"Father, Creator of all things and Giver of life, Lord who saves mankind, we praise you, for you have brought us together here..."
The fat priest in white stood beside the shallow grave, stumbling through the eulogy. A life of too much food and drink had made him lax, and he hadn't expected to have grown rusty at a task he used to know by heart. Still, even if he got it wrong, no one here would notice.
"On this sorrowful day, we gather to send off this brother, who shared in God's grace. Now he has peacefully fallen asleep..."
There was no gloomy sky or falling rain to accompany the scene. After coming out of the dim interior, the sunlight even seemed a little glaring. Only three people were present: the priest, the doctor, and a relative of the deceased.
The men who had carried the coffin had dug the grave and lowered it in, then left, frightened by the dead man's ominous appearance. There were naturally no friends or family to invite, either. The halting eulogy didn't fit this hasty funeral at all; in fact, it was a little ironic.
Kraft gave the priest several meaningful looks, silently asking if anything was wrong from the perspective of an uninvolved observer. But the other man was staring at the coffin, racking his brains for the next line and trying desperately to keep the prayer from faltering. Like a student called on to recite in class, he had no attention to spare for anyone's reaction.
So Kraft turned his attention to Yvonne instead. Fortunately, she showed no sign of displeasure. She watched the coffin, lost in thought.
"Returned to the Lord's embrace, he now enjoys eternal rest." Perhaps the priest had found his rhythm, because his recitation grew smoother and