“Please, Clod. Let me share a little more,” she said. “I don’t want to be here without you.”
“You’ve been keeping me alive?” he asked.
“Well…” She looked down at the ground.
“That’s why your hair is gray,” he said in surprise.
“I don’t want to lose you,” she said softly.
“Ada,” he said, touching her cheek. “I’m tired.”
She looked at him with tear-filled eyes.
“It’s past my time,” he said. “I’m beyond exhausted. I hurt every day. We aren’t meant to live this long.”
“But, but you’re my Clod,” she said, clutching him in the fiercest of hugs.
“And you’re my Ada,” he said, pulling her close. “You always will be.”
Long moments passed, and Clod strained to draw away. His very bones felt stiff, every breath was a chore, and he knew it was time.
“Bring me to my parents,” he said. “We need to hurry.”
“You hurry. I’ll just walk,” she said with a little sass.
“I never was able to keep up,” he said. “But the chase has been wonderful.”
She nodded and took his hand, tears streaming down her cheeks. Every step was harder than the last, and he worried they wouldn’t make it. It hurt, all of it, but it didn’t matter. Life had been worth the effort, and he’d gotten everything he’d put into it, and more. Not only had he saved his people, he had Ada.
They arrived at his parents’ statues, and he noticed something. His mum was still holding hands with his dad, but his dad must’ve been holding hands with his own mum, and so on. Every statue in the graveyard was connected, forever. He would never be alone, and this gave him comfort.
“Clod?” she asked.
“I never noticed when we were here playing tag,” he said. “But they hold hands just like we do.”
She nodded, swallowing hard.
“I love you, Ada,” he said. “Thank you for being my friend.”
“I love you, Clod,” she said.
“Come to me when it’s your time,” he said. His arm was stiff, and he had just enough left to reach out and hold his mum’s hand. He squeezed Ada’s hand with his other and smiled. “I’ll be here waiting.”
A dog barked, and footsteps grew louder as several people approached.
“Found her,” someone said.
Ada didn’t care. More than anything she just wanted her Clod to come back. She looked up at his beautiful stone face. It was hard to see, her eyes blurry from tears. Nothing had hurt as much as this, and she finally understood why it had taken him two years to bring her back after his mum had gone. Ada held onto his hand, which was cold and smooth to her touch. She willed life into him, but nothing happened. He wasn’t here anymore. It happened just as he’d said it would, which didn’t make it better.
Everyone from the village had gathered nearby. Their people, his people, each of them mourning in their own way. He’d been a part of them all, and every one of them hurt like she did. Almost like she did. She stood, wiped her eyes, and gathered herself. He was right; they were beautiful, all of them. Maya pushed her way through the crowd and took her hand.
“I’m sorry, Ada,” she said, her voice cracking. “I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
Despair blanketed her mind as grief wrenched her heart in pain that couldn’t be healed by anyone but Clod. He had made her, they’d never been apart, and she wasn’t whole without him. Part of her despised him for leaving, but more than that, she loved him. Somewhere, deep down, she knew they’d be together again. But that didn’t help, not even a little. It had taken Clod two years to bring her back, but she refused to wait that long. Ada let go of Maya’s hand, grasped both her shoulders, and looked her in the eyes.
“Get me some clay.”
THE END
If you enjoyed Clod Makes A Friend be sure to check out the audiobook narrated by the incredible Wayne Farrell! https://www.audible.com/pd/Clod-Makes-a-Friend-Audiobook/B07BXY965W
Front Matter
Cover art by:
Alessandro Brunelli
Editing by:
Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Danielle Fine
© 2018 Odysia Press
First Edition
All rights reserved.
www.odysiapress.com
Created with Vellum
To my parents
Contents
Burning with Angst
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Acknowledgments
Dying with Angst
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
56. Epilogue 1
57. Epilogue 2
Acknowledgments
Clod Makes A Friend
Age 9
Age 11
Age 14
Age 16
Age 17
Age 19
Age 22
Age 24
Age 27
Age 57
Books by David J. Pede
rsen
About the Author
Books by David J. Pedersen
Angst Series:
Book 1: Angst
Book 2: Buried in Angst
Book 3: Drowning in Angst
Book 4: Burning with Angst
Book 5: Dying with Angst
Fantasy for all ages:
Clod Makes A Friend
About the Author
David J. Pedersen is a native of Racine, WI who resides in his home town Kansas City, MO. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He has worked in sales, management, retail, video and film production, and IT. David has run 2 marathons, climbed several 14,000 foot mountains and marched in Thee University of Wisconsin Marching Band. He is a geek and a fanboy that enjoys carousing, picking on his wife and kids, playing video games, and slowly muddling through his next novel.
To learn more about David and his writing please visit his blog:
www.gotangst.com
Angst Box Set 2 Page 91