Road to Arcadia: the Path East

Chapter Thirty-four: Phantom

It was like walking into a haunted house.

It could have been the old memories floating like a dissipating fog, but it was more likely the décor that had yet to change from the days when his grandfather still owned the place.

Kai left his boots by the door, in the same place he always did, before following his mother deeper into the treasure trove of nostalgia.

He waded through the living room, taking the long way around the upholstered couch, shuffling across the rug underneath the coffee table. He hovered in the space as he watched his mother wade through the dining room, still furnished with the antique furniture set and china cabinet in desperate need of polish. The tabletop was little more than a slush pile of passing papers and junk mail. He watched as his mom became a silhouette, disappearing into the kitchen at the back of the house.

"You're a pile of bones," she proclaimed from the other room. "You must be starving. What do you want to eat?"

The moment she left his sight, Kai's eyes were wandering. "N-no, I'm good. I ate already."

"Well, what else do you want? Coffee? Tea?"

"I--I'll have whatever you're having." He kept his ears open, listening for any subtle sounds, any other indications of life. "Are you home alone, Mom?"

"Just for the day," she answered with a harmony of clinking pots behind her. "Are you tired? Do you need to rest? A shower?"

"I'm fine, really."

After a minute, his mother came back into view. She approached the dining room table, quickly shoving papers to the side until there was space enough for two. "At least have a seat." She motioned to an open chair. "By all means, sit--sit down. This is your house, you don't have to wait for permission."

Kai obeyed, silently taking a seat in the chair facing the china cabinet. The cushion atop the nicked wood had compressed until it was a square sheet of fabric, but he was still terrified it would swallow him whole.

It was quiet again until his mother reappeared from the kitchen several minutes later. She placed a mug of something in front of him before sitting in the only other open chair.

"You're not saying much," she observed.

"Is that a bad thing?"

She offered him a soft, knowing smile, like he should have guessed the answer. "You always have something to say."

He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

Arcadia should have been the first word out of his lips, but he couldn't even push it past his lungs. Something was telling him now was not the time. The ghosts of his family's house should rest easy for at least a few minutes.

"I don't know," he finally settled on. "I guess I just never expected to be back here."

"Oh, h--please don't say that. Let's just be glad you are home safe."

Her interpretation was obviously different from his intention, but he didn't bother to correct it. He brought the hot mug up to his lips instead.

Coffee.

"I saw the van out in the driveway," Kai's mother commented. "What happened to that car you left with?"

Kai laughed, but it came out more like a bark. "Ha, that is a long, long story. I think we'll have to work our way up to that one."

"Did it break down?" she asked, curiosity mounting. "We told you that thing wasn't going to make it to the interstate."

"She lasted me nine months, thank you very much." He took another sip of coffee, burning his tongue in the process. "And I told you I'd be surprised if this house was still standing after a year, so I think that makes us even."