Chapter 12

Francine left ashen-faced, laughing and crying in intervals like she'd lost her mind. Samuel returned to the cottage and carefully wiped Lucas' urn and mine. I'd forgotten to mention that Samuel made a trip to the columbarium a few days ago to retrieve the urns. The urns had gathered a thick layer of dust over the years. Samuel delicately cleaned them with a rag. These days, it was becoming harder for me to hold on to Lucas. His tether to this world had snapped, and he was free to fly into the light. I, on the other hand, was still bound to Samuel and his general vicinity. I knew that it was time for me to bid Lucas farewell. At night, I pulled him into my arms after he'd played the whole day and told him a story about the next life. I told him that we'd no longer be lost souls wandering around in the next life. We'd try lots of yummy food, make friends and play games with other children, and go to school like normal people. Lucas' eyes lit up, and he said, "Okay, Mommy! I'll wai