The Armadillo with No Heart

Chapter 20: The Funeral

Bertrand passed away just two weeks later.

Hundreds of Dillos attended his funeral – nearly all the residents of Greentown were to be found at the cemetery, gathered together like they had been on the Day of Sacrifice. Kuro had only been in town a few times since then. He still felt like a stranger, and was beginning to wonder if that feeling would ever go away. He stayed next to Uncle Henry, Aunt Cecilia and Wendy throughout the funeral; somehow, being near them made him feel safer. Henry looked more tired than ever. Cecilia did not cry at any point, but her grief was still evident, and did not appear to be softened by how troubled her relationship with her father had been. Wendy was almost as quiet as Kuro. They had asked him to stay at their house for the rest of the day, which he gladly agreed to do; this was not a day he wanted to spend alone.

Bertrand was buried next to his wife Leonora. Kuro knew that his parents' graves were also nearby, and that thought was unpleasant. He did not like to see so many people near their resting place, and, most of all, he did not like to see them looking at their graves, whispering to each other; it was like they were intruding on something intimate to him, something he alone had the right to see.

Lily was just a few feet away, with her parents. Kuro only caught a glimpse of them before the funeral started, and resisted glancing in their direction during the ceremony. Knowing that Lily and Cyrus were nearby made him uncomfortable. To make matters worse, the old tie he had borrowed from Uncle Henry was itching his neck. To Kuro's relief, however, Lord Shiro was not present. Kuro had expected him to attend – supposedly, he was already fully recovered – but he was nowhere to be seen, which was odd, since he had been friends with Bertrand in the past.

The ceremony lasted little over an hour. Once it was over, everyone began to make their way to the cemetery gates hesitantly, unhurriedly, as if worried that it would seem impolite to leave too quickly. Many of them offered their condolences to Henry and Cecilia, some also taking the time to shake Kuro's hand, much to his surprise. The cemetery emptied little by little, until Kuro, Henry, Cecilia and Wendy were the only ones left.

Kuro stayed put as his aunt and uncle prepared to leave.

"Kuro?"

"You go on ahead," he answered. "I'd just like to stay a little bit longer, if it's OK..."

"All right," said Cecilia after a moment. "We'll wait for you at home."

Kuro nodded. He stood there in silence, waiting for them to walk away. He didn't want anyone around for this...

After one minute or so, he could no longer hear their footsteps. A quick glance toward the gates assured him he was now alone. Kuro stood there in silence for a moment, trying to muster up the courage to do what he had wanted to do for a long time. He began to walk toward the spot. He remembered exactly where it was, just one row behind where he was, about thirty feet to the left... he moved as slowly as possible, keeping his gaze down...

Once Kuro reached the place, he stopped, took a deep breath, and looked up. It was just as he remembered it.

Theodore Trivol

1401 – 1439

Sylvia Trivol

1402 – 1436

Kuro got down on his knees and bowed his head. This was something he had to do, no matter how much it hurt. He could only hope to start a new life when he had fully undergone this pain, when he had allowed himself to be ravaged by it. Most people might say that happy moments are what make life worthwhile, but Kuro disagreed. If there was one thing he had learned, it was that moments of sorrow, and not happy ones, were what gave life meaning. Sorrow taught people to find joy in life itself. It made them appreciate even the most mundane things as blessings, or even miracles – the sound of water running in a stream, the warmth of a cup of cocoa on an icy winter day, the voice of someone you love. People who had never suffered could not see the beauty of these things, and spent their whole lives looking for happiness in all the wrong places...