by Aki_kaze
“Is it hard?” Sam shuffled next to him, looking at the homework. His eyebrows knitted. “They taught you this stuff?”
“It’s not that hard. You will get it if you pay attention in class.”
The spirit looked at him in disbelief.
“I did. But it was not the same when it came to exam.”
“Did you go to the same school as mine?” Keith asked. There were only few schools around here.
“Nah. I went to the one near Parklane. Over the park. Yours is in different direction. And bigger,” the blonde added, “I’d lived here before. Of course, I know.”
“I should visit your school some time.”
“Nothing interesting there,” Sam blurted out. Keith was startled.
“Fine. I won’t,” he said.
That was unusual of Sam, which further fueled his curiosity. But he wouldn’t risk their friendship for it.
“I will go get some snack. It might help jump-start my brain.”
Sam looked like he wanted to protest because he had just got up here. But Keith didn’t care and went out. Sam had no other choice but to follow him downstairs again. Sam still talked to him, but Keith wouldn’t talk back. Maybe the boy knew there was someone in the kitchen. The conversation then was one-sided, but they both got used to it.
Keith pulled a jelly out from the refrigerator and placed it on the dining table. He heard the TV noise and Hector and Diane’s voices coming vaguely from the living room.
“Is it tasty?” the spirit asked, eyes fixed on a piece of red jelly on the spoon which Keith was putting into his mouth. It made Keith feel guilty, so he looked away.
“How dare you look away from me?”
Sam appeared right before him.
“What will you have me do then?” he asked, “you’re staring at me like this. I can’t help feeling bad.”
“Oh? So, it’s me. I’m the one who makes you feel bad. I’m so sorry.”
It was obviously sarcastic. Keith let out a sigh and held out the spoon before Sam’s mouth.
“Open your mouth.”
The blonde grinned widely. “That’s the right thing to do.” He acted like was eating the jelly.
“Is it tasty?” Keith played along. He put the jelly back to his mouth, feeling like they were sharing a spoon.
“How can I know?” The spirit made a grumpy face.
“Do you remember how it tastes?” Keith asked. The other’s self-centeredness was getting tiresome.
“No,” Sam replied, eying him strangely, as if he was debating something in his mind. It made Keith inexplicably nervous. “Can I have a taste of it?”
Keith didn’t understand those words until the other leaned in. Their faces were getting close they almost touched. Keith fixed his gaze solely on the other’s lips, holding his breath involuntarily.
“Who’re you talking to, dear?”
Diane’s voice made him jolt. Sam suddenly vanished before his eyes, leaving him alone at the table.
“N… no one.” Keith quickly scooped the remaining jelly into his mouth and got back to his room. He hoped to continue his conversation with Sam, but the other was nowhere to be found.
“You’re so unfair.”
He mumbled to himself and sat down at the desk to do some homework. But all he could achieve was to open the notebook and left it there, untouched.
Chapter Fifteen
A Small Progress
The morning air was refreshing. The sky was clear. Strong sunlight, very characteristic of summer, permeated the curtain, brightening up the room. Keith still woke up early even though his bedtime became later than usual. It might take more time for him to change the habit.
After breakfast, he went for a walk around his neighborhood by himself. Diane suggested he take John’s bike, but he declined. He told her he planned to visit many places including some in the city. And the bike was not a convenient means of traveling a long distance. Moreover, it was John’s. His cousin wouldn’t want to lend it to him.
He put the camera Sam gave him around his neck and stepped out of the house with determination and confidence. He inhaled deeply, viewing all the liveliness around him. He strolled down the sidewalk. Along the path were people doing various activities. One was tending the garden, one was mowing the lawn, the other was reading a newspaper sipping a cup of coffee. They each greeted the passerby cordially. Keith captured with his camera the vibrant morning mood.
But the pleasant atmosphere could not mitigate the unease in his mind.
Since last night, the blonde spirit hadn’t shown up. Keith didn’t get the other’s actions or thoughts. He didn’t understand what happened between them. There was something they both seemed to avoid talking about. He hoped that, when he got back home, Sam would show up as usual. He would rather the other acted like nothing had happened. He didn’t like the tension hanging between them.
He soon reached the local park. The view was familiar; it hadn’t changed much from Sam’s photo. He promptly took a shot of it. The park covered a wide area. It had a playground with sandbox, in which many children were playing. The kids burst out joyful laughter from time to time as their parents watched over them.
The scene before him brought him back to his childhood. At weekends, his mom and his dad would find time to take him to the park near their house. They didn’t go there often, but every time they did, his parents would always take a good care of him. He remembered the time when his dad pushed him on the park swing as his mom stood not so far away, watching with a bright smile on her face. Sometimes they would visit the central park, which was larger. It was divided into different areas. There were, for instance, running tracks for exercising adults, kid zone, and teen zone. Mom often took him to picnic by the pond. She would prepare him sandwiches, desserts, and fresh fruit juice.
Keith broke away from his train of thought and walked to seat himself on a white bench under a big tree. He watched the children and their parents spending their time together. He took some pictures of those moments. Today’s lighting was in his favor, so the photos looked better than expected. He couldn’t wait to show these to Sam. He doubted he would ever get any compliment from the other boy.
After a 30-minute rest, he decided to go into the city. There were still many places for him to visit. Before Keith left the park, he noticed a signpost by chance. A high school name was written on it. He recognized at once it was Sam’s. The sign told him it was only 10-minute-walk away. But he had already told Sam he wouldn’t go there. And he would keep his word without fail.
On the bus ride, Keith looked out of the window thoughtlessly. His mind was on the visit of his parents’ grave. He would love to, but a part of him was scared. Scared of what awaited him there. Scared of his feeling.
The first three months after the accident were agonizing. Despite his effort to suppress some certain thoughts, when he let his guard down, they would creep back to his mind. Consulting a psychiatrist and taking meds didn’t help rid of it completely. Doc Anderson suggested he return to the accident spot, confront the reality, and conquer his fear. He never did that. A year had passed and yet he never wanted to go back there. The revisits he made were all through his nightmare, which sadly had become part of his life. If he returned to that place for real, it’d be too overwhelming. He didn’t think he could survive it.
But at least he had made some progress: he now could sit in a passenger seat without panic. He was fine with taking a city bus and riding in a car, like when he moved to the new house. But riding a car to visit his parent’s grave was a different story. Reality was too much, and he would avoid it at all cost. Deep inside, he knew he hadn’t recovered from the accident yet; it was all his make-believe.
The bus arrived. The city during summer break became bustling with crowds of teenagers. The mall was the city’s only entertainment complex. He entered there, in hope of discovering something interesting. Inside, he wandered leisurely, his eyes looking around. Before the accident, this too w
as part of his life. He used to go to a movie, play arcade games, have a sleepover, all of which never happened again after he’d moved to live with Diane. He didn’t keep in touch with his old mates and couldn’t befriend new ones. No one wanted to talk to him except those spirits. Even at present his best friend was a ghost.
He looked at his reflection on the store’s window. It would be much better if someone else came along. If only Sam and he could go to a movie, have a chat, take a walk, without anyone giving them a weird look. If only Sam could leave the house. But even if he could, he would still be invisible to everyone except Keith. And the thought pained Keith sorely, for he yearned for more than that, more than being able to see the other.
After Keith explored the first floor thoroughly, noting there were mostly restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores and a supermarket, his stomach growled. He checked the wallet, then decided that he would give himself his favorite food as a reward. A reward he didn’t quite deserve though.
Keith selected one the fast food restaurants, ordering a burger and french fries, his favorites. This fast food chain was a commonplace, but he hadn’t ordered from it for many months. His order number called, he walked to get his order and moved to the window counter seating. He watched people outside walk by, hands unwrapping the burger. The tasty smells of bacons and beef hit his nose. The first bite was fantastic. Soft bread came first, then the savory mustard sauce which excites his taste buds, preparing them for the coming juicy cooked meats, tender and rich. He lost himself for a moment to his favorite meal.
He gazed outside the window, hands picking up french fries. At that time, he didn’t feel lonely. There were people walking by who were by themselves too, although their number were less than those who came in pair or in group. He noticed most people, men or women, teenagers or adults, wore earbuds. He thought he would try that as well. Maybe it would help him with his anxiety when he was alone. It might also help to repel the spirit as they saw that Keith was occupied.
Having come up with the idea, Keith let go off the french fries and roughly wiped his hand with a tissue paper. He opened a music application and looked into the detail. Before subscribing for its service, he called Diane to ask for her permission. She said okay without further question. He pulled out Hector’s credit card from his wallet. Only John and he had it because Alice was too young. It took a while to fill in the required information, but it worked. Keith didn’t usually listen to music. So, he didn’t know where to start. He wondered if Sam also liked listening to music. His lips curved into a smile without his knowing as he got something new to talk to the blonde.
At the thought of the other, Keith sighed. That moment in the kitchen flashed in his mind. What he wanted was forming in his head; and with it came the feeling he had never known before. And that made him anxious.
He quickly chased away the thought and continued his meal. He planned to buy new earbuds because he didn’t know where he last placed his old ones. It was very likely they were left at his old house and had already been donated.
As he had set his goal, he didn’t need to wander aimlessly anymore. He took an escalator upstairs. He looked for a mobile device shop and found one. But, when he saw the earbud price, he left fast. He could use the credit card but that meant he would be spending Hector’s money. He wanted the earbuds which he could afford with his own cash. He tried different shops, and finally found what he was looking for. The earbuds were blue in color and not of famous brand, but they were easy to use.
He seated himself on the bench, which was modified from a bathtub, repainted in vibrant colors with seat cushions attached. Keith listened to the songs the application suggested. When he came across the song he liked, he downloaded it. In the past, his smartphone was used only for calling and opening search engine websites. But now it had gained one additional purpose.
He heard a tune from the mall’s speakers. It caught his interest and he wanted to find out what song it was. He looked up the lyrics. It was not that difficult, actually, but still he couldn’t help being glad he could find the song.
He lost track of time listening to music. Since the accident, this was the first thing he found interesting. A small progress towards normalcy.
Chapter Sixteen
The Reason Many People Visit the Cemetery
When Keith left the mall, he was greeted with the noon sunlight. The temperatures inside and outside the mall differed greatly. A song still played in his phone. He would love to sit down and listen to them all, but he had places to go. Time tarried for no one.
He reached the city square. It was crowded and lively as it usually was, being the largest gathering place in the city. Pigeons strutted alongside with people. He marked that it was the people who tended to avoid the birds more than the other way around. A guitar tune hit his ear, intermingling with his now playing song. He turned to the source and saw a man with a hat singing in the center. Considering his look, Keith assumed he was a college student. Many people sat on the benches nearby, resting and listening to the song. Some people stopped by for a moment before leaving some money in the guitar case. Some people simply walked past, showing no interest. Keith stood there, listening to the song for a while before holding up a camera and took some pictures. His photo also caught a pigeon timely flying into the frame. The result was satisfactory, and Keith then moved on.
The roadside stores brimmed with customers, young and old alike. He saw a shop selling greeting card, ornated with colorful balloons and streamers, with a notice announcing its two-year anniversary. Next to it was a fruit and vegetable shop with an elderly standing there, examining tomato. A bit farther stood a jewelry, no client was present. At the corner Keith was heading towards was a big clothes store. Various discount notices were shown on the shop windows, and inside were many female shoppers. Further walking down the alley, he was hit with a coffee scent. It came from a small table in front of the coffee shop. There were customers both inside and outside the building. Some were smoking, some were talking on the phone. Laughter emerged from inside. Passerby’s chatting voices were heard from time to time. Keith kept walking, fused with the city’s liveliness.
After walking down another alley less crowded than the previous, Keith made it to another street. He could view the church’s apex which was not so far away. It took a different route from his previous visit, so he saw the church from a different angle. This time, he could see that the building’s color provided a stunning contrast to the sky’s clear blue. He lifted his camera and took numerous pictures of it. He would choose the best out of them later.
He crossed the street to the graveyard, his destination. He didn’t know why he needed to visit it. He only felt like he must.
Keith entered the place, treading upon the open green grass field with countless gravestones erected. He headed straight to Sam’s grave as he could precisely recognize where it stood. It was clean, which was different than last time, and before the headstone lay a bouquet of flowers. Someone was here to visit Sam. He turned the music off and removed his earbuds. He crouched down eying the bundle of pink carnations. He tried to look for any name or trace which might help him find the owner. But, to his disappointment, none he found. The flower was wrapped in typical translucent color papers. He held up the camera and took a shot of it. Sam might be glad someone came to visit him.
“Could it be your parents, Sam?” Keith asked himself.
Apart from the photos in the album, he knew nothing about the previous house owner. Sam also didn’t tell him much. And their conversation was mostly centered around Keith. The boy wasn’t certain if knowing about Sam’s past would affect their relationship or not. The other would remain a spirit anyway. Knowing more about Sam wouldn’t help…
The phone in his pocket vibrated, snapping him out of his thought. He picked it up. It was Diane.
“Hello.”
“Where are you, dear? Going home yet?”
“I’m still in the city. I’ll be back soon.”
