a cold and sharp hand on my shoulder and turned around. Behind me was a towering black creature with long arms and huge white eyes. His mouth was a twisted smile made of fangs. Tobias.

Everything went black. I woke up in the yard covered in rain. Caleb and Tobias were nowhere to be seen. I scoured the house and nearby woodlands, but I haven't seen him since. I think my reflection went with him. Thing that stares back at me now clearly isn't human.