Smallest Coffin

    It wasn't a rainy night or a foggy evening like in the movies. It was a bright morning, the sky painted orange by the rising sun.

    The smallest coffins are always the heaviest. They’re heavy because they weigh down your heart, making each step feel like you’re walking shin deep in sand.

    I was too numb to comprehend. That’s the only way I can describe the feeling. Numb.

    I watched as they carried the casket to the deep hole that had been dug, laying it on the simple, pulley-like contraption made of long strips of fabric.

    The whole thing went by as a blur. The preacher said a couple words. People cried.

    But I just stood there. Numb.

    It was when they started throwing dirt on the coffin that the realization hit me.

    “No,” I whimpered, stepping toward the hole. My brothers held me back.

    “No!” I pushed past them when a deep voice stopped me.

    “David,” my father said sternly.

    “They can’t put my baby sister in the ground,” I angrily wiped at the tears streaming down my cheeks.

    “David, she’s already gone,” he laid a hand on my shoulder.

    I looked up at this tall, gray-haired man without a tear to dim the eye. How could he not cry?

    “How can you be so heartless!” I screamed, shoving away from him. His astonished expression only fueled my rage. Why did it surprise him that I was acting in this fashion?

    That was his daughter. She died! She wasn't going to come back!

    I ran, pushing my legs to run faster as I heard them calling after me.

    I ran until I broke through into the trees stopping just at the edge. I turned back, surprised to see that they had stopped following.

    I sat down with my back against a tree, not caring about the wet grass and mud that would stain my tan pants. I closed my eyes, breathing heavily until the tears stopped flowing.

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

This is some strong writing, full of vivid images and emotion. Seems it could be part of a larger work. On the subject--any funeral can be stressful and trying, but for a little one, hearts may burst from so much sorrow.