The Boy Who Wasn't Real

Jaiden Hiegsburd sat cross-legged on his bedroom floor, a deck of cards spread in front of him like evidence in a failed experiment. He inhaled. "Okay. Jaiden. Focus. Just… don't mess it up." He messed it up immediately. The first card launched upward, smacked the ceiling fan, and sent the rest of the deck exploding into the air. Cards rained down across the room. It looked less like a magic trick and more like a warning. "NO WHY COME ON!" Jaiden scrambled after them, tripping over his blanket and sliding across the floor. "I practiced this for three days!" He caught the last card, collapsed flat on his back, and stared at the ceiling. "I'm the worst magician on the planet," he muttered. Not dramatically. Just factually. His room was dim, lit only by a moon-shaped night-light. Outside, fog pressed thickly against the window, curling unnaturally close to the glass. Jaiden rubbed his eyes. "Why can't I do anything right…?" The temperature dropped. The fog slipped inside without sound, spreading across the floor like it had always belonged there. Shadows stretched too long. The air felt heavy. Jaiden sat up. "…Hello?" A low sound rolled through the room. Not a growl. Not a sigh. Something between annoyance and interest. The fog gathered, condensed, and took shape. Ears. A muzzle. Broad shoulders. A tail flicking behind it. A wolf made of smoke and pale light stood in the center of the room. It stared at him. Jaiden swallowed. "Uh. Hi." The wolf blinked. "Oh, calm down," it said. "If I were here to hurt you, you wouldn't have time to scream." Jaiden screamed anyway. Cards flew again as he flailed backward. "YOU YOU TALK WHAT ?!" The wolf tilted its head. "You panic very efficiently." "HEY!" "Good," the wolf continued. "You're verbal. That simplifies things." "THERE IS A FOG WOLF IN MY ROOM." The wolf sniffed the air. "Strong emotions. Weak confidence. Playing cards everywhere." A pause. "Yes. Accidental summoning." "I DID NOT SUMMON YOU," Jaiden yelled. "I FAILED AT SHUFFLING AND CRIED." "Same result." Jaiden pressed his hands to his face. "This is a stress hallucination." "No," the wolf said calmly. "You made me." Jaiden peeked through his fingers. "…Do you have a name?" The wolf paused. "No. You do." Jaiden's brain stalled. "O–Okay. Claw… Claude… Clawdine?" The wolf's tail flicked once. "Clawdine," he repeated. "Acceptable." Jaiden exhaled shakily. Clawdine stepped closer not touching, just uncomfortably near. "You're noisy when distressed. Noted." "WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!" Clawdine's eyes gleamed. "This is already entertaining." Jaiden woke up the next morning convinced it had all been a dream. The ceiling was normal. The cards were still everywhere. The night-light still glowed. At the foot of his bed. The fog-wolf was curled up, asleep. Jaiden froze. "H HEY!" Clawdine lifted his head lazily. "Morning." "WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" "This area was unused." "IT'S MY BED." "Yes," Clawdine agreed. "That's why it's convenient." Jaiden kicked the blanket in panic. His foot went straight through Clawdine. He screamed. Clawdine yawned. "You're very loud for someone who already knows this won't work." "I AM NOT A MAGICIAN!" "You summoned me." "I HELD CARDS AND HAD A BREAKDOWN!" "Effective method." Jaiden made a noise of pure frustration.