Fonos: An Esmp au

Act One Ch 3: Funeral Proceedings

It was a sad chilly day in September. As we had all gathered in Dawn for Gem's funeral. I was crying before the funeral even started. I'd gotten out my fanciest dress and flowers to put in the casket. As we sat down so the proceedings could begin, Katherine tapped my arm. "What?" I whispered. "Where's Scott and Jimmy?" she asked. "I don't know, maybe they'll be here little late" I guessed.

Katherine didn't look convinced but didn't continue further. Sombre music was put on as Gem's casket was carried down the aisle. It was a fancy glass one so we could see Gem. Her hair had been styled into huge tight barnet curls. She'd been put into an orange-peach dress with rose gold accents. It had so many ruffles and skirts, I'm not surprised I'd never seen Gem wear it.

... Well until now.

Sausage stood at the front; his face as sombre as the music. He still wouldn't tell me what happened that night. No one else knew about it except Scott who'd mysteriously appeared in my room the next morning. Speaking of Scott, he and Jimmy better be here soon.

"Today, we gather to remember and honour the life of our dear friend Gemini Tay. She was an incredible person who touched the lives of everyone she met. I am honoured to have been one of her good friends for all these years, and I am grateful for the memories we shared together.

I remember when we first met, it was at spawn after the very first empire wide meeting and we instantly clicked. We spent the entire day after that collecting every wood type the world had to offer. From that day on, we were inseparable. We went on countless adventures together, laughed until our stomachs hurt, and supported each other through the ups and downs of life.

One of the things I loved most about Gem was her kind and compassionate heart. She always put others before herself and had a way of making everyone feel seen and heard. She was a true ray of sunshine in this world, and I know that her light will continue to shine on through all of us who were lucky enough to know her.

As I stand here today, I am filled with both sadness and gratitude. Sadness for the loss of such a wonderful person, but gratitude for the time we had together and the memories that will live on forever. Gem, you will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will miss you dearly. Rest in peace, my dear friend.".

Applause followed Sausage's speech. He sure does know how to make one tear up. Sunglasses were passed round and everyone put them on. Even Joel though there was a bit of hesitation and a nudge from Lizzie.

"Oh Saint Bdubs, we come before you in this time of mourning and loss. We ask for your comfort and solace as we say goodbye to Gem. Please wrap your loving arms around us and give us the strength to carry on. Help us to remember the happy times and the joy that Gem brought into our lives. We know that she is now in a better place, free from pain and suffering. Please watch over her and keep her safe until we meet again. Amen".

I don't believe in Saint Bdubs but I still mumbled an amen. So did everyone else except Joel. Can't blame him. Imagine being a god and praying to another god? Self-decrepitating.

"If we can have a moment of silence". If I thought everything was silent before then I don't know what to call this. The wind, the bees even the bloody cows had shut up. There was nothing.

Strange...

I like it...

Sausage sighed, breaking the silence. Breaking the perfection. The casket was lifted and taken down the aisle. Katherine dragged on my sleeve. "We have to follow suit" she whispered. I'd never been to a funeral before so I didn't know that was a thing.

Well, it seemed common knowledge to everyone else as they had already gotten up. I stood up and timidly followed. Everyone had their flowers at the ready except Katherine. "All the flowers I tried to get died" she explained without me asking. Right... evil curse thing that kills half her empire. How could I forget?

"Where are we going?" I asked Katherine. "Cherso, that's where Gem said she'd like her body to be buried" she answered. "One, where is that? Two, Gem said?" I enquired. "Cherso is the lighthouse island and Gem 'apparently wrote down the exact spot she'd like to be buried when she died" she explained.

I thought that island was just part of Exter but I didn't say anything further because Lizzie was starting to side eye us. Even if we were really quiet those ears of hers can pick up on anything. Pretty strange for an alleged 'human'.

It was a long walk to 'Cherso' which was a surprise as it normally takes me a few seconds when I'm on my broom. After what felt like forever, we finally crossed the bridge over. There was a pre dug hole under a beautiful sycamore tree with a wonderful view over the coast.

The casket was lowered down into the hole and everyone, silently, dropped their flowers down. Hermes burst into tears after dropping his and Joel picked him up and took him away. As I dropped my flowers I whispered, "Thanks for not thinking I'm weird". The wind picked up as if she was responding.

Katherine, Joel and Sausage buried the casket. Another few minutes of silence later and the funeral was over. Everyone sort of awkwardly disbanded to their own corners. I had no idea where Katherine had gone, so just stood where I was.

Pix was consoling Oli. Joey was surprisingly quiet. Lizzie, Joel, Sausage and Hermes were all at the cliff's edge. A bit dangerous but they could all fly except Lizzie. Someone would catch her.

I watched as Joel took off his and Hermes' sunglasses. Lizzie handed him hers as well. Joel looked at Sausage with a look that probably asked for his sunglasses. Sausage returned it with a hard glare. "Don't make things hard" is what I think Lizzie said but I wasn't sure. Sausage reluctantly handed over the glasses. Joel crushed all of them at once in his hand and let the pieces fall to the water below.

"Hey". I jumped in surprise as Katherine had somehow materialised next to me. "I was just talking to the locals" she explained. "It's fine" I said. "Scott and Jimmy never came" Katherine pointed out. "You wanna go check on them?" I asked. "Yeah we probably should". "They're probably fine"

----

"They weren't fine". 

<...>

Pft- Did you expect them to be fine?!

Wishful thinking