Six-year-old Meera had just moved to Chennai from a small town in Assam. Everything was different — the language, the food, the weather, the people. She missed her old home desperately.

She had no friends yet. The children at school spoke Tamil, which Meera didn’t understand. She felt like she was on a different planet.

So Meera created an imaginary friend. She called her Tara.

Tara had long braids, sparkly eyes, and could do magic! Only Meera could see her.

“Don’t be sad, Meera!” Tara would say. “I’m here! Let’s play!”

Every day after school, Meera would sit in her room and talk to Tara. They played pretend games — flying to the moon, swimming with dolphins, having tea parties with teddy bears.

“Who are you talking to?” asked Mummy, concerned.

“My friend Tara! She’s sitting right there!” said Meera, pointing to an empty chair.

Mummy was a little worried but didn’t say anything. She understood that Meera was lonely.

One day, a girl named Kavitha sat next to Meera in class. Kavitha spoke English AND Tamil.

“Hi! I’m Kavitha. You’re from Assam, right? That’s so cool! Do you know any Assamese songs?”

Meera was surprised. Someone was talking to her! In English!

“Y-yes! I know a song about the Brahmaputra river!” said Meera shyly.

“Teach me! I’ll teach you a Tamil song in return!” said Kavitha.

That afternoon, Meera and Kavitha sang songs, shared their tiffins (Kavitha had idli, Meera had pitha), and laughed until their stomachs hurt.

When Meera got home, she went to her room. “Tara?” she called out.

But Tara didn’t appear. The empty chair was just… an empty chair.

Meera smiled. She didn’t feel sad about it. She realized something: “Tara came when I needed her. Now I have Kavitha — a REAL friend!”

That night, Meera wrote in her diary: “Thank you, Tara, for keeping me company when I was alone. You were my bridge between old friends and new ones. Imagination saved me until reality caught up.”

Mummy read the diary entry and wiped a tear. “My brave, creative little girl,” she whispered.

And Meera? She never forgot Tara. But she didn’t need her anymore. Because now she had Kavitha, and two other friends, and a school she finally called home.