heavy with sadness and the scent of smoky incense. The old oak pews of the church held few mourners to celebrate the life of a young woman. One that had been brutally murdered in cold blood, and she was such a sweet woman too. While Marisela only knew her from a few interactions at her old job, she was always fond of Trisha.
It seemed so strange to think that inside the soft brown willow wicker casket in front of the church, a life of promise and a strong future had come to an end. Marisela could recall the girl’s history and background. She was a 31 year old woman who had just graduated from Mingus Community College with a 3.4 GPA, and had a very promising career as a reporter for the Mingus Mountain Independent in Cottonwood. Everyone who knew her couldn’t help but stare at her. She was stunning and certainly turned heads before the jackass cop broke her heart, and then she went into hiding. It was almost as if her life went turned into a harrowing novel that a writer just discarded in their trash bin.
Looking around, it was disheartening to Marisela to find that today’s attendance of nine people, including herself, was all the poor girl would have to say goodbye. Of those, they seemed to be nothing more than family members and an odd little man that Marisela herself had never noticed before. All of them sitting and waiting patiently in the uncomfortable wooden pews as they seemed to be lost in the thoughts of what they were going to do as soon as this inconvenient event finally ended. It was in this moment that Marisela noticed no one was there to mourn the woman, and instead, eyes remained dry and there were no weeps of sorrow.
Trying to ignore the obvious, she turned her attention to the large cross made from a blend of cedar, cypress and pine hung over the altar. The large wooden piece was outlined in gold and on its own it would have still made a considerable statement. Her big brown eyes cringed slightly as they fixed on the image of Christ as he had been immortalized in suffering to remind the world of the ultimate sacrifice he gave to them. While she loved the symbol of the cross, she always felt uneasy and saddened by this image. Marisela could feel the pain and sadness of Christ’s eyes as they met and she wept softly for a moment. All of this pain seemed too real and more than she could handle on her own.
Moving her head to the side, she knew she needed to focus on something else, to take her mind off the pain that was growing in her soul. Looking at the altar, she saw the Bible open and on display, sitting on top of an ornate runner. Tassels of gold and crystal lined it and it was a truly stunning sight to Marisela. Just behind the altar was the Eucharist held in the solar monstrance. Made from gold and resembling the sun, with the Eucharist in the center, it was an ornate beauty that managed to give off the beauty of God.
Marisela, again, was moved. There was so much spiritual significance in the moment and she felt like God was watching over the room and knew that he was being honored, while the girl in the casket was of little importance to the patrons in the church, even though on the surface they were respectfully mourning the dead. This was unlike the funerals portrayed in the movies with people breaking down and throwing themselves at a highly ornate coffin, as innocence lost was getting its last recognition before being tossed into the Earth, only to be reclaimed by the Lords of the dead. Along with underground scavengers that would turn the young woman to their meal. A collection of worms, ants and beetles munching on her remains as she slowly decomposed, returning to the dust that once held life.
From behind the altar, she heard the pastor clear his throat and walk out as the organ played a solemn song. Marisela collected herself and stood with the others in the church and she looked on at the man dressed in white. She knew for him it would be a celebration of the woman’s return
It seemed so strange to think that inside the soft brown willow wicker casket in front of the church, a life of promise and a strong future had come to an end. Marisela could recall the girl’s history and background. She was a 31 year old woman who had just graduated from Mingus Community College with a 3.4 GPA, and had a very promising career as a reporter for the Mingus Mountain Independent in Cottonwood. Everyone who knew her couldn’t help but stare at her. She was stunning and certainly turned heads before the jackass cop broke her heart, and then she went into hiding. It was almost as if her life went turned into a harrowing novel that a writer just discarded in their trash bin.
Looking around, it was disheartening to Marisela to find that today’s attendance of nine people, including herself, was all the poor girl would have to say goodbye. Of those, they seemed to be nothing more than family members and an odd little man that Marisela herself had never noticed before. All of them sitting and waiting patiently in the uncomfortable wooden pews as they seemed to be lost in the thoughts of what they were going to do as soon as this inconvenient event finally ended. It was in this moment that Marisela noticed no one was there to mourn the woman, and instead, eyes remained dry and there were no weeps of sorrow.
Trying to ignore the obvious, she turned her attention to the large cross made from a blend of cedar, cypress and pine hung over the altar. The large wooden piece was outlined in gold and on its own it would have still made a considerable statement. Her big brown eyes cringed slightly as they fixed on the image of Christ as he had been immortalized in suffering to remind the world of the ultimate sacrifice he gave to them. While she loved the symbol of the cross, she always felt uneasy and saddened by this image. Marisela could feel the pain and sadness of Christ’s eyes as they met and she wept softly for a moment. All of this pain seemed too real and more than she could handle on her own.
Moving her head to the side, she knew she needed to focus on something else, to take her mind off the pain that was growing in her soul. Looking at the altar, she saw the Bible open and on display, sitting on top of an ornate runner. Tassels of gold and crystal lined it and it was a truly stunning sight to Marisela. Just behind the altar was the Eucharist held in the solar monstrance. Made from gold and resembling the sun, with the Eucharist in the center, it was an ornate beauty that managed to give off the beauty of God.
Marisela, again, was moved. There was so much spiritual significance in the moment and she felt like God was watching over the room and knew that he was being honored, while the girl in the casket was of little importance to the patrons in the church, even though on the surface they were respectfully mourning the dead. This was unlike the funerals portrayed in the movies with people breaking down and throwing themselves at a highly ornate coffin, as innocence lost was getting its last recognition before being tossed into the Earth, only to be reclaimed by the Lords of the dead. Along with underground scavengers that would turn the young woman to their meal. A collection of worms, ants and beetles munching on her remains as she slowly decomposed, returning to the dust that once held life.
From behind the altar, she heard the pastor clear his throat and walk out as the organ played a solemn song. Marisela collected herself and stood with the others in the church and she looked on at the man dressed in white. She knew for him it would be a celebration of the woman’s return
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