Keely stared rigidly at the small table at the head of the room, on top of which lay an American flag, folded into a triangle, among other memorabilia and keepsakes from her deceased sister's life. The flag had been presented to her "on behalf of a grateful nation" at the end of the military funeral that had been held for her a few days prior (Keely had cried as the bugler played "Taps").

Keely happened to be at a memorial service, which was held for close friends and family, and so that there would be a more private service than the custom military funeral, where even a few Californian members of congress had arrived to pay their respects.

Next to the table, was a podium, at which Bonnie was standing, in the process of ending a speech.

"…somehow I know it's just going to be so different in so many ways now… To realize the value of a sister… ask somebody who doesn't have one. To realize the value of ten years… ask a newly divorced couple. To realize the value of four years… ask a graduate. To realize the value of one year… ask a student who has failed a final exam. To realize the value of nine months… ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn. To realize the value of one month… ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby. To realize the value of one week… ask the editor of a weekly magazine. To realize the value of one hour… ask the lovers who are waiting to meet. To realize the value of one minute… ask the person who just missed a train, bus, or plane. To realize the value of one second… ask a person who has survived an accident. To realize the value of one millisecond… ask a silver medallist at the Olympics.

"Time waits for no one… treasure every moment you have. You'll treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special…

"To realize the value of a friend… lose one."

Keely rested her head on Bonnie's shoulder when she sat back down next to her. "That was… hauntingly beautiful, Bonnie," Keely said. Then, just as Ashley had requested, a man played Eric Bogle's "The Green Fields of France" on the bagpipes.

Later, back at their home, Keely muttered, "I don't even know if I believe in heaven, Bonbon, but… I really hope there is, and that Ashley's watching MST3K reruns and entertaining the masses there…"

Bonnie smiled. "Yeah… that'd be nice…"

Keely sighed, a distant, wistful look in her eyes.

"The fear of death confounds me…" Bonnie muttered.

"What's that?" Keely asked, having not really been paying attention.

"The fear of death confounds me…" Bonnie repeated.

"Oh… so… what do you mean? I mean, like, well…"

"I don't know… just a lot of people there… I could feel something about them, you know? I could feel their fear… their fear that someday, they will be in Ashley's position, you know? Sort of like a… a sum quod eris kind of thing."

"Huh?"

"It literally means 'I am what you will be'. It's usually written on gravestones as a reminder of death, a memento mori, if you will…"

"I actually know what that one means…" Keely announced proudly.

"Thanks to The X-Files," Bonnie added, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, it confuses me how so many people are afraid of death. After all… everybody dies at some point… like it or not, at some point, that will happen to everybody."

"It's just that we don't know what comes after death, though… that's what scares them. Sort of like… the whole idea how it's not the fall that hurts, but it's when you hit the ground. They're afraid of what they'll feel after they hit the ground…"

"Well, a lot of people believe in a heaven and hell… or reincarnation… or nirvana or what have you… they're usually less afraid of dying… but some people… it just… scares them to death, if you'd pardon the pun…"

"The unknown is threatening to us… anyway, I take it that you're not afraid of dying?"

"Not particularly…" Bonnie answered. "I live my life my way, so I can hold my head high. If there's a heaven or hell, I'll accept where I end up, since it's the way I lived that got me there. If there's an afterlife… then the whole cycle will begin again, won't it? And if there's nothing after this… then… well, what? I didn't exist before I was born, so it wouldn't be any different after I die, would it?"

"How could there be nothing after life?"

"If everything science tells us is right and there's absolutely no such thing as the spirit or soul," Bonnie said.

"Not existing is just creepy," Keely shuddered. "There has to be something after life. There can't just be nothing, that would be too… weird."

"Agreed, but I'm just trying to look at it scientifically. Accept all possibilities of the unknown. Look at everything with an open mind…"

Keely nodded.

"Are you afraid of death, Keely?"

"Sometimes. Like when I think about everything at night… that creeps me the hell out. I don't know. Not being here just seems too weird to me. I don't think I'm going to die. I think I'm too stubborn to die. I wouldn't care too much for death."

Bonnie smiled. "Too stubborn, huh?"

"Exactly…"

"Just don't become deluded by your own fantasies, eh? Mors vincit omnia…"

Keely frowned before saying, "Would you stop with the Latin already?"

Bonnie laughed. "Sorry, no more… I blame my friend. She just randomly speaks in Latin sometimes…"