GONE ASTRAY

Akira Basilio possesses a unique and burdensome gift: she can see the 'strays'—lost spirits tethered to the living world. This ability, a constant intrusion, often leaves her feeling overwhelmed and drained. Yet, when a spectral child named Keith seeks her help, a path to purpose emerges. As Akira navigates her unusual life with the support of her devoted boyfriend, Gian, she begins to understand that her 'third eye' might be more than a curse—it could be a conduit for peace, for both the living and the dead.

GONE ASTRAY

Akira Basilio possesses a unique and burdensome gift: she can see the 'strays'—lost spirits tethered to the living world. This ability, a constant intrusion, often leaves her feeling overwhelmed and drained. Yet, when a spectral child named Keith seeks her help, a path to purpose emerges. As Akira navigates her unusual life with the support of her devoted boyfriend, Gian, she begins to understand that her 'third eye' might be more than a curse—it could be a conduit for peace, for both the living and the dead.

The flower markets were a cacophony of life and last-minute preparations for All Soul's Day. Akira, tucked into the passenger seat of Gian's second-hand car, clutched a basket of white lilies, her gaze drifting to an old woman watching vendors from the corner. The woman's bare feet were swollen and black with gangrene, and Akira squinted, catching the faint, unsettling translucence of her form.

"Everything okay?" Gian asked, sensing her concentration as he expertly navigated them onto the main road.

"There was a grandma. She was just watching people sell flowers," Akira sighed, leaning back. "Vendors were probably her kids."

"What did you see?"

She shrugged. "Rotting feet. Diabetes, probably." Gian squeezed her hand, a silent comfort. The rest of the drive was quiet, filled only with seventies rock and Gian's soft humming. Akira smiled. Four years with Gian, her anchor, in this perfectly average car that always took them where they needed to go.