Sweat streaked down the face of a tall and scrawny young man as he slowly walked forward. HIs struggle with each slow and measured step was hidden with a quiet stoicism. His hazel eyes were sharp, and lips pressed into a firm line. He couldn't show the pain he felt on his shoulder as the ashen wooden pole dug into his muscles. How could he when the weight he was carrying was the casket of his dead grandfather.
A sharp pinch came from his shoulder as the man behind him carrying the casket adjusted his grip. A terse breath escaped him as they once again walked forward. "Tssss, that was mighty unpleasant."
The brief glance behind confirmed that the man was struggling more than he was. His shaking body seemed like it wouldn't make it up the last few steps of stairs. "You'd think the family wouldn't mind paying a little more for the man that built this family from the ground up...or at least done it themselves instead of paying for strangers to carry my grandfather."
Whether by fortune or good luck, the small group of men made it up the last bit of stairs. There they laid the casket on top of a small platform. Flowers decorated in a flourish of red, blue, and white. A grey stone podium stood some feet away where a man dressed in a dark navy suit stood. His stature was small, but his presence and salt and pepper hair made him hard to miss.
His eyes flicked between the three strangers without a hint of emotion before settling warmly on me. He walked forward and shook each man's hand, thanking them for their help before striding over to the young man. A firm hand rough with callouses reached forward.
"Beckett, your grandfather would be so proud of the young man you've become. Please take your seat and we'll get started."
"Hmph...I think my grandfather might have other thoughts. Still, thank you, Reverend Nathaniel."
Reverend Nathaniel's eyes squinted as a playful twinkle shined. "Boy, you know we might not be related by blood but if you don't call me Uncle Nate I'll make sure you sleep in the barn tonight!"
A brief glance at each other was all that was needed before soft laughter came from both men as they settled into the silence. "Uncle Nate...this doesn't feel real. How did he pass away, it was so sudden?"
A long raspy breath escaped from Uncle Nate. "I wish I knew that answer myself, kiddo. I really wish I did. We can't let that hold up our train though. We've got a funeral to run and you and I both know that if we take much longer your grandpa might kick that casket lid right off to scold us for wasting time. Go, take your seat I'll do him justice."
Beckett glanced one last time at his grandfather's casket before turning around and looking out at the swath of faces in front of him. Hundreds of people showed up for his grandfather's funeral, and besides Uncle Nate behind him and a handful of others scattered in the sea of people. He hated every single person that came to profit off his grandfather's death. "I wish he would kick that lid right off. Snakes, every last one of them."
Walking down the steps and taking his seat Beckett felt that everything was too sensitive, too much. The sun above him was too harsh. The ripple of clothes on his skin, the soft whispers around him. The small tears at the edge of his eyes. His handkerchief felt useless as he brought it to his eyes for the umpteenth time today. "Fortunately, this day is almost over. Just a little bit more."
The sea of people slowly quieted down as Uncle Nate returned to the podium in front of the casket. His southern voice carried far and smoothly with the help of a few microphones. "Well, I oughta thank the young men for carrying this family's greatest treasure. I mean, I've known Mr. Reginald for many decades now and I know he was a heavy fella. I can't imagine carrying him up these flights of stairs, he might've crushed me!" A ripple of soft laughter battered Beckett, reminding him of how alone he truly was right now.
Uncle Nate smirked before his tone dropped and his words were laced with a regal authority. "Everyone, please, take a moment as we begin the funeral for the Patriarch of the Mercer family. My name is Reverend Nathaniel Graves. I've been given the honor to preside over this funeral here. Reginald Howard Mercer is...no was a legendary man. He founded the Multi-Billion dollar Mercer Oil Corporation and grew this company from the ground up in this rural town of Texas. I'm sure a few of you old timers here have seen the swath of changes brought by the Mercer family. Each of y'all could have a myriad of stories to tell that wouldn't even cover one-tenth of the magnificence that was Reginald Mercer. Today, the Mercer Oil Corporation could be seen as his greatest legacy. One could say it's his pride and joy, but if you truly knew him then you would know that it was his efforts put forth into our community that created the city we are in today. It was his continuous investments into his various foundations and charities that grew our rural town into the thriving city that it is today."
Uncle Nate's voice rolled on, steady and sure, but Beckett barely heard it. "Legacy." That word seared into his brain like the high noon sun. Everyone else saw the oil rigs, skyscrapers, and gleaming donations with the Mercer name etched in stone. "He was warm, his hands were weathered by time. His late night stories whispered over a crackling fire. Our midnight adventures exploring the family's musty barns looking for monsters and hidden worlds. My grandfather loved the idea that something...else was out there. I remember that one time he purchased a stature of the occult and was so furious to find a made in China sticker on it."
The crowd sat rapt at Reverend Nathaniel's recollection of his life long friend, but a soft smile found it's way onto Beckett's face as tears steadily fell from his eyes. His chest ached with the weight of a different truth. His grandfather's greatest treasure had never been stocks or oil fields or donations. They had been the countless adventures and the attempt to find something truly out of this world, a secret only known to Beckett.
"What am I thinking at a time like this?" Opting to wipe the tears away with his sleeve this time instead of the very soaked handkerchief, Beckett rose from the depths of his memories as Uncle Nate was passionately finishing up.
"...To call this man the cornerstone of our city is not enough. His hand built livelihoods for thousands, his vision turned barren fields into wells of prosperity, and his name carried a weight that has and will shape generations."
The gathered crowd watched as Reverend Nathaniel slowly closed his bible and walked to the side of the podium. His hand graced the top of the podium as he glanced around the crowd, until he locked us with Beckett. "Everyone. Please bow your head in your own silent prayer as we say a final farewell to the Patriarch of the Mercer family, Reginald Howard Mercer. May he be missed, and remember once you've finished your prayers please join us in the main property for a Fellowship meal. Thank you."
"Prayer, the one thing that old fart and I never really agreed on." Beckett glanced at the white clouds above wondering which one held the gate to heaven that his grandfather always talked about. "I guess putting away this argument for today is something I can do. I hope wherever you went it has what you've been looking for gramps."
Maybe it was the prayer that let the hard knot in his stomach ease up a bit, but for the first time since finding out of his grandfather's passing the pain of it all slowly disappeared under soft white clouds dotting the bright blue sky. "Well, I know one thing that we agreed on every time. That the best way to grieve was always on a full stomach."