A Beautiful Burial

A Beautiful Burial

Songbirds sang their declarations in the late afternoon, dancing over the calm river in the hopes of impressing their future lover. The blue sky was decorated with fluffy clouds, which gave a few moments of reprieve from the summer sun as they moved through their own sea.

White butterflies flocked shyly at first, then with eagerness towards a child sitting on an old wooden dock that had been reclaimed by the Earth.

Victo sat on the edge with her legs hanging over the edge, her feet pleasantly submerged within the gentle waters. Her cluster was just a couple miles behind her. Over a steep hill and through the floral gardens her people planted. She wore her finest day robe and short trousers, the richly dyed fabric light for the hot season. The attire was much easier to maneuver in than her dresses or long skirts. She donned a crown of vibrant marigolds atop her head, with her thick hair in a braid that cascaded over her shoulder. As well as a set of her favorite round earrings her mother made her. The jewlery was half wood and half turquoise, polished to perfection.

She gazed aimlessly out at the water, hardly registering that a butterfly had made itself comfortable on her hand. Though she heard it's a woeful hymn... she always could. The small creatures always sang to her during these times.

She could hear other voices whispering to her. Larger and stronger. But, spoke in words she did not understand. It was clear though that the voice was in pain. The rhythm resembled a burial song that was quite known amongst her kin. A familiar call of a barn owl shrieked from above, pulling her out of her reveries. She shifts her gaze just as the creature, her father's beloved Cansu, perches itself on a branch of a tree across the river. The stunning beauty’s dark eyes bore into her, their feathers glittered in the light of the sun.

“Victo? I thought I’d find you here.” A gentle voice called to her. She felt a presence behind her and looked back to find her father making his way to her. “May I keep you company?”

Victo was silent a moment, then shifted to the side to make room. “Can’t say no to you, papa.”

“You’re allowed to say no to anyone. Even me.” Laszlo said as he slipped off his shoes and joined her side. He wrapped his arm around her and she leaned against him. “Are you hearing the voices again?”

Victo nodded, resting her head on his arm. “Mostly one. They’re dying and… lonely.” she leaned forward slightly to look into the water.

“Is that why you came out here?” Laszlo asked, looking at his daughter when she faced him. Her left eye had some clarity to it that hasn’t been there in the previous days, the dull blue iris now vibrant with life. Her left was naturally her own, brown and gentle. Just as she was. The left held the mystic energy of another, who was still a mystery to be solved.

Victo nodded, “I didn’t want them to die alone,” she answered timidly, adding as she tapped her cheek beneath her left eye. “Neither did she.”

Laszlo hummed, his gaze shifting to the water. “Might I see them? Or am I not permitted?” Victo raised her hand up to her father’s cheek, his pupils dilated and everything around them grew dark. Everything but what lies within the depths of the river.

A large serpent-like creature glowing as brightly as the sun moved slowly through the abyss, unleashing a pained wail. Laszlo could see the sickness that ran along its body. The decay. The end stages of an old folk’s life. It was a heartbreaking sight. And the voice of the creature as they sang was just as tragic. It's the final hymn celebrating all that they have experienced in their long life. Their gratitude to move into the afterlife for an eternity of rest. It was heartbreaking and beautiful.

Victo pulled her hand away, returning her father’s soul back to the other side.

“May I stay with you until it passes?” Her father asked softly, his eyes welling up with tears.

“Mhmm. They like the company.” Victo held her father’s hand as they sat in the large being’s company. They remained until the song had stopped, and prayed for its safe journey to the next life.

When they were done, they began to take their leave. Victo stopped before stepping off the dock, turning back and breaking off one of her flowers from her crown. She set the simple gift in the water to float on the surface, then turned to take her father’s hand and leave for home. Cansu released another shriek before taking flight behind them.

As they left, a large white stag with a woman’s face quietly walked out into the surface of the water towards the flower. The ethereal being was accompanied by wisps that cooed whimsically. The stag leaned their head down, their long neck extending as they examined the flower, then gazed after Victo’s retreating figure. Soon, the soul of the serpent emerged from the waters and circled the stag, eager to finish their long journey. The stag turned around and guided the serpent into the woods, taking the weary soul through the veil and into the afterlife.