A/N: Don't panic, all. I'm not trying to turn this story into a religious allegory. Viera lives in a very religious community.

The Funeral

Viera startled awake and sat up with a terrified gasp. Had it been a dream? She was sitting on the bank of the creek, about six feet from the edge of the rushing water. Her clothes were muddy, soaked, and torn. Her boots and hat were missing. Her body hurt. Her arms were scratched in numerous places. Air. Air! She could breathe! She started panting instinctively, even though she didn't need it. How? Where was Breezy? She stood suddenly and scrambled backwards away from the water as if it was a live viper. There she stood for a moment, staring at the creek, as her breathing returned to normal. Then she turned and started to wander into the tall grass and cacti. "Breezy!" she called. She didn't know where she was. She didn't know which way to go. "Breezy!" She started crying as she called. Then she started to run, as the new panic of being lost began to overtake her.

Viera hadn't been running for long before she realized that she was exhausted. She slowed to a walk as her ragged breath settled. Now she was far enough from the creek that she could no longer hear it. She stood still and finally realized that her feet were scraped and bleeding. It occurred to her that it might have been better to stay near the creek. If Mama or Daddy came looking for her, they might look there. Or she might be able to follow it home. With this realization in mind, she turned and looked back over her path. "I think ..." she said to herself, "I think I remember where I came." She wrapped her arms around herself and began to plod gingerly back in the direction she had come, and it wasn't long before the sound of the creek reassured her that she was going in the right direction. Was she hearing something else? Voices? "Breezy!" she shouted. "Mama! Daddy!" Yes, those were definitely voices in the distance. She began to run again, and with the certainty that she was hearing voices, she began to cry.

"Viera! Brienne!" she heard.

"Here I am!" she cried. "Here I am!" The goldenrod was tall here, taller than she was, but it was only a few seconds more before a man scooped her off her feet.

"Vivi!" he shouted with relief. She looked up into the eyes of her father. She clutched his neck, but all she could do was cry. Her name was passed around among the other men, some of whom began to make their way over to them. One of them was Marcus.

"Vivi, have you seen Breezy?" he asked worriedly. All she could do through the tears was shake her head.

"Here!" she heard one of the men call from next to the creek. Her father wheeled to look, but then turned away, pressing Viera's face against his shoulder. She had still caught a glimpse, though - of a girl with a similarly torn and muddied dress, and bluish skin.

"Who was that, Daddy?" she stammered.

"Oh, Vivi," his voice cracked. "Oh, Lord have mercy."

There was too much black. At the front of the small church house were two caskets - one large and one small. Her father had told her that another body had been found - that of a woman who had apparently been a traveler from out of town who had been staying at the Johansson's inn. Nobody knew anything about her or why she had ended up in the creek. In the quiet of the evening at their house though, well past the time she usually would have fallen asleep, she heard her father speculate quietly to her mother that perhaps this woman had pulled her from the water, and had perished in the effort. When she peeked through barely opened eyes, she could see them both quietly crying. It made her feel very ashamed.

Viera was numb. It was hard to grasp that Breezy wouldn't be back, and when she thought about it, it made her feel desperately lonely and sick to her stomach. She could feel everyone's eyes on her. It was obvious to everyone that it was her fault the two of them had gotten so close to the creek. Everyone knew. Breezy should have lived. Marcus and Gabriel couldn't even look at her.

The minister droned on. She didn't hear a word. All she could see and hear was the muddy water. When it was finally over, she slipped from the side door of the church house and wandered aimlessly down to the tiny stream that passed nearby. The water was so quiet and clear. So innocent. For some reason it didn't frighten her. She sat on the large rock next to where it pooled slightly and just stared, trying to overwrite the scene in her mind with the scene of serenity before her.

She heard a meowing from her right and dully turned to look. It was Vixen. The cat approached and jumped into her lap, turning back and forth in place several times on Viera's small legs. The cat's tail tickled her nose, and actually drew a smile. Viera stroked Vixen absentmindedly. "I guess you're my only friend now," she said quietly as she looked back at the water.

She could hear her father calling her from up at the church house. She took a deep breath. "Time to go, Vixen," she said. She scooped Vixen up and turned to carry her back up the hill, but her shoe slipped on a small palm leaf. She yelped as Vixen sprung from her arms and sent her toppling backwards into the water. No! These weren't outside clothes! She scrambled to her feet to assess the situation and was shocked to find that she was still dry. "W ... what?" She looked back at the water. She could still see the ripples and the disturbed silt spreading around the bottom of the pool. She checked herself again. She wasn't imagining it - she was dry. Now she was frightened. She gathered her skirt and hurried up the hill to where her parents were.

"Sweetie, there you are!" her mother said. Then seeing Viera's face, her voice took a note of concern. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Viera began, but then stopped. She must be losing her mind. "Nothing, Mama..."

Viera was quiet and contemplative for the rest of the day. Finally, when she was being put to bed, she decided to ask. "Mama, are heaven and hell the only two places you can go when you die?"

"Is this what you've been thinking about all day, sweetie?"

Viera nodded. "When I was down by the stream behind the church house, I slipped on a leaf and fell in. But -" She glanced at her mother and then glanced away. "But I didn't get wet." She paused. "I think Breezy is watching out for me," she said quietly.

Her mother was quiet for a moment as a mix of expressions Viera couldn't understand passed over her face. Finally she reached out and stroked Viera's head. "Oh Vivi," her voice wavered, "I'm sure Breezy is watching out for you as much as she can." She gave a loving smile. "Now it's time for little ones to sleep."

As her mother turned and walked quietly away, Viera whispered to herself, "I'm a big girl."