Imaginary friend

I thought our little Maltese poodle was lying nearby, while I was working at my desk in the basement. I could see his furry, five-pound body out of the corner of my eye, curled up on the carpet. I went on typing and felt comforted by his presence. I was wearing my noise-canceling headphones, but I didn’t worry because I knew Asher (the dog’s name) would bark if he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I stepped away from my desk to take a break, knelt down, and crawled over to the dog. But as I extended my hand to scratch his belly, he lay motionless. Then I realized ... it was a stuffed squirrel, one of Asher’s toys, that had been lying there the whole time.