The Great Showman (and The Mermaid in the Glass Case)

The Gravediggers

     The mourner seemed to have materialized out of nowhere. I saw her as I turned the corner and noticed that she was just standing, a little way off  in the distance silent and still.  A dark silhouette against the afternoon sunlight. As we neared her, my mother and I walking side by side, I noticed that my shoes made a squelching sound on the damp grass. The mourner  must have heard our approach because I saw her turn her head a  little towards us. I was still too far away to see her face, but it seems she decided to pay us no attention. She turned away quickly and continued with, what I supposed she had come to the cemetery to do.  I watched her intently, curiously as she tended to the graves,  absorbed in laying flowers. There were two graves directly in front of her  one large and one small, on which she laid her wreathes. 

   She ignored us still, even as my mother and I approached and stood now very close to her. She seemed to be reflecting by the graveside respectfully and peacefully. Where had she appeared from I wondered?  I did not know as I could have sworn she was not there a few moments ago. As we got closer I noticed that she was wearing a heavy, slightly old fashioned looking black mourning dress, with a black hat and her face was completely obscured and hidden under her heavy veil. Suddenly she moved away from us. The bright sunlight was in my eyes and it was reflected by the black silk fabric of her dress.  The material seemed to shimmer in the light giving it a strangely ethereal sheen. She also seemed to move in a strangely fluid motion, even over the rugged ground with its mounds and furrows. I watched with fascination as she glided around the cemetery, her movements were extremely graceful. And I was surprised by how soundlessly she moved despite the heaviness of her costume.

   Suddenly, out of the blue, she began to walk straight towards my mother and I, and I involuntarily clutched tighter to my mother's arm as she did so. But seeming to think better of it. Deciding against making our acquaintance the woman stopped only a few feet from my mother and me. I blinked into the light to try to get a closer look at her face, but the light was still behind her and her veil was so dark that I still could not make out any features on her face. Then as if changing her mind again completely the woman turned away and went back to her previous position by the two gravestones. My mother, at first tried to drag me away but I stood steadfast , fascinated and literally digging my heels into the soft turf, so she could not wrenched away. My mother gave up and moved away on her own, walking over to the headstone of some distance relation of ours to clear away some dead foliage that was overhanging it. 

    I stood watching the woman who was bending over now to examine the smaller grave again. She raised a black gloved hand to her obscured face and I could see her body shake as if trembling with emotion. But if she was sobbing as she did this, despite her being so close to us.  I could not hear her cries..

     "Do not stare at her it is not polite." Said my mother returning from her task, and ushering me away again, and looking a little embarrassed at my stubborn resolve. 

     I had not realised I that I was staring so intensely at the mourner. But I was just so intrigued by her, and I was not sure why?  I wanted to watch her. I wanted to know more about her and who it was she was grieving for. 

    "She does not want you staring at her in her private moment" My mother said again, and tried again to physically drag me away.

    Suddenly the veiled woman turned her head towards me. I can only assume she was looking straight at me. She turned her head onto one side as if studying me, in the way I had been closely examining her. which she did for a long time. I still could not see her eyes from behind their heavy cover but I felt them burn straight into me.  

      Then I felt a slight pang of terror and a thrill of excitement as she once more resumed walking across the cemetery, very determined looking in her movements and posture and heading straight towards me again. She moved quickly, you could almost say she slid over the uneven ground and her movement was again surprisingly soundless. There was no bustle or rustle from the fabric of her dress. As she came closer I began to feel unnerved and afraid that she would barrel straight into me and knock me clean off of my feet. I felt alarmed and clutched tight to my mothers arm yet again. Then to my relief at the last minute just as she was almost on top of us she swerved and did an sharp turn to the right and moved off towards the large, stone mausoleum in the centre of the cemetery.