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The EulogyIt was cloudy, dark but somehow a calm afternoon. A young woman, headed out of her small apartment, wrapping a scarf over her head. She was going to the funeral parlor to pay her last respects to Love. On the way, she walked through the days passed. She smiled as she relived the sensation that Love had on her, the times that words did not exist, nor were they needed. She remembered the feeling, thought, and the knowing that Love was there, and it was true. "Maybe it was too real, and that's why it had to die..." she thought. She arrived at the funeral parlor and preceded to the casket. She was the only one there. Love was hers alone. She leaned down and gently kissed the cold, unfeeling flesh of Love. Standing upright again, she knew this was it. She raised her shoulders and let out a deep sigh, then relaxed her body. A young man stood nearby waiting for her signal, to take Love to the cemetery. He was standing without expression, his arms folded in front of him. She looked over and gave him a slow nod, lowering her head as she did and turning to walk away. As she headed out she could hear the sounds... click-latch click-latch somehow this made her painfully aware. She drove on to the cemetery in complete silence. Her mind was clearing, for the first time, in a long time. There were no more questions, no more what-if's to think about. There was only to go forward now. She pulled in the drive and walked to the gravesite. The men were ahead of her and had just put the casket down beside the hole. She walked up and first stared at the empty hole in the ground. "How deep and inviting" she thought. Raising her head she said very flatly, "I am ready now" With this the casket was gently lifted and then slowly lowered down, as it hit the floor of the hole it made a solid thud sound. Immediately followed by the sounds of shovels biting into a fresh pile of dirt, and hollow sounds of the dirt hitting the casket. She took a step forward and looked at one of the two men. He stopped as if to ask what she wanted, but did not speak. She looked at his shovel and asked, "May I?" He nodded without expression and handed her the shovel. She shoved it into the pile of dirt, lifting up a shovel full and promptly tossed it into the hole. She stood back and handed the shovel back to the man with a nod of gratitude. The men finished filling the hole, patted the earth down, and solemnly walked away. Now Love was buried and she stood before the gravesite, alone, and without regrets. It started raining lightly. "How fitting", she thought, as tears gently rolled down her face.
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© R.Lore