Post by auerrotts on Mar 15, 2009 6:19:57 GMT -5
Laurel Ridge
Prologue
The lady in black stood invisible at the far edge of the cemetery shaded in a veil of morning fog. From behind an enormous oak, she spied from a safe distance, the gathering crowd growing larger by the second.
It simply amazed her how many friends a person has when they’re dead.
The cemetery was small, barely covering two acres of land. Its lawn well maintained, mowed and weeded on a weekly basis. Several tombstones sanctified their existence with colorful, plastic floral bouquets, while a handful of others appeared wounded by the presence of stuffed bears, elephants, and final portraits, of lives taken well before ever having had a chance to live.
The lady in black masked herself behind one of the many ancient oaks in a forgotten part of the cemetery, well off to the left of the crowded gravesite. She would wait until the burial was over, the casket lowered, and the so-called mourners had left. Then she would pay her respects to the dead man lining the closed casket.
How long had she been waiting?
The morning air was chilled. Dampness hovered with the promise of rain. The lady in black pulled her black trench coat closer around herself to close off the damp chill that seemed to be invading her.
A single tear slid down her cheek as she watched the preacher take his place at the closed casket and begin his sermon.
How could something that was once so perfect end so tragically? She wondered, more tears following.
Although she couldn’t hear what he was saying, she did see through a blur of tears, the preacher’s hands reach high above his head. No doubt asking the Good Lord above to allow this man to pass through the gates of Heaven.
The first droplets of rain fell from the sky tapping the lady in black on her backside causing her to jump as though she had just been slapped upside the head. It took her a moment to realize where she was and even less time to know why.
She was shocked when she looked up ahead. Her heart began to accelerate and her pulse began to pound. She could hear the rush of her own blood loud in her ears. She thought she might hyperventilate.
The funeral service had ended...quite some time ago.
"Don’t panic!" She told herself, "This isn’t the first time you’ve zoned out."
The lady in black took a deep breath in and out, in and out, listening to her own advice. Once she was able, she stepped out from behind the oak tree, and with her head held high against the torrential rain, walked towards the patch of barren land indicating the newly planted grave.
At the puddled gravesite, the lady in black knelt down on her knees and began to pray.
“Forgive me father for I have sinned,” she began.
Prologue
The lady in black stood invisible at the far edge of the cemetery shaded in a veil of morning fog. From behind an enormous oak, she spied from a safe distance, the gathering crowd growing larger by the second.
It simply amazed her how many friends a person has when they’re dead.
The cemetery was small, barely covering two acres of land. Its lawn well maintained, mowed and weeded on a weekly basis. Several tombstones sanctified their existence with colorful, plastic floral bouquets, while a handful of others appeared wounded by the presence of stuffed bears, elephants, and final portraits, of lives taken well before ever having had a chance to live.
The lady in black masked herself behind one of the many ancient oaks in a forgotten part of the cemetery, well off to the left of the crowded gravesite. She would wait until the burial was over, the casket lowered, and the so-called mourners had left. Then she would pay her respects to the dead man lining the closed casket.
How long had she been waiting?
The morning air was chilled. Dampness hovered with the promise of rain. The lady in black pulled her black trench coat closer around herself to close off the damp chill that seemed to be invading her.
A single tear slid down her cheek as she watched the preacher take his place at the closed casket and begin his sermon.
How could something that was once so perfect end so tragically? She wondered, more tears following.
Although she couldn’t hear what he was saying, she did see through a blur of tears, the preacher’s hands reach high above his head. No doubt asking the Good Lord above to allow this man to pass through the gates of Heaven.
The first droplets of rain fell from the sky tapping the lady in black on her backside causing her to jump as though she had just been slapped upside the head. It took her a moment to realize where she was and even less time to know why.
She was shocked when she looked up ahead. Her heart began to accelerate and her pulse began to pound. She could hear the rush of her own blood loud in her ears. She thought she might hyperventilate.
The funeral service had ended...quite some time ago.
"Don’t panic!" She told herself, "This isn’t the first time you’ve zoned out."
The lady in black took a deep breath in and out, in and out, listening to her own advice. Once she was able, she stepped out from behind the oak tree, and with her head held high against the torrential rain, walked towards the patch of barren land indicating the newly planted grave.
At the puddled gravesite, the lady in black knelt down on her knees and began to pray.
“Forgive me father for I have sinned,” she began.