JimJim is sitting on his bed. He is in timeout for the seventh time this week. It's only Tuesday. He might make it up to twenty timeouts before the week is over. That would be a record. This might be the biggest timeout week ever for JimJim.

JimJim just sits there. He is bored. He looks like he is pouting but he isn't. He is only thinking. "How do I end up in timeout so much? There should be a trophy for the most times in timeout. I would definitely win that trophy."

JimJim scratches the side of his nose. He asks himself, "Why is it called timeout? It feels like time-in. I'm in my room and not outside playing ball. It should be called time-in."

JimJim hears a voice. It is a low whisper. "JimJim, my good friend, we need to talk."

JimJim feels a little shiver. He looks slowly around his room. He thinks, "Who is talking to me? I'm not going to be scared or any of that baby stuff. This is my room. I'm sitting on my bed. There isn't anyone else in this room."

It feels very strange. It's weird talking when there isn't anyone around. JimJim does not usually talk to himself. This is just too weird.

He whispers, "I hear you. You are trying to trick me. You can't trick me. Where are you hiding? Come out so I can see you."

"I'm behind you. Turn around and say, 'Hello' back to me."

JimJim can't decide what to do. Will he turn around and look? Maybe he will pull his blanket over his head and hide.

Very carefully, JimJim looks behind himself. "This is way too weird," he thinks. "There is no one here. I'm the only person in my room. There is no one else here."

"I'm back here. We need to talk."

JimJim definitely hears the voice but there is no one there.

"I'm right here."

JimJim feels another shiver. It feels strange to answer a voice when there is no one there. He takes a deep breath and whispers, "Where are you? I can hear you but I can't see you. Where are you hiding?"

"I'm right here. You are looking at me. What do you see?"

"I only see a poster on my wall. That is impossible. There isn't supposed to be any poster on my wall. I don't even have a poster. It can't be on my wall, no way."

"There is definitely a poster on your wall. I'm right smack in the center of it. Watch me. I'm talking to you."

JimJim stares at the poster. There it is. There is a poster stuck to his wall. There isn't supposed to be a poster on his wall.

JimJim watches for a while. He asks, "What are you doing? Are you talking? I can see your lips moving."

"You are soooo smart. I'm definitely talking. You can see my lips move. It's me talking to you right now. Let me introduce myself. I'm PosterGuy. I'm your new best friend. I'm the guy who is going to tell you some stuff you need to know. You need to know this stuff because you don't want to spend the rest of your life in timeout. You don't want to be in timeout every day forever, do you?"

JimJim feels another shiver inside. He tells himself that he is going to be brave. No PosterGuy is going to scare him.

A pale purple shadow floats across JimJim's face. It's there but he does not notice it. That is definitely strange. JimJim says, "Who said you can come into my room without asking? Who told you to stick yourself on my wall? You can't just come into my room without knocking. This is my room. You can't just come in here and start talking."

JimJim stops talking. The Purple shadow drifts away. JimJim's mouth drops open. He can't believe what he sees. The poster on his wall rolls itself up. It slips down to the floor. It rolls over to JimJim's bed. It rolls up onto his bed. It unrolls itself. PosterGuy pops off the poster. He sits on JimJim's bed. He is right there beside him.

PosterGuy says, "I get really tired of being in that poster. It's pretty cool getting to come out and do some timeouting with you. Do you have a minute? I would like to shake your hand. I used to be quite a timeouter myself. I could never keep up with you, no way, not even close. The most I ever did was nine timeouts in a week. You will pass my record this week, for sure, no doubt about it. It's a treat to meet you, JimJim, my new best friend."