Chapter 30
Three Months Later
The procession was small, which was exactly as it should have been.
Nobody cried today. They’d already done enough of that.
Once S.C.Y.T.H.E. had finally cleared out, after a drawn-out investigation, tears had flowed freely throughout Virgo Bay as the dust settled and reality eventually set in.
This morning wasn’t for crying, it was for saying a final goodbye.
The little church looked different as the mourners approached, the garden dug up, ready to fulfill its ultimate purpose as a graveyard for the first time.
Nora’s breath caught as she saw the earth peeled back, a hungry void in its place.
She could still see Bubbie’s coffin descending into the dirt where it would remain until there was nothing left of it or her or anything recognizable.
Patty looped an arm through Nora’s, guiding her gently towards the church.
They walked in silence, helming the procession.
They hadn’t bothered bringing in a priest to officiate the funeral.
No religion in the world was equipped to understand what the people of Virgo Bay had experienced.
Instead, Richard stood on the mound of upturned earth, ready to speak on behalf of the town.
As they crossed through the garden gate, Patty gave her niece a nod and they separated, finding their places among the small crowd.
Patty gathered near Phil, Vic, Pickles, and the rest of the Birds Nora hardly knew.
They were Patty’s people, the ones her aunt knew how to be with in times of grief.
Nora hovered under a nearby tree, at a distance from the funeral and the family.
Richard spoke and the caskets were lowered.
She had never wanted to return to Virgo Bay after everything that happened.
It was too painful. But for this, for today, she’d endure the pain.
Jessica sailed overhead and came to land on her shoulder.
Nora acknowledged the bird with a tip of the head, and together they watched the proceedings, a Bird and a bird at the edge of the world.