Demons Control Us All

Putting the 'Fun' in Funeral

Today was the day.

Today was the day of the funeral.

The one that shouldn't have happened until years and years to come. But, it was today, and the four of them- Johnnie, Josh, Tiger and Juliet- couldn't be more depressed. They had all been crying non-stop for the past month. The police officers, pathologists and FBI agents had finished examining Lilly's body, and after asking Johnnie what he wanted to do with her, he asked if his mother could be cremated; he always knew his mom wanted to 'go out with a bang', and this was the perfect way to do so.

The funeral was to be held on their hill in the park. That way, they could invite everyone they knew, and there would be space for the wake afterwards. Early that morning, the four young adults went to the park to get everything sorted out; the closed casket, a gazebo in case is started to rain, chairs, food, stereos and speakers, and throughout the day, the reverend joined them to speak through the ceremony, and who was going to speak their eulogies in order, and how many people they were expecting to attend. They had invited 78 people, including whichever family members could arrive on time, Lilly's colleagues, all of the people they were close to; and police officers from the station, as they needed to be on high alert if they saw Ben anywhere near the funeral.

By 1.00 pm, everyone had arrived, so they were to begin the funeral. Sniffles and tears and heartbreak could be heard everywhere, as everyone mourned the passing of Lilly Smith. The reverend stood by the closed casket and talked about Lilly; how she was loved by everyone in their small town of Agloe, how the cause of her passing was not intended for her, and that it was far too soon. Johnnie, however, had zoned out completely, preparing himself to talk in front of all these people. He was to read his eulogy first, and he was worried, so much so the he was already shaking, as he wanted it to be perfect for his mom. Sitting in the front row- closest to the deep mahogany casket that was covered over with black dahlias, with the odd, contrasting tiger lilies, which Lilly's daughter was named after- was Johnnie, Josh, Tiger and Juliet, all with damp tissues in their hands from covering up the tears. Johnnie was still lost in his own thoughts and only snapped out of it when he heard his name being called.

"Johnnie? Johnnie?" the reverend was calling out to him, for Johnnie to give his eulogy now. Gingerly, he stood up and walked towards the casket, his whole body trembling. "Thank you, Father..." he mumbled, before facing the tear-stained audience.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale Johnnie told himself, and then he pulled his eulogy out and began speaking.

"My mother, Lilly Smith, moved here to Agloe 20 years ago, 2 months before I was born. In that time, she has made lifelong friends and had many memorable experiences with every single one of you here. Remember when she was taking part in that mud-run we had about 13 years ago? And as she was about to cross that finish line, her fingers almost scraping the end, and she tripped and fell face first into the mud? That day she made a vow to never take part in a run ever again,"

Johnnie paused here, mostly to take a breath, but also as the friends and relatives staring intently at him began to smile, some even chuckled at the memory. As this died down again, Johnnie spoke.

"Mom was too young to die. She was only 38, she had another 20 years on her, at least- because she drank too heavily too often. Although she changed when Ben walked out on us and left her with nothing but me, she still loved me, and all of you. I for one hoped she would do more living, as she started changing her lifestyle, these past few months. But her horrible and abusive ex-husband had to go ahead and ruin that for her, and cause collateral damage in me, my siblings, and all of you with us today," Johnnie was getting angry now. Remember, inhale, exhale.

"But now mom is in a better place, and she's happy. She has nothing else to worry about in life, but all I hope she is watching us from above right now, I hope she is proud of me, Josh and Tiger, even Juliet. I hope she is looking down, and seeing us all gathered here today, and know that she has left this damaged place in the best way possible. And I hope she is making sure everything goes to plan, and she's looking out for us. I love you mom, and I always will. I know I didn't tell you that enough, but please know that I love you.." at this, Johnnie began to break down again, as tears started falling down his cheeks and leaving a salty taste on his lips.