I don’t usually talk about Jack.

I am James. I lived with my parents, and with Susan my sister and Michael my brother. I was the youngest. While our parents were at work, Susan and Michael went to school and I went to Mrs Gibbs’ house. She lived up the road and took in a number of little children in the daytime. She was pretty busy. I can’t remember now much about how we spent our time there. It’s over thirty years ago, after all. We had our meals there, and we watched television - Bill and Ben the Flowerpot Men, Andy Pandy. Showing my age, aren’t I?

Mum collected us on her way home. As soon as we got in, she had a lot to do, getting dinner for our dad. Michael had homework to do. I was bathed and sent to bed before dad got in. She didn’t have time to read me a story. Sometimes Susan came in and read, and sometimes she didn’t. When she did, she would read too quickly, and she didn’t give me time to look at the pictures She was bossy and impatient. I preferred it when she didn’t come. I would look at the books myself, and make up the story. That’s when Jack would come. We looked at the pictures together. Sometimes he told me the story, and sometimes I would tell it to him.

Jack was the same age as me and he liked the same things. After I started school, he was there at weekends, as well as in the evening. We went for walks, and we went fishing. We had a favourite tree, a hollow oak that had died long ago. We would sit in the branches and look out over the long grass. We sat very still and watched birds and squirrels and the insects that crawled or buzzed all around us. We talked about how we would go to sea when we were grown up, and visit strange places, deserts, mountains, the cold places where the polar bears lived. We would fly aeroplanes, go up in hot air balloons, or even a space ship. We would be explorers of new worlds.

After my dad left home, Mum was even busier, and never had time to play or talk. Susan was always round at her friend’s houses. They used to do each other’s hair a lot, and play at being big girls with boy friends. They wanted to be pop stars or models. I thought all that was boring. Michael was much older. He used to go down to the town and hang around Macdonald's, and make rude remarks at the girls walking past. The girls would scream and pretend to be offended, but actually they enjoyed it.

Mum was very tired at times. She just wanted us to give her a break. She thought I ought to have more friends. ‘I worry about you. You’re a loner, that’s what you are.’

I said, ‘But I talk to Jack. He climbs trees with me and we go fishing together.’

‘Jack? Do I know him? Is he one of the boys in your class?’ She didn’t understand about Jack, and I knew Michael and Susan would say I was nuts. So I never mentioned him again.

In fact I never mentioned anything to them, or to Mum. I only talked to Jack. He was the only one who had time for me. He always listened. I said to him, ‘I know you will never tell anyone about what we do or where we go. You will always keep my secrets.’

And he agreed that he would. ‘It’s easy, ‘he said, ‘because no one knows I’m there. No one sees me or hears me. I don’t have anything else to do.’

I realised then that Jack could come and live in our house, with our family, all the time - and no one would know but me. He thought it was a great idea. ‘I’ll come tonight, ‘he said, ‘and I’ll be there all the time.’

After supper the doorbell rang. Michael answered it. ‘No one there,’ he said, ‘some idiot kids fooling about.’

A little later it rang again. I ran to answer it. It was Jack. ‘I’ve come to stay for twenty years at least!’ he said.

‘Who was it?’ asked Michael.

‘Some kids messing about.’ I said. Jack roared with laughter but no one heard him but me.

Jack is still there for me, all these years later. I never tell anyone about him. People would think I was nuts.