The Magic Within ↠ Once Upon A Time

[Chapter 83] Bury Me With You

The humans, seeing as the funeral must commence, stand back. The dwarfs exit the hole once they're finished. The fairies move the stone at the head of the grave. Every one of them offers their condolences to the gorilla troop. Few bow their heads as a sign of respect.

As soon as they lay Papa firmly into the hole, the gorillas begin assembling their offerings around him. They ensure that their decorations make Papa's grave the grandest they've ever seen. Despite the beautiful grave they make, it doesn't ease their grief. One by one, each member mumbles their goodbyes to their worthy leader.

I can only sit back while they do all the work. I'm perched closely against the foot of the grave that if I were to tip forward then my body would fall into the hole. As much as I would wish that, my body is seemingly cemented to the ground from which I lay. I can't move. My body doesn't feel any muscles that I wouldn't know how to walk even if I tried. I don't even feel the petals brushing against my bicep. As I remember them, I grip onto the bouquet of white lilies in my arms tighter.

The flowers nectar can spill on me if it wants, it's not like it'll make me look any different. My body is still littered with dirt, blood, and tears. I could barely comprehend the idea of letting Papa go so soon, let alone think of washing off the remnants of today.

Nevertheless, Henry's already covered me with his jacket around my shoulders. I didn't consider the drop in temperature until I see another puff of icy smoke leaving my lips. The fabric from his jacket warms my shoulder, but I can feel his eyes on my back.

Finally, without any spec of dirt left to pop through all of the offerings that surrounds Papa's body, the troop escapes the grave only to kneel closely to their fallen leader. They begin to chant again, with a couple whimpers crying through (even if some were from me). The troop let the words slip from their tongues for Papa. They pray their leader is stronger in the afterlife. They know of the struggles that he's faced, some that no creature should ever endure in one lifetime, and with that last strength which coursed in his blood during his last breath, they hope to bring that strength onto them in their time of need. They wish for him to bring light to me. They speak about me—in my first name, Tarza—as much as they recite Papa's name. There's more than one soul in danger from death. The troop yearns for Papa's strength to flow into me now that I'm their leader.

With that, Terk turns to me. Though my eyes firmly set themselves into the grave, staring at Papa's face, I still notice Terk's moving body in the corner of my eyes. She leans towards me while I remain firm. The bouquet of lilies rustle against me as Terk takes a heap of them in her hands. I don't even fight her as she separates the group of lilies I worked tirelessly to find and gather. Soon after, Terk trots back—facing the grave—and drops the flowers into the grave. She saves a fistful of petals to sprinkle their pure white flakes around the underground. Terk mumbles under her breath so low that I could mistake them for mere breaths, but with her head continuing to look back at me, from which I see in the corner of my eyes, I can only assume that she's praying for my sake. She prays for the lone member remaining in this eternally broken kin.

I don't even give Terk the gratification of a weak grin. I stay limp, staring at the grave.

One-by-one, the voices thin out. The last of the rhythmic chant has finish. Now, it's the final act of Papa's funeral. Members start to grab fistfuls of dirt before tossing it into the grave. Some of the dwarfs lend their hands in chucking the dirt over Papa's body.

It's then as soon as dirt hit's Papa's body that it begins to rain. The drops of rain help pat down the dirt that begins blanketing over Papa. The water will turn the dirt to mud, and soon it'll naturally cement the grave permanently.