Meet the Howlters

Oh, Ms Believer

(A/N: hey guys. I would highly recommend that to listen to the song (video above) as you read this. If you don't want to, it's fine. I just think it adds to it.)

YEAR: 2053

[Delilah's POV]

The snow fell to the ground, and slowly started to pile up on the road. Dozens of cars all drove in a single file line, following the two hearses that lead the way up to the cemetery. My car was the one leading the rest of the family's; Winston's was right behind up. I sat in the passenger seat, and refused to say a word. I refused to believe that this was happening.

My dads are dead, was all that I was able to think. They were so young... They didn't deserve to die this early... It's not fair... It's just not fair... I miss my daddy and my bear...

"Delilah," Joe whispered.
"Hmm?" I hummed.
"How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine," I lied.
"No, you're not," he said as he held my hand. "We're gonna get through this... I promise..."
"Thanks..."
"Are you ready to find out how he died?"
"No," I shook my head. "I don't want to know..."
"Okay..." he said.

We pulled up the the cemetery, and everyone gathered around the two hearses. Joe lightly wrapped his arm around my waist, just to make sure I didn't slip on ice, as I protectively rested my hand on the twins' shoulders, while Fiona stood behind me. Winston quickly joined us, with his family not too far behind. He looked absolutely awful. His hair was slightly unkempt, his nose was red and sore, and it looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"Hey," I whispered as I tapped his arm. "You okay?"
"Yeah..."
"No, you're not," I pouted. "Come here."

I opened my arms and pulled him into a hug. He rested his head on my shoulder and started to sob; I held my breath, and bit the inside of my cheek so I wouldn't cry.

"It's gonna be okay," I said. "We're gonna get through this..."
"You promise?"
"I swear..." I whispered. "Come on, we have to get on with the service."

We all walked into the snow covered field, and managed to make it to our seats. My family, and Winston's, took up the entire first row. Martyn and his family sat behind us, then Adrian and his family followed them. I scanned the field and noticed the Louise and Darcy were in the way back, trying not to talk to anyone. Once everyone was seated, the minister walked up to his podium and cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for coming out here on such a gloomy day. Now, I know it's cold, so we'll try to move this along swiftly. Now, I had something prepared, but I think it'd be better if we just had their family come up and say a few words. Delilah... Winston..." he said. Winston and I looked to each other and then looked to the podium.
"You don't have to go up if you don't want to," Joe said.
"No, no... I'll be fine," I whispered. "Please help me up."

Joe stood up, held a firm grip on my hands, and pulled my out of my chair. I stood there for a minute, to catch my balance, before Joe walked me up to the stand.

"Do you wanna go first?" I asked Winston.
"Sure... Who do you wanna talk about?"
"I'll talk about dad," I murmured.
"Okay." Winston pat my shoulder as he stepped up; I stood behind him, and tried not to cry. "Hello everyone," he started. "Thank you all for coming... I know the conditions are quite horrific, but this is what my dad wanted to do for my bear so... here we are..." he said. "What can I say about my bear, well... Dan..." he thought for a minute. "Bear was such a kind person... he was always there for anyone that needed him... If someone was sad, or just not having a good day, he would give them a hug, and tell them that everything would work out in the end... I didn't realize it at the time, but bear was always there for me, like dad was always there for Delilah. When I broke my leg, bear carried me places, just so I could go out, and not be stuck inside the house, or a depressing hospital room. When..." he trailed off. "When my first wife died, he was kind enough to call my wife's parents, and tell them what happened, just so I wouldn't have to..." As he spoke, I noticed tears started falling on to his cheeks, and his voice became weak. "I thought nothing of it at the time... what really kills me is that I never thanked him for any of it... He..." Winston bit his lip as he tried holding in his tears. "He was a wonderful person, that I'm really going to miss..."