I found this strange news article while researching for one of my university projects. I tried to contact the newspaper, but I found out it didn’t exist. None of the journalists or editors had any register or documents or evidence they even existed whatsoever.
I also tried to look into the police and justice archives, and in reports from other newspapers that were distributed in the city of [REDACTED] during that time, to no avail. Also, the article references several institutions or people that technically do not exist.
Names and locations were changed or censored for safety. I do hope this is a hoax or a creative writing project wrongfully stored in the library archives, but it kind of scared me.
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Oct 20th, 1975
Yesterday, the Lower State Court of [REDACTED] convicted author Charles McRay of reckless endangerment, thirty assisted homicides, four assisted manslaughters of police officers, two hundred aggravated assaults and three severe infanticides. District Attorney Evelyn Zao declared that “McRay willingly created conditions that allowed for children to be hurt or killed, even if we cannot comprehend how exactly he did this.” The jury has decided that Charles McRay is indeed guilty of these criminal offenses, to which the judge has condemned him to be executed via electric chair “as soon as it is feasible”. McRay’s defense declared they would appeal the verdict, saying: “This decision is outrageously unconstitutional and severely endangers the freedoms of not only McRay but all Americans.”
After the session was over, Charles McRay was allowed to speak to the press. After being questioned what he thought about the decision, he said: “It is saddening, really. I have been convicted of killing children, but all I did was pen a book. If I really did this, I never had the intention. I was just trying to make them happy, you know? I don’t know how this happened. I’m a fifty-five year old Christian, married and have two kids, how could I do that? I never practiced dark magic or reality warping as some of them at the accusation said. And now they wanna fry me? For what? Writing a children’s book? They haven’t found a single proof that my book had somehow caused all these tragedies!”
Charles McRay is now awaiting for his appeal to be accepted by the Superior State Court of [REDACTED], if it is rejected, he will be executed possibly next summer. McRay was arrested half a year ago and put on house arrest after the [The following two lines are unintelligible]. The police appointed that McRay’s book “Your New Imaginary Friend!”, published by Delta Books in 1964, had somehow been the cause of the mysterious acts of violence. All copies of the book have been recalled and in some cities burned by the authorities. Sources said that the FBI 29th Department is working to assess the damages made in a national level by the book.
One of our reporters said she had been able to read partially one copy of the book before the incident, a few years ago. The story was apparently a manual on how to create and take care of your imaginary friend.
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Update: After looking for it for quite some time, I was able to obtain one of the copies of “Your New Imaginary Friend!” in Ebay. The book was old, dirty, dusty and looked like it had been sitting in the corner of a messy room for years. I’ll be reading it when I feel brave enough. I just need to be careful so my 7-year old doesn’t find it.