Valerie Murders Sharon At Funeral

 

It's 3:50 AM, and I am as mad as I've ever been. I was in a dream, a horrible dream, where Sharon was near death but still very much alive. She and Valerie had planned some elaborate living funeral/assisted suicide drama which was to be performed as a dramatic exit for Sharon. It was to take place at a church, in front of the entire family, and it was staged to resemble a hunting accident.

It started as a normal memorial service. Sharon was lying in a casket, wearing a wedding dress. After the priest said a few words, Sharon rose up from her casket, and she and Valerie floated up toward the ceiling, suspended by wires. I didn't know what to expect, so I was watching, breathless, as the two of them faced each other above the crowd.

Then Valerie pulled out a shotgun and blasted Sharon in the chest, killing her. Blood sprayed the crowd below as Sharon's limp, lifeless body was lowered back down into the casket. Valerie took her seat with the rest of the family and sat smugly, as if waiting for applause. It never came. The family was silent, all waiting for my reaction.

It seemed as if everyone was in on the surprise ending but me. They were expecting that I'd go along, or perhaps even be pleased with this dramatic event. I was the opposite of that. Covered in blood, I stood up from the table where the family was seated and told them all off. I went around the table and yelled in each family member's face, starting with Valerie:

"You evil bitch! Bitches, sons of whores, all of you! Murderers!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

No one tried to console me, and everyone dispersed, each to their separate hotel rooms. I was still fuming when a maid came in. She told me that she thought there was something fishy about how the whole thing played out. Like maybe Sharon wasn't in on the surprise, and this was actually a case of murder, rather than some bizarre funerary euthanasia ceremony. 

"I saw the two of them talking about the upcoming event," she told me. "Sharon wasn't supposed to die. It was just going to be a mock shooting, with fake bullets and blood. But I saw the one girl, Valerie, was it? Yes, her, loading the real shells into the gun."

Armed with the testimony of the maid, I confronted Valerie and the family again:

"How could you do that to Sharon? You're supposed to be her sister! Sharon was still alive. Now, you've killed her. This isn't over. And the rest of you, fuck you all! I never want to speak to any of you again, you hear? Ever!"

I felt the finality of my words, as final as Sharon's death. I vowed to myself to avenge Sharon. My mind was racing, and I couldn't focus or plan anything, so I just woke up instead, still agitated and full of adrenaline. Sorry, if my little thumbnail isn't as detailed or amusing as you might like, but this one isn't meant to be entertaining. I simply had to jot it down before I forgot.

I'm going to try to go back to sleep now. Maybe I'll get revenge, or maybe Sharon will let me know that it's OK, it was just a horrible, horrible mistake, a joke that I will never understand. I may have some difficulty falling back asleep, though. I'm still pissed.

----

The next day, back at the hotel, the family was still torn in two over my outburst at the funeral. The two camps consisted of me vs. everybody else, since the maid was no longer present, as her shift had ended. I was still mad, but I was going to wait for a sign from Sharon before making my final decision. I didn't want to hate her family forever.

I walked into the conference room, which had been reserved for the funeral/wedding party. It was brightly lit and appointed with pew-like seating, made to resemble a church or perhaps the waiting room in heaven. It was themed white, with gold trim. Everything had a slightly overexposed look, but not hazy or blurry, just radiantly bright.

I spied Sharon sitting on a pew next to her brother Harold. She had a little darker hair than usual, and it was a bit shorter, but it was her. I walked over to her and looked her right in the eyes to be sure I wasn't mistaken.

"Are you really here?" I asked. "I can't believe it! You are OK!"

I noticed that no one seemed to be paying her much attention, like she was invisible or something. 

"Am I the only one who can see you?" I asked.

"Pretty much," she said. "Harold is the only other person who can see me."

Harold and I exchanged a few words. I apologized to him for my outburst against the family. Next, I sought out Valerie and gave her a hug. I realized that the whole ordeal hadn't been easy for her. I still didn't have an answer from Sharon as to why she had chosen such a dramatic exit, but she'd assured me that she was OK, so my questions just evaporated.