The next social event was 's funeral. She was, after all, one of the founding mothers of their town. In a place with such a short history, it was especially noteworthy when a part of that history passed forever into the past. When that part of the story was truly over.

Jason laughed silently at his own mawkishness, but admitted to feeling that way.

Jeremy was somber and thoughtful while he dressed without protest. Most of his suit had been salvaged – they'd only had to replace the shirt, and that was easy enough. Jeremy was looking at himself in the mirror, combing his hair into place. Jason had to smile at that – it was something new for the boy to care about.

"You okay with this, little brother?" Jason asked.

"Uh-huh." Jeremy nodded and moved away from the mirror. It was time to put his shoes on. "Sometimes it's t-time t-to d-die."

"So it is," Jason agreed.

"And once you're dead, it's time to be buried." Josh took Jeremy's place at the mirror, fussing with his collar. "And then we remember."

"I thought you were going to say and then we eat." Jason took his turn checking and smoothing (as much he could) his hair.

"I hope I'm never that crass."

"You are," Jeremy stated.

Josh laughed. "Well, maybe sometimes. With my baby brother." He went to pat Jeremy's head, (and mess up his hair) but Jeremy slipped out of reach.

"D-do you rem-member, J-jason, when I w-wouldn't g-go to M-mr. Mack's funeral? You said I m-might b-be sorry I didn't?" Jeremy looked up from tying his dress shoes.

"I remember we talked about it a few times. You've been to others since. Are you regretting it now?"

"No, not exackly. B-but it wasn't v-very n-nice of m-me."

"Sometimes we can't always be nice, even if we want to. If you'd gone, you might have taken the attention away from the – er, deceased. And I know you wouldn't want to do that."

"And th-that-s wh-why you didn't m-make me go."

"That's why I didn't make you go. But I did worry about leaving you alone, the state you were in."

Jeremy stood back up and grinned. "Me too. But I knew wh-where you were, and I c-could c-come g-et you and you'd c-come."

"I was counting on that. Are we ready, boys?"

"As ready as we can be."

Jeremy vanished from his brothers' sides at the gravesite, but then Jason caught sight of him standing solemnly beside Ms. Amelia.

The next time Jason looked, he was holding the old woman's hand.

When it was over, the silent boy – young man, really – walked her home and stayed with her for a time.

He then went home, undressed, carefully hanging his suit up, and went to bed.

He was asleep when his brothers came in.

He was still asleep when they went to bed themselves.

"He doesn't look sick," Josh reported.

"Mmm. Just worn out. Leave him be."

"Yessir, boss man."

"Go to sleep, Josh."

Jeremy, meanwhile, was in a happy place. He was with his Mama, and she was proud of him. She had said so.

He was glad. And he was happy he was here, instead of in the other place. Dead people usually gave him monster dreams that he couldn't quite remember, except that monsters were frightening and Mama wasn't.

She admired him, too.

She said, "Oh my goodness, just look at you! Jason is doing a good job. Such a fine boy you are! Getting so big! What a fine young man you're becoming."

He doubted it was very manly to be afraid of monsters.

Mama laughed. "Oh, my Wee One, there are monsters everywhere. A wise man keeps watch for them."

Jeremy thought about that. That was almost what Jason said, but Josh said monsters were a baby thing.

"Josh has monsters, too," Mama said. "The same one, in fact."

Jeremy looked at her in wonder. Josh wasn't afraid of anything.

Mama's laugh was so pretty. Like jingle , it was almost Christmastime. "Josh doesn't want you to be afraid, so he pretends."

"Why?"

"Because, dear one, he loves you and doesn't want you to be afraid. Plus, being brave for you makes him feel more brave."

Jeremy nodded at that. Sometimes he pretended to be braver than he felt, and acting like it did make him feel like it. Especially after a day like today, with a dead person and live persons who hurt.

And who were all going to die. Some sooner, some later.

Everybody was going to die.

Someday.

Jeremy sighed.

He felt Mama all around him, like a hug, only not really. She didn't have arms for real hugs. (That might be a good thing. Dead people probably shouldn't have real arms. Maybe that was how they turned into monsters?)

(That was something to think about.)

Mama was all around him, like a hug from a cloud or a halo. He could feel her and hear her, and smell her like flowers and her bell laugh rained on his head and he turned in his bed as if to run after her, but she was gone.

Jason was saying, "Go to sleep, Josh."

Josh laughed, and pulled the cover up around Jeremy's neck and shoulders.

Oh that was nice.

He was lucky to be here in his warm bed in the warm house with his brothers, and also still in the place that made him feel Mama.

And monsters, if they were real, were not in either of those places.

He made a contented hum, and Jason laughed quietly. "Sweet dreams, little brother," as he put out the light.