Graveyard of the living

The deception

"So, you lost your family, sir. If you don't mind, may I see a photo of them?"

John nodded and handed her the photos. "Sure, here you go."

As she looked at the images, Celine remarked softly, "Eri and Dave were adorable. I'm truly sorry for your loss."

John replied with a solemn smile, "Don't worry about it. My wounds can't be healed, but time has taught me how to live with the pain."

While John spoke, Celine subtly tossed something to his left, making sure he wouldn't notice. Her eyes caught sight of his hand, where an engagement ring gleamed.

"Is that your engagement ring?" she asked.

John glanced down at the ring and nodded. "Yes, it still reminds me of my family."

Celine tilted her head slightly. "And your safety ring? You're not wearing it?"

John raised his left hand, revealing the ring. "I was. Here, look."

They both stood up and moved a little away from the cliff's edge.

Celine's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "That's such a unique-colored ring. May I take a closer look?"

John hesitated but thought, "It will be fine since I'm watching her; she can't do anything." As he carefully extracted his safety ring, Celine reached into her back pocket with her right hand, withdrawing something that remained hidden in her closed fist.

When John handed her the ring, she accepted it with her left hand, but it slipped from her grasp and fell. Celine bent down, using her right index finger to pick it up, then transferred it from her right fist to her left hand, holding it between her left thumb and index finger. She lifted the ring towards the sky, as if in a scene from a movie, all while John kept his eyes on her and the ring.

As Celine was about to return it, John asked calmly, "Celine, could you show me your right palm, please?"

Celine hesitated, a flicker of nervousness crossing her face, but she slowly opened her right hand. To John's surprise, her palm was empty. Just then, a bizarre sound came from behind him—a phone ringing.

Celine quickly said, "Oh my God, I'm sorry, that was my phone. I must have dropped it, sorry."

John picked up the phone for her and noticed that it was Oberheuser calling. After that, he took his ring back, put it on, and returned to the cliff, where he sat down, deep in thought.

After Celine left, John mused, "I must have imagined things."

Meanwhile, Celine, now away from the cliff, breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God he didn't notice. Briony told me not to show this to anyone."

Celine sat under a tree, a short distance from the cliff, waiting. After a few minutes, Johan arrived and sat beside her.

"I heard from Briony that you're not feeling well mentally, so I came to talk," Johan said gently. "But wait a minute, it's cold."

He left and returned shortly with some wood to start a fire.

Celine hesitated. "Are you sure about that? I think Bjorn might get angry."

"Don't worry," Johan reassured her. "Sometimes, being alone is best. When I feel like that during winter, I come here alone. One day, I was sitting here, and Bjorn came and lit a fire, saying, 'I know you want to be alone, so at least light a fire; you'll feel warm.' And by the way, John's on the cliff, always watching."

Celine smiled. "I heard from Briony that you enjoy reading novels and cycling."

Johan nodded. "Yes. When I first arrived, I felt out of place. Once they knew about my condition, they took me to a doctor and started caring for me more than anyone else. Slowly, everyone joined in, trying to make me laugh, and eventually, I felt at home. They gave me beautiful storybooks, and as I grew older, I started reading novels and cycling with Lilja."