Balance of the Skies (bxb)

CHAPTER 28

The morning of the funeral service was a beautiful one. The sky was decorated with clouds that seemed like puffs of cotton candy. The sun shone majestically, reigning over its kingdom - a vast expanse of the most wonderful blue one could imagine. To complement its warm rays, the wind whispered a cool breeze so that the temperature was mild and pleasant.

No one would have guessed that there were twelve people gathered in Lorien's house that day. The silence was palpable, broken only by occasional whispers when someone needed to talk to one of their friends. Koray and Lorien's friends from their school had come down to Lorien's village to pay their last respects and to further support Lorien. Zana had offered her home to Melia, Auryn and Sen, while Wilford was staying at Drey's. Ty and Rylan stayed at Lev and Teo's place since they shared an apartment on the outskirts of the village.

While all the others were seated or gathered in the living room and the kitchen, Koray and Drey were upstairs in Lorien's room, helping him get ready. Koray couldn't help but feel his heart shatter as he saw the dark circles under Lorien's beautiful eyes, that were now red and puffy. His cheeks had hollowed in and he looked painfully thin in his black suit. As Drey was adjusting his tie, there was a soft knock on the door and Teo's head poked in.

"The flowers are here, so we should start heading down to the square," he said.

"We'll be down in a minute," Drey replied.

Over the past couple of days, Drey and his friends had explained to the others the rather complicated series of rituals that they would have to follow during the funeral service. Since Lorien's grandmother was one of the village elders, all the inhabitants would be attending to bid their last farewell. Lorien was also expected to give a speech, something which worried Koray, as Lorien had hardly spoken a word since his grandmother's passing.

The three boys headed downstairs and found the girls already holding the wreaths of sunflowers in their hands. Ty, Wilford and Rylan were each holding a lantern, the candle inside already lit. Lev handed a framed photograph of Lorien's grandmother to him to hold. Lorien clutched his grandmother's picture to his chest.

"Shall we go?" Drey asked.

Lorien nodded and they all filed out of the house. Lev and Teo led the way, followed by Ty, Melia and Sen. Next were Rylan, Wilford and Auryn. Drey and Zana, then Koray and Lorien were last. As they walked through the streets, Koray noticed most villagers standing on the sides, looking at their small procession. He could feel most eyes on him and the rest of his friends, guessing that the onlookers were curious as to who these strangers were. He side-glanced at Lorien who was walking with his eyes glued to the floor clutching his grandmother's photo in a tight hug. Koray was also surprised to notice most villagers bowing slightly as Lorien passed by, but he guessed that to be a sign of respect towards the departed.

A short while later, they reached the square, where a dark car was waiting with the coffin inside. Koray's heart started beating faster as he wiped sweat off his upper lip. He was so nervous – he had never done anything of this sort before. He had never experienced the death of a loved one, but he wanted to make sure that this all went well for Lorien and his grandmother. He stepped forward together with Drey, Lev and Teo. All four of them would be carrying the coffin across the square to the front where there seemed to be a few people standing. Chairs had been placed on both sides of the square and these were being filled by the people who, Koray guessed, they had seen along the streets.

An elderly gentleman, perhaps in his sixties, came forward and Koray could not help notice the huge medallion on his chest. The man nodded at each one of them but walked straight to Lorien.

"I have no words to say, my Son," he began. "Narcissa was a pillar of our community and her loss will be felt immensely."

"Thank you, Mr Mayor," was all Lorien could say.