Divine Ascension (Wattys 2024)

Chapter 25 - The Funeral

It was most unfortunate for Ingrid to watch Melinda's decaying state during the three days that followed. Despite her lovely surroundings in a quaint house with lilac walls and lace curtains and a beautiful garden, Melinda's mind remained as black as ever, frozen in time as she stared at her bedroom wall, inert and unfeeling as a corpse. Jeffrey had died, but the funeral was hers. She saw no joy in living, no purpose, hardly bothering to wash her face or brush her teeth, refusing to eat or drink in her relentless quest to utterly destroy herself.

On that wretched day when Jeffrey was supposed to be buried in the ground, Ingrid nudged Melinda a few hours early, telling her that she should get ready, which wouldn't be too hard because she'd been dressed in black ever since she had come to stay at Ingrid's house. Melinda, of course, accepted, which didn't seem very natural to Ingrid but was only natural to her. 

She was pale and weak, like a zombie, but she believed it would be nice to see a little sunlight after a three-day storm which looked like it came straight from a Gothic novel. She had come to hate people a little after all of this, dreading their gossip and their judgmental stares, but talking to another person seemed like a pleasant prospect, so she made herself look pretty and went an hour early to make sure she arrived on time.

The way people looked at her when she got there reminded her of her beauty. Not much of her face could be seen beneath the black veil, but the darkness of her clothes contrasted well with her gentle features and accentuated her sorrow, making her look like a dark jewel. The black rose drew more attention to her long, luscious hair; the obsidian necklace drew more attention to her tall, graceful neck; the black lace gloves drew more attention to her delicate, slender fingers, and the black lace leggings beneath her black satin dress drew more attention to her strong, elegant legs. 

However, far more important was the sorrow. She didn't try to hide it, not one bit. Her current stature was a mere shadow of her confident, sociable self, passing through life but refusing to truly live it, which Ingrid did not find odd at all. In fact, she was wondering how Melinda could even stand her legs at all, given how much her emotions and her ardent refusal to take care of herself had taken a toll on her. People approached her like some kind of curiosity, and so she made her way to her seat quickly without daring to look back, retreating in defeat like the broken woman that she was.

The funeral began ten minutes later, but to Melinda, it felt like an eternity. Things didn't get much better during the eulogy either, as it was dull and stale, regurgitating the same lines and gestures she always saw during funerals, which she had attended many of. She felt less melancholic and more bored during funeral speeches, especially now that reality had become muted. There was a stark contrast between the blooming flowers and the singing birds and the gloomy, miserable atmosphere of it all that might have interested her during another time, but now it was just there, as annoying as the rest of existence was, like a coffee stain on the rug of an already very dilapidated room.

A reminder that she was alive and bursting with energy was her reaction to the speaker's sudden shift in speech, which hinted that it was all about to end at last. The young man with rosy cheeks and little to no facial hair tried to act as stoically as possible, but during such tragedy, no one could blame him for accidentally showing a bit of emotion. He gritted his teeth, composing his tone of voice, yet he looked forward uncertain, seeming afraid to even talk about it. Still, he had to. Only by acknowledging tragedy can one put it to rest.

"Jeffrey Bush was a very memorable man," he said, his voice wavering. "It is not just because he was the partner of Melinda Grey, but also because of his vivid and bright personality, which she knew in ways the rest of us could never comprehend. He was a kind and noble man, full of love for his community and all those in it, passionate about what he believed in despite his humble position in life, and even when the world had started to shatter his psyche, even when he had reached the breaking point which made everything go sour, she surely loved him as well.