No tears shown on Kalman's face, though his eyes glittered with some unshed. A mask of solemnity and
politeness adorned his face, which made him inwardly cringe. He glowered inside at the indifference of his family,
as only the guests seemed to cry. The room seemed stuffy and made him choky and quiet.
No few of the poor off the streets were bowed down on the lawn outside, whole families of the poor, who
weren't allowed to come into the funeral chapel, as the family said, to keep it clean.
What they really meant is that the poor didn't belong in a room with them, and they were not honored in
the least when a child about 5 came in with a handful of coins and promptly dropped them onto the floor
beside the coffin and ran out. Kalman hid a smile and gave up an entering guest's hand to pick them up and go
outside. Grandmother would have wanted them to have these, just in case.
Grandma's coffin, as oppose to who and how she was, being impersonal and imposing, sat on a grand stage
up front, intimidatingly huge. It was a dark, foreboding oakwood that she would never have agreed on, and cheap-looking
inside. But it had to be a closed-casket procession anyway. No doubt, the family would be shamed to see her face as she
was in death, and not caring about them anymore.
Kalman slowly stepped out into the bright sunlight and immediately felt a deep sorrow worming into his gut,
making him almost wretch with the emotion. Streams of the poor bowed down in the sunlight, devastatingly hot and humid,
crying and looking up sorrowfully at him in their best clothes, which weren't very good.
He knelt in the grass, knowing that his mother would never let him wear this suit again anyway, because once
you wore it once, that was it, it was contaminated, and let the coins roll out onto the lawn in front of them all.
A young girl stared down at the coins and smiled suddenly. "You were the grandson she always talked about!"
she cried gleefully, but softer than a normal child would have, because she knew that the people inside could never hear this.
He smiled, but was suddenly bewildered. She talked to them? When had she done that? But the child was
still talking, and he had been ignoring her. Now he tuned back in.
"So, so, you mean, you're gonna be our friend! Another Mikkal! Why do you help us! We love you so!
Thank you, thank you!" and she promptly jumped up and hugged him as he sat on his knees.
He had the urge to hug her back, even... and so he did. Squeezing her little body in a big bearhug, he smiled happily,
more happily than ever before. He had found a friend. A true, real friend. And he heard bells... Was it a companion?
Everyone looked up as he let go of the girl, and he stared at the true, bright beauty of the creature companion.
The white horse went around the walk, looking for something, and suddenly, with all his heart, he wanted to be what it was
looking for! He got up, not caring to dust off his black pants, and looked straight into its eyes. And he knew that it had, indeed
been looking for him.
The girl smiled, cheered, and everyone started cheering for him as he climbed onto...her? back.
Vesta, he suddenly realized. Vesta, meaning Guardian Of The Sacred Fire...
He didn't have time to analyze through that though, and terrific fear engulfed him as he finally knew that he had never
really rode a horse before. And then they were off, Vesta gathering harsh speed that made him hug her neck.
::I won't let you get hurt, Chosen.:: She said into his mind.
That jarred him a bit and almost knocked him off her back, but he managed to hold on, asking, "Is that you? How did
you do that?"
Her ears cocked back to hear what he was saying, and she slowed a bit so that they could converse.
"Why me?" Kalman asked quizzically, and he felt her speeding up again.
::Because I love you.:: was her simple answer, and she left it at that as they went past the guard and gate and into a whole
new life.
politeness adorned his face, which made him inwardly cringe. He glowered inside at the indifference of his family,
as only the guests seemed to cry. The room seemed stuffy and made him choky and quiet.
No few of the poor off the streets were bowed down on the lawn outside, whole families of the poor, who
weren't allowed to come into the funeral chapel, as the family said, to keep it clean.
What they really meant is that the poor didn't belong in a room with them, and they were not honored in
the least when a child about 5 came in with a handful of coins and promptly dropped them onto the floor
beside the coffin and ran out. Kalman hid a smile and gave up an entering guest's hand to pick them up and go
outside. Grandmother would have wanted them to have these, just in case.
Grandma's coffin, as oppose to who and how she was, being impersonal and imposing, sat on a grand stage
up front, intimidatingly huge. It was a dark, foreboding oakwood that she would never have agreed on, and cheap-looking
inside. But it had to be a closed-casket procession anyway. No doubt, the family would be shamed to see her face as she
was in death, and not caring about them anymore.
Kalman slowly stepped out into the bright sunlight and immediately felt a deep sorrow worming into his gut,
making him almost wretch with the emotion. Streams of the poor bowed down in the sunlight, devastatingly hot and humid,
crying and looking up sorrowfully at him in their best clothes, which weren't very good.
He knelt in the grass, knowing that his mother would never let him wear this suit again anyway, because once
you wore it once, that was it, it was contaminated, and let the coins roll out onto the lawn in front of them all.
A young girl stared down at the coins and smiled suddenly. "You were the grandson she always talked about!"
she cried gleefully, but softer than a normal child would have, because she knew that the people inside could never hear this.
He smiled, but was suddenly bewildered. She talked to them? When had she done that? But the child was
still talking, and he had been ignoring her. Now he tuned back in.
"So, so, you mean, you're gonna be our friend! Another Mikkal! Why do you help us! We love you so!
Thank you, thank you!" and she promptly jumped up and hugged him as he sat on his knees.
He had the urge to hug her back, even... and so he did. Squeezing her little body in a big bearhug, he smiled happily,
more happily than ever before. He had found a friend. A true, real friend. And he heard bells... Was it a companion?
Everyone looked up as he let go of the girl, and he stared at the true, bright beauty of the creature companion.
The white horse went around the walk, looking for something, and suddenly, with all his heart, he wanted to be what it was
looking for! He got up, not caring to dust off his black pants, and looked straight into its eyes. And he knew that it had, indeed
been looking for him.
The girl smiled, cheered, and everyone started cheering for him as he climbed onto...her? back.
Vesta, he suddenly realized. Vesta, meaning Guardian Of The Sacred Fire...
He didn't have time to analyze through that though, and terrific fear engulfed him as he finally knew that he had never
really rode a horse before. And then they were off, Vesta gathering harsh speed that made him hug her neck.
::I won't let you get hurt, Chosen.:: She said into his mind.
That jarred him a bit and almost knocked him off her back, but he managed to hold on, asking, "Is that you? How did
you do that?"
Her ears cocked back to hear what he was saying, and she slowed a bit so that they could converse.
"Why me?" Kalman asked quizzically, and he felt her speeding up again.
::Because I love you.:: was her simple answer, and she left it at that as they went past the guard and gate and into a whole
new life.