The next two weeks were a barely remembered blur for Theodore.

The funeral was held and Theodore saw his parents lying in open caskets in the chapel.

He was shocked to see how pale they appeared.

The mortician had rouged their cheeks to give them some color, but the attempt had only made them appear more lifeless.

There was no question that his parents were dead in Theodore’s mind as he saw them.

Tears welled up in his eyes as the minister read the service, but the tears refused to flow.

They just filled the corners of his eyes and obscured his vision.

He stood woodenly as he saw the minister close the lid of his father’s coffin and hide the face of his father forever before doing the same to his mother’s coffin.