Ch.12
After they buried him they all stood there for a few moments in silence, nobody wanting to seem disrespectful by being the first to leave. It was Daryl who had the guts to walk away, which didn't really surprise Maggie; after that everyone else soon followed his lead.
"Where's Beth?" Glenn asked curiously.
"She's in her room. She's in a mood, today's not her best."
"What do you mean?"
"We got into a little fight when I went up to get her."
"About what?" He sounded incredulous. Maggie and Beth rarely ever fought; in fact, the last time they had fought had been when Beth was considering suicide.
"I think she's mad that my dad never got to be buried."
"She has a point, you know, we should do something in his honor. It would probably help us all heal."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, like a mock funeral. I'll talk to Rick about it, see what he thinks."
"Thanks," Maggie said with a small smile, watching as Glenn walked away to find Rick.
Maggie decided to go back in the house to check on Beth, to see if she was alright. She was shocked when she saw Beth downstairs in the kitchen preparing food; she was probably starving since it was well into the afternoon and she hadn't had anything to eat.
"Hey," Maggie said hesitantly, testing the waters to see if Beth was still mad.
"Hey," it was flat, but Beth's single-word response wasn't laced with anger, and that made Maggie happy.
Maggie noticed that Beth was struggling with getting the can of mixed fruit open and it was causing Beth to get frustrated. She walked over and took the can from Beth's hand. She saw as Beth turned her right wrist away from Maggie's view, but Maggie still caught the brief glimpse of a band aid and her heart sank with fear.
"What's that?" She asked gesturing to Beth's wrist, trying to sound calm.
"Oh, it's nothing." She looked to her sister, realizing that Maggie wanted more and wouldn't drop it until she gave a better explanation. "I scraped it on something up in my room; it's fine."
She wanted to question more, she wanted to grab her sister's wrist and tear the band aid away to see if her suspicions were real. But she knew doing that would only spark another fight, so she decided to change the subject. "I think we're going to have a funeral for daddy."
"What? How?"
"I talked to Glenn about it, he thought that we all needed a little closure. He was going to talk to Rick about it." Maggie wasn't sure, but she thought she saw the briefest sign of a smile on Beth's face, and it made her happy.
They were all gathered outside, standing in the shadow cast from the big tree with the frayed rope, standing among the dozen or so tiny white crosses sticking up from the ground, standing adjacent to the recently dug grave. Beth was skeptical at first, thinking this whole idea was stupid, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted closure so desperately that she would do anything, even if that meant attending a mock funeral for her father. Maggie had come to stand by her side, her hand tightly grasping Beth's. Everyone else was standing in a circle surrounding the cross that had just been put there in Hershel's honor. She was trying to fight back the tears, but they eventually started to fall when Rick began to speak.
"Hershel-Hershel was a good man. In the chaos of this world he kept to his beliefs; he did what was right. It seems that somehow we all forgot to mourn him; I don't know if that's because we were all in shock or if we just didn't want to face the truth. But we owe it to him.
"I remember the first time I saw him. He was a white haired old man walking down the steps of that front porch there," Rick motioned to the porch with a smile on his face, "He looked concerned, maybe even a little scared, but when his eyes settled on Carl all of the fear was washed away. I didn't know then how important he would become to all of us. He was there for me when Lori died, he kept me together; he kept us grounded.
"I wish that things could have been different. If I would've known then what I know now, I would've just given The Governor the prison; maybe things could be different. But I didn't know that then, and that's why we're here right now." Rick looked up from the ground and to Beth and Maggie. "While he may not be with us anymore, Hershel left an impact on each and everyone of us; he left a little piece of himself behind in his daughter's. Every time I look at you I see him. Every time you speak I hear his voice. I'm sorry this happened to him." Rick lowered his head to look at the cross before him. "You were a good man Hershel; we're all going to miss you."
Everyone stood there in complete silence, silent tears rolling down their faces. Beth was suddenly aware of the multitude of eyes looking at her. She wasn't sure if they were looking to see her reaction or if they were waiting for her to speak, but she had a suspicion it was the latter. She opened her mouth to say something but she couldn't find the words to say. Nothing she said would make this alright. Instead, and without thinking, she started singing. She didn't know what she was doing until it was too late, and she couldn't decide if she regretted doing this or not.
"The Garden of Eden has vanished, they say
But I know the lie of it still;
Just turn to the left at the bridge of Finea
And stop when halfway to Cootehill.
'Tis there I will find it,
I know sure enough
When fortune has come to me call,
Oh the grass it is green around Ballyjamesduff
And the blue sky is over it all.
And tones that are tender and tones that are gruff
Are whispering over the sea,
Come back, Paddy Reilly to Ballyjamesduff
Come home, Paddy Reilly, to me."
Her voice was shaky and barely audible at first, but she knew everyone heard her because they were all looking at her. Their faces were solemn and she could just see the tracks of their tears. She thought about stopping, but Maggie must have been able to sense her apprehension and gave her hand a light squeeze, encouraging her to continue. As she sang tears continued to stream down her face.
"My mother once told me that when I was born
The day that I first saw the light,
I looked down the street on that very first morn
And gave a great crow of delight.
Now most newborn babies appear in a huff,
And start with a sorrowful squall,
But I knew I was born in Ballyjamesduff
And that's why I smiled on them all.
The baby's a man, now he's toil-worn and tough
Still, whispers come over the sea,
Come back, Paddy Reilly to Ballyjamesduff
Come home, Paddy Reilly, to me.
The night that we danced by the light of the moon,
Wid Phil to the fore wid his flute,
When Phil threw his lip over Come Again Soon,
He's dance the foot out o' yer boot!
The day that I took long Magee by the scruff
For slanderin' Rosie Kilrain,
Then, marchin' him straight out of Ballyjamesduff,
Assisted him into a drain.
Oh, sweet are the dreams, as the dudeen I puff,
Of whisperings over the sea,
Come back, Paddy Reilly to Ballyjamesduff
Come home, Paddy Reilly, to me.
I've loved the young women of every land,
That always came easy to me;
Just barrin' the belles of the Black-a-moor brand
And the chocolate shapes of Feegee.
But that sort of love is a moonshiny stuff,
And never will addle me brain,
For the bells will be ringin' in Ballyjamesduff
For me and me Rosie Kilrain!
And through all their glamour, their gas and their guff
A whisper comes over the sea,
Come back, Paddy Reilly to Ballyjamesduff
Come home, Paddy Reilly, to me."
When she finished everyone remained silent. She could still feel everyone's gaze trained on her, but when she brought herself to look at them their eyes were hollow, worn from the emotional toll the day had brought. She wanted desperately to run inside to her room and be by herself, but she couldn't bring herself to move, she was frozen in place by their stares. Out of the silence she heard someone finally speak.
"That was beautiful." The voice was quiet, but Beth pinpointed it to Glenn, who was standing just beside Maggie.
"Why that song?" Daryl voice was low, and he sounded confused.
"It's what he wanted me to sing when we first got to the prison." Daryl nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about.
Authors Note: Sorry it took so long to publish this chapter. Between my sister coming up over the weekend and classes starting up again, I've been busier than I thought. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I'm not 100% sure that the song Beth sings is the same one Hershel had wanted her to sing in Season 3 Episode 1, "Seed," but those are the only lyrics I could find.
Also, I have been considering starting a new story. It would be about Daryl and Beth and start from when they flee the prison, unlike how "A Fighting Chance" picks up when they are just about to reunite with the rest of the group. Also, this story would be a lot more dark and twisted and emotional. So, does it sound interesting to you? Should I write it or not?
Oh, and before I forget...did you see the new trailer TWD just released? Amazing!