Renée and Francis walk down the hill in the vast cemetery. They just attended their grandfather's funeral together with their cousins, some friends and the few elderly relatives remaining alive and moving. It's a bright sunny day and the grass is green and slippery. Renée finds the cheerfulness of today's weather a personal insult to her suffering. Fran in turn is happy not to need an umbrella and extra coat.
Renée is thin and somber like those trees clinging to a dry rock by a cliff, alone and unfriendly. Her straight black hair short and kept in place with pins, plain clothes completed her look. She isn't ugly, but she seems to love playing the role of the unloved sibling.
Francis is tall and charming, with an easy and warm expression on his face. He smiles and makes friends with the ease of water tumbling down a creek. In his late thirties, he's older than his sister but looks like he's decades younger, almost as if he were a fresh happy-go-lucky student and she were his stern strict grandmother angry at everything.
For most of their lives, their personalities and activities have gone in diverging directions, but now they walk along, side by side, united by grief.
- Ren... - he says, softly.
- Mmmhhh... -
- We might have to see the manor... -
- Mmmmhhh... -
- I imagine gramps left it to us, the younguns - he says attempting a smile, but she's not looking.
- Maybe... -
She's clearly not paying attention and so, he let her be. They walk in silence until reaching the street, where the cars rented from the funeral home wait in line. Fran vaguely wonders what happens with a hearse once the casket has been delivered.
Renée opens the door without waiting for the chauffeur and muses something as she gets in. Fran shakes his head and gets in as well. The chauffeur firmly closes the door behind and parsimoniously walk back to his position.
- Where's granny? - asks Renée, slightly frowning while looking out through the window.
- She took the other way. She's coming with the other old folks, down the stairs-
- Ah -
Now their cousins are coming down the hill. They reach the street and turn looking for a car to get in, nodding as they walk by.
Fran wants to say something nice, comforting, but she's not even looking at him; her head is turn to the window in such a sharp angle he wonders if she isn't trying to hide her expression. But why would she want to do that? They're brother and sister, they should be together. Right?
YOU ARE READING
Lost sight
Mistero / ThrillerA brother, a sister, some cousins & their partners go to the Forres woods in Scotland to take possession of an old crumbling manor.
