Child Without a Voice.

Chapter Twelve

On one bleak, arctic winter morning in December; a few years down the road, when Kennan had turned fourteen, he made the adventurous, daring decision to go back and visit his late father's old house. Of course by now, the place had been long abandoned. But this didn't stop Kennan – if anything, it intrigued him further. More than anything; he wanted to at least make attempts to find answers, to the thousands of questions which had plagued him for so many years. His grandmother had always made a point to tell him, non-stop, not to visit the old place. As little affection as she had for the old couple, Kennan felt that there was something else... Something more, that he hadn't yet been told about the sister he never knew. All of those Christmas celebrations, Birthdays and other days spent partying and being merry with family; they just never quite seemed complete to little Kennan. Somehow, something deep down inside him had always felt that there was something missing. He had heard wonderful stories about Sadie from his parents, but his crippled heart ached at the fact that he would never be able to meet her face to face. It truly was a shocking blow to his young mind, when he first found out about what exactly had happened to the poor girl. The sister he never knew, and would never get the chance to. Doomed to spend the rest of his days, wondering just what it would be like, having an older sister around to share everything with. A playmate, friend and soulmate who would have never left his side. Kennan could only imagine the many fun-filled days, the two would have enjoyed together. None of which would now be possible, outside of little Kennan's painful dreams.

Later that very same day, just as the last of the sunlight was leaving the skies, Kennan asked his grandmother about the old, crumbling building that was the rickety, slowly decaying church. To which she replied that The Silver Lining Church of Deliverance was strictly off-limits. She too, among many others, had heard all about what had happened to Damian; on the night of little Sadie's all too memorable funeral. Even now, to this day, she still winced at the thought of what her only son must have suffered there. She was surprised it wasn't that, that had taken his short life, in all honesty. But what she found to be even more shocking, was the fact she had even out-lived him in the first place. No parent should have to suffer that kind of heart-wrenching pain. It was almost impossible to accurately describe such a tragic feeling, to another person. Mainly because they would never be able to truly understand it completely. Not unless they had ever befallen the misfortune, of suffering such a horrible fate for themselves, on life's bitterly cruel pathways.

It may well have taken him a few prolonged, slow-moving weeks to do so; but Kennan eventually did manage to convince his grandmother, to let him visit the old church site. While deep down she still felt rather unsure about the whole idea, at the same time, she knew that her young grandson deserved to at least visit Sadie's gravestone. After telling him so many wonderful stories about her in the past, how could he not be granted permission to visit Sadie's final resting place? It was something he just had to do, to satisfy his own curiosities, if nothing else. He wouldn't be able to live with himself, if he didn't pay a visit at least once.

It was about two weeks later on, on the very night of what would have been little Sadie's thirteenth birthday; when Kennan decided that he was going to go and take a look at the church. Repetitive sounds of his worried grandma's many harsh warnings, rang in his head like church bells. He knew she meant well, but Kennan had to do what his heart was telling him to. To not at least see for himself, where his late sister was buried, would feel to him almost like a felony.

Shortly before leaving on his little escapade, young Kennan went up to his grandmother and placed a gentle hand, upon her weary shoulder. With a warm smile, he spoke. "I'll be fine, Grandma, I promise you I will."

While his words did little to calm her nerves, she was appreciative of the effort he was making for her. It was the kind of person Kennan had always been, thinking of others even before his own heart's true desires. At such a young age; he still carried that all-important air of maturity about him, that had always made him stand out amongst others his age. It was hard to find anyone quite like him, as the way he carried himself was very grown-up of him. This was the way he had always been and he was more than proud of himself, for growing up that way. It gave him a true sense of security in his life.