Seaside

We walked into the church. I was trying not to clank my heels on the ground for I would have broken the silence. CLANK, CLANK, CLANK! "Oh well" I sighed.

Then, after a few prayers, songs, and speeches, they called the names. "Finally". I thought. Then, tears started to swell in my eyes. But my hands absorbed them like a sponge. "Mary Gallagher". Declared the woman at the microphone. Ding! Clanked the church bells. "John Gallagher" Declared the same person. Ding! Cried the church bells as if singing a short, sad song with one lonely note

At the end of the mass, we went to Aunt Mary and Uncle John's bench. Uncle Mike said a speech. Then he asked Emily to sing a song. She paused and started tearing up. Then someone told her "it's okay". Then, she started to sing. Everyone started to tear up, like full rainclouds. Instead of rain; it was tears that emptied out into the bottomless, pitch-black ocean. After that, we all placed our flowers down somewhere. As I put mine down, I pictured Aunt Mary and Uncle John happily holding hands on the boardwalk, walking farther and farther, fading and fading into the oceans mist above.