My older sister had a playmate named Ponteen when she was very small. Ponteen lived in the corner of the kitchen along with a broom and mop.
I always had real friends. I didn’t have time for make-believe ones. Little Sister had to amuse herself when the two older ones were in school. She was very good at it and invented a whole tribe of playmates. She had a bird, too. Its name was Fi-ji.
Then there was one of the playmates. She was a scapegoat, too. ‘Linda’ took the blame for lots of things. Oh, she was handy to have around! We didn’t have enough chairs for Linda and her cohorts, so rather often, especially at supper time, we would have to shoo them out of the kitchen so the rest of us could eat.
After a long time, these playmates were phased out. When Mother realized she hadn’t heard Linda mentioned for days and days, she asked Little Sister about Linda. The reply was a bit surprising: Linda had moved to California! However, Linda had good transportation. On several occasions when her services were needed, she made a quick trip back to Indiana.
Mother had never heard the bird’s name in any other connection until one Christmas, Little Sister, Daddy, and she went to Florida. They had Christmas dinner with a cousin who had a dog named Fi-ji. He was spoiled as much as Sister’s bird!
Did Fi-ji go to California with Linda? You have to get an answer from Little Sister. Only she knew all the details.