Chapter Fourteen - Koi Pond: Whispering Waters and Watery Whispers

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Koi Pond: Whispering Waters and Watery Whispers

I ARRIVE AT the koi pond.

It’s in the center of the mall, surrounded by fake bamboo, soft jazz, and the kind of benches that judge your posture.
The koi are elegant. Ancient.
One of them has an eye patch.
He’s seen things.

I crouch down.
Stare into the water.
It stares back.

A bubble rises.
Pops.
Inside the ripple, I see:

“You left your wallet.”

I whisper, “I know.”

Another koi swims up.
He’s orange and majestic, with vibes that scream “former sensei.”
He doesn’t blink.
Because fish can’t blink.
But if he could, he would.

“What you seek was never in your back pocket,” he says.
“It was always inside your other pants.”

A child nearby throws a pretzel into the pond.
The koi devour it with terrifying elegance.
A third koi surfaces just enough to say:

“You’re not ready for chapter 16.”

I have no idea what that means.
But I nod solemnly, because it feels like the kind of thing you’re supposed to nod at.