The Medium Kid

Chapter 41

Koda kept running, turning down road after road until he neared the end of the town. He didn't slow down until his insides begged him to stop. Koda was very out of breath as he neared the graveyard. He didn't stop moving until he fell to his knees in front of a black marble gravestone. Koda clutched the grass, staring painfully at the name: Enya Oaks.

Enya lay peacefully next to her father, Koda's grandfather. The cemetery itself was small and tranquil, home to many of the deceased, old and young. Enya's grave was littered with all kinds of flowers and Koda watched through his tears as they wilted and died in minutes, turning from soft bright petals to distorted and crumpled skeletons. Nobody was around to see what he was doing to them, but Koda felt very exposed.

"Why didn't you tell me, mum?" Koda asked through weak sobs. "About what was happening to me?" Koda crossed his legs and hid his face with his hands. He hadn't yet found the strength to visit his mother, not since her funeral. What Alfie had said about the souls restoring to health once separated from the body made it easier to picture his mother in a box in the ground. Koda's mother was no longer struggling with an addiction, she no longer battled with the darkness in her mind.

Koda shook his head. Even in death, Enya battled with another issue, her murder. He wished for her to be rid of the horrors that dragged her through life. Nothing could settle until Alfie was able to send Enya off to a place that remained unknown to the living.

Even though dealing with a mother's death felt like a lot, Koda had to deal with his estranged relationship with a father who he thought didn't love him anymore. Morlen, for years, had cut their bond into tiny little pieces and let them blow away to an unreachable place. Now, a forceful wind had been whistling through their home, replacing the bond piece by piece. Koda didn't want his dad to fix their relationship because of guilt. He wanted his father to mend it because he cared.

Koda shivered despite the sun beating down on him. He wasn't aware that his mother's ghost sat in front of him with her back rested against her headstone. She longed to wipe the tears from his face, praying for the happiness to find him again.

"You and your father need better friends," Enya whispered despite him not being able to hear. "You need a fresh start with people who will help you grow and make you smile." Enya knew she used to be the core of their dysfunctional home life. If she wasn't so caught up on the drugs, Morlen might not have been so miserable and angry, and Koda might have felt the love he deserved from his parents. "Alfie will teach you how to love again. I'm so sorry that I failed you. I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry mum, I should've worked harder to get you help," Koda muffled into his palms.

"A child should never have to fix a mother's poisoned mind. I should never have burdened you like this."

"I still can't believe you're gone." Koda lifted his head, feeling the misery weighing it down. Clouds started to hide the blue sky, dimming his eyes even more. Koda was going to reach forward to move some leaves from his mother's grave until his palms tingled and his head started spinning. His gaze caught something perched on top of his grandfather's headstone, watching him with a tilted head.

A dove.

* * * * *

After Alfie's last client, he barely had the strength to move from his office. The side of his head was rested flat against the table with arms drooped by his side. His black velvet chair had never felt so comfortable. He could feel himself drifting when three loud knocks startled him enough to make him gasp.

"What?" Alfie barked before the door opened. His father leaned against the doorway with a smile. "What're you still doing here? It's late."

"I stayed until your last client to make sure you got to bed safely."