The Funeral

This is an excerpt from a project still in the works. Please tell us what you think in the comment section below:

The women fashioned two large stretchers on which to place the bodies to be taken to the grave. We fastened ropes to Teth and Borrego to pull them. It took several trips and most of the day, but all were carefully placed side by side. In the hands of each body was a single white chamomile flower. All stood in silent reverence as the exhaustion from work, fear, and grief overcame them. Out of the forty two solemn men, women, and children, a single voice began to sing. It was soft and began quietly as if carried by the wind through the trees that began to calm. It was Nairna. Although I did not speak the language in which she sang, I understood it.

“Through fire and darkness,

Through torrent and light.

Peace to you.

May the earth reclaim,

May the mountain stand guard.

Peace to you.

With death there is life,

With sorrow comes hope.

Peace to you.”

For a moment the clouds, that cast a dreary atmosphere, parted. A single ray of sunlight was cast down on the bodies lying in the grave. And for a moment, they looked peaceful, as if sleeping. With a gust of wind, the clouds closed and the sunlight was gone.