Buried On - Sunday

The procession was a quiet affair of black umbrellas, looking like a cluster of beetles scuttling toward the open earth. Silas’s widow, Martha, didn't cry. She held a single white rose, its edges browning from the wait.

The Vicar spoke of "eternal rest" and "the cycle of the week," but the villagers were looking at the hole. There was an old superstition in Oakhaven: a Sunday burial meant the soul didn't have to wait in the vestibule of the afterlife. It went straight to the head of the line, fresh for the Monday of eternity. Buried on Sunday

As the ropes groaned, lowering Silas into the mud, a strange thing happened. The sun pierced through a jagged tear in the clouds, hitting the brass nameplate just before it disappeared below the surface. For a second, the grave glowed. The first shovel of dirt hit the wood with a hollow thump . The procession was a quiet affair of black

Martha sat by the window, watching the golden evening light stretch over the headstones. She sipped her tea, finally letting out a long, steady breath. In Oakhaven, the dead were buried on Sunday so the living could start over on Monday. And for the first time in fifty years, Martha was looking forward to breakfast. The Vicar spoke of "eternal rest" and "the

By the time the congregation reached the church hall for tea and dry biscuits, the rain had stopped entirely. The business of Silas Vance was concluded. The week was closed.