[Cassini90125]

Originally Posted by Lynnie

*gasp* Frankie had an imaginary friend?

Originally Posted by Mac-a-lacka

Could this "Miri" be a long-lost imaginary friend of Frankie's?

Originally Posted by xxxClaire

Wow, so Frankie does have an imaginary friend?

Originally Posted by jekylljuice

This is based upon something Craig told you, you say?

The answer that you seek can be found below. The story you are reading is mine but it was inspired by what Craig McCracken told me at Comic-Con 2008. Exactly what he told me will be posted in the Frankie Discussion Thread fairly soon.

Foster's Valley - "The Search Begins"

"Miri... Miri..." Frankie whispered. The description Tamara had given her was a perfect match. Could it really be her, after all this time?
"Miri... Miri..." The whisper turned to a scream. "MIRI!!!" She ran to catch up with a very startled Tamara Kalson. "Tamara! Where did you last see her? Where? When? Tell me!"



"Whoa, calm down," Tamara responded. "I saw her at Whitesand Hot Springs, about noon yesterday. How do you know her name is Miri?"
"Because she's my Imaginary Friend!" Frankie called out as she raced away.

Frankie returned to the hotel two hours later, exhausted from tearing Whitesand Hot Springs apart, desperately searching for any signs of Miri, any clue as to where she had gone. Nothing. She went to bed both excited and upset, vowing to start searching again the moment the sun rose. So close, she thought; so many years without a sign, so many futile searches by her and Wilt and Madame Foster, and now out of the blue Miri turns up on this island... "I won't lose you," Frankie whispered as she drifted off to sleep. Her voice was tinged with steely resolve. "Not again. Not this time."

True to her word, she was awake at dawn. A fast shower was followed by an even faster breakfast. Where to start searching? Where could Miri be hiding? She needed some advice from one of the residents, someone who knew the island a lot better than she did. Seawater Beach Paradise was nearby; she decided to start there, where she soon ran into Jim Reeves:



"Jim!" She called out. "Hey got a minute?"
"Of course," Jim replied. "This is about your missing Imaginary Friend, I presume?"
"Yes. How'd you know?"
"I stopped by the hotel with a delivery last night and spoke with Tamara. I missed you by only a few minutes."
"Oh. Look, I need to talk with someone who knows this place better than I do. You've lived here all your life, right?"
"True, but I travel frequently. Come; my friend Talin works with the archeological survey. He knows the island as well as anyone."
Frankie met Talin a few moments later and explained her problem to him.
"I've seen her a few times," Talin said. "She's been watching the archeologists dig, always from a distance, often hiding in the bushes. It's hard to approach her, no doubt because of the incident with the social worker."
"Huh? What incident?"
"It was a few days before you arrived. A social worker - I don't recall her name - tried to catch her and put her in foster care. Your Imaginary Friend bit her."
Frankie stared at Talin in wonder:



"Miri bit her??" She almost laughed. "Yeah, I can see her doing that. She was occasionally a little feisty." She grew serious again. "Where could she be hiding, thought?"
Talin thought for a moment. "Have you tried the wreck of the Emerald Gale?"
"Never heard of it. There was a shipwreck here?"
"Yes. It's an old pirate vessel that beached itself here after a storm dragged it up from the seafloor several years ago. It's in pretty good shape, all things considered. We use it as a tourist attraction but there are a lot of places onboard where a child-sized Imaginary Friend could hide."
"I'll look everywhere I can, anywhere I have to. Where is it?"
"South End Beach, less than a mile from here."
Okay. Thanks so much, I really appreciate this!" Frankie smiled as she left.

Frankie arrived at the beach soon thereafter and sure enough, there was indeed a wrecked ship on the beach:



"Sheesh, this thing is big," she muttered as she approached the centuries-old vessel:



She thought it might not be a bad idea to get a look at the surrounding area, see if there were other places that Miri might be hiding. The rope ladder leading to the crow's nest wasn't easy to climb and it swayed back and forth as she ascended but eventually she made it to the top and began to survey the land:



The view was spectacular, even moreso as the overcast skies cleared:



But this wasn't what she was looking for. A beautiful view, sure, but it would have to wait for another day. Back down the swaying ladder she went and she began to search the ship for signs of her Imaginary Friend. From stem to stern she searched but found nothing. Had she missed a spot? Not that she could see. Only the captain's cabin was left:



Into the darkness she went, exploring, searching... she heard a noise, turned, and a moment later everyone outside heard a loud shriek as Frankie ran out as fast as she could:



"What happened? What's going on?" asked the other tourists, alarmed by her screaming. Frankie paused to catch her breath. She turned, pointing wild-eyed back towards the captain's cabin, and shuddered. One word crossed her lips:



"Ghost."

(To be continued...)