The Magic Within ↠ Once Upon A Time

[Chapter 83] Bury Me With You

The sun is already starting to set, though you can barely see the golden hour light. Thick clouds block off the remaining sun while fog showers over the graveyard. The cold, crisp air prickles at every pore in my skin. It makes my breath turn to cold smoke. Yet, I can barely feel the air. The temperature outside is the same as inside me.

I keep telling myself that this can't be real even when I'm staring at Papa's corpse ahead of me.

The dwarfs keep working at the hole that is growing deeper and deeper between Papa and I.

I try lying to myself, but with Papa's hollow shell of his body and the gaping hole, it's only meant for one of us, preferably the one who's already dead.

It's only been a few hours since I've had to say goodbye to him, and already at sundown, his burial is happening. It's suppose to happen, nevertheless, but when it's my loved one being buried, I finally realize how painful it is to have to let Papa go so soon whilst I'm still in denial.

But I can't change our culture.

Papa wouldn't want that. He'd want to be buried exactly like our ancestors. He's so traditional, despite the fact of having a human for a daughter. Papa's father was buried before sundown and his father before that. It's our culture. It's our belief. If the living doesn't bury the dead in the night of their death, then their spirit won't be able to rest for all of eternity.

The last thing I want is to make Papa suffer more, especially in spirit.

We couldn't do it for Mama, but I know she's resting.

Papa deserves this. He's the strongest leader I know. He deserves as much as we can give.

The humans obliged without any complaints. It's why they found the biggest plot in the graveyard. Even if Papa is surrounded by humans, he didn't deserve to be buried alone—as much as I'd want to lay with him. At least he'll be surrounded by other worthy heroes.

But with the clock ticking and the sun dipping lower, the gorilla troop and the human crew work diligently to get the burial running on time. Both sides may have contradicting ideas of how a funeral should go yet they somehow manage to sync their beliefs to make the burial go smoothly.

The humans—the seven dwarfs—dig the grave to ensure that the hole is enough to bury Papa's burly figure. Their manpower alone makes a hole big enough for four men.

The gorillas gather offerings for their fallen leader. The graveyard might not be lush with food, but it's only but a few minutes journey for gorillas to find an array of fruits and other flora. Papa is their leader so they work to get enough offerings to feed an entire family. It should be enough for him to have to get to the other side.

The humans—Marco, his son Pinocchio, Gold and the fairies—work to make a gravestone to put at the head of the grave. With the artistic touch from Marco and the speed of the fairies' magic, the stone they're creating looks more worthy than that of the most noblest king. At least anyone who will pass by will know about his great fight. Anyone would be proud. I hope Papa will like it—in spirit.

Then, as the final gorilla comes back with their offerings, the gorillas gather around the fallen leader. Words mutter from them, creating an almost ominous chant around them. Although in fact, every member renounce Papa's strength. They tell moments of their benevolent leader. They pray for his spirit to travel safely into the afterlife. They remember the family that's waiting for him on the other side. They promise to help the remaining members still alive who grieve his death. They hymn a low lullaby that is sewn into our culture, our lands. The troop hopes that Papa's strength will be with all of us in these dark times, in hopes that good will shine on us again. It's with their final prayer and wishes that the males of our troop—young, old, and all in between—work together to carry their leader's hefty body. They work as one to move Papa to his final resting place.