Floyd Charles Van Horn III

Chapter 5: Claude

Mary had moved on. Her husband died last week, and was finally buried in the plot next to her and she moved on. Moving on is the next step after death. Claude doesn't think she can ever move on. There's nothing left for her in this world. She thought when her son died in 1984 that she could finally move on, but the day's came and went; she's still here- still a ghost, still lonely.
Floyd comes jogging down the hill, a young girl following him. Alex- Alex in her pretty purple dress. Claude grabs her yellow dress in her hands, and stands up.
"I like your dress," she says to Alex.
"Thanks. I'm Alex." She offers Claude her hand, and Claude shakes it.
"Claude," she says, "so Floyd, what's her name?"
"Dolly!" He says, "How was Mary?"
"She moved on."
"What?" Floyd says, sitting down on the ground, Alex following him.
"Her husband died. She's gone. You'd think after death the feeling of loss would no longer exists." Claude says.

They sit in silence.
"I don't know why I'm still here," Alex says, "I have nothing tying .me to this- this-" She thinks for a moment, "dimension."
"Dimension!" Floyd says, "that's a great word to add to the ghost vocabulary. I'm still disappointed there was no death guide like in Beetlejuice."
"I love that movie," Alex says, "why did the higher power not make you able to watch movies after death?!"
"What's a Beetlejuice? That sounds gross. Anyway," Claude says, forever turning the conversation back to sophistication, "I don't have anything left in this dimension either," Claude says, "I thought when my baby died I could move on. She passed in 1984."
"Four years before Beetlejuice," Floyd chimes in.
"Shush, Floyd. Baby?" Alex says, "How old are you?"
"I had her at 18, I died at 19." Claude says, "And I was buried in this stupid, ugly dress!"
"I feel ya," Alex says, "this purple thing-"
"Don't you complain!" Claude says, "That's gorgeous."
Alex holds her hands up in defense.

A red car comes speeding down the pot-holed cemetery road.
"Dolly," Alex says, watching the car disappear. "I hope she doesn't wreck and die."
"I do," Floyd says.
"Don't wish death upon anyone, Floyd. Do you want someone to have to sit out here, with no reason, endlessly?"
Tears drip off Claude's chin. Floyd holds her.
"You really miss Mary, don't you?" Floyd says. She nods.