Child Without a Voice.

Chapter Twelve

Kennan was a curious child who simply had to experience life for himself, rather than be warned about the many lurking dangers. It was a rather stubborn trait of his, one his mother used to joke was inherited from Damian. Those were the last words, that Kennan's dear grandma heard him speak, before she had to watch him leave for his trip. There was no stopping him, no changing his mind once it was made up. This was something that little Kennan felt he simply had to set out for, and in his heart of hearts, it was also something that his late sister would be proud of him for. He never was told what truly happened to his and Sadie's father, as a result of her death. Both he and Alissya thought it best to wait until the young child was older. Little did they know, they never would get the chance to tell the tale... It would seem that little Kennan would have to find out for himself, just what Sadie had suffered through, in those few moments leading up to her untimely departure from this cruel, mortal world of utter chaos... Who knew what that would do to him?

Upon reaching the aging, rickety, eerie-looking church; Kennan allowed himself to pause for a moment, to take in the foreboding atmosphere which now surrounded him. This was a little more than what he'd been expecting to find, but that was what excited Kennan. To gaze up at the horrific majesty of the tall, stone, sinister church building was, for Kennan; a whole 'nother world of mystical wonder just waiting to be discovered. It even caused his mind to stop and wonder for a few moments, just what exactly it was, that had kept so many people away from this place. He wanted badly, to find the answers that had been hidden from him, for so very long now. They couldn't be far away, no matter the overwhelming odds against him. But Kennan was determined to face up to whatever his life would throw at him. He wouldn't give up now.

Before embarking on what may well end up being the mission of a lifetime, Kennan felt he wanted to take a few moments. Just to take-in the eerie, chilled and yet somehow, suspiciously welcoming atmosphere around him. It was his first time finding himself in such a place and he didn't want to go in blind. Of course, he knew briefly of churches, cemeteries and what they represented. Some of what he knew, he had learned from his wise and knowledgable grandmother. The rest, he had either learned in school or found out for himself, through reading. Little Kennan was an avid reader, a very advanced one for his age. He was particularly fond of fantasy books. Tales of fire-breathing dragons, daring knights, griffins and magic had always intrigued his infinite imagination. He dreamed to one day write a similar fantasy novel of his very own, and to share it with the world. As he slowly, but surely explored his new surroundings, he began to daydream about just what it would be like; living out his life as a writer or even a novelist, possibly. Such thoughts were a welcome distraction, from his current environment – even the plants were looking as if they were moving on their own. The unnerving sounds of creaking floorboards could also be heard, amongst the caws of the black crows and the near faint whistling through the rustling tree leaves. Bats also flew silently overhead.

It was at that very moment, that something made an unmistakably large thump, startling little Kennan. This then caused him to gasp suddenly, almost choking on a bit of bread, from the cheese sandwich he was enjoying on the road. Nonetheless, Kennan pushed the suspicious sound to the very back of his mind; not thinking about it until he heard it again, much louder this time and accompanied by eerie creaking. A shambling scraped across the floorboards and Kennan, for the first time this night, suddenly felt a legitimate fear. Something was most definitely inside that church building, ghost or not. Kennan wanted to shout, but no words would leave his dry, trembling throat. He stood where he was, frozen and rooted to the spot. The ghostly sounds of the howling winds picking up around him, did little to help the worsening situation.

He didn't want to let a few creepy noises, get in the way of what he wanted to do, however. He had come too far now, to allow such simple things to frighten him away. So, Kennan bravely made his way to the very front of the church building.