Page 37 of Crown of Death

“It all happened so, so fast,” I breathe. “But I saw it, just for a horrifyingly clear moment. We hit a tree. The branch came crashing through the car. It hit grandpa in the head. And I knew, just was absolutely certain, that he was instantly dead. I knew it, processed all of that, just a second before that branch got me,too.”

Whack.

Black.

I realize that Cyrus has reached across the table and is holding onto my wrists while I cling to my coldglass.

“I woke up in the hospital three days later,” I continue. My voice sounds rough. Tired. “They said I’d died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. But they’d pulled me back, and I’d been in a coma for a whileafter.”

I don’t remember anything of that time while I lay in that bed. Nothing atall.

“I’ll never forget that brief, split second of knowing that my grandpa was dead,” I say, looking up at Cyrus. “And since then, I’ve always wondered where in the world he breathed his nextbreath.”

“You believe in reincarnation?” Cyrus asksquietly.

I just stare at him for a moment, trying to gauge his reaction. I don’t know anyone who has accepted my profound belief. But he shows no sign of scoff. So I nod. “Doyou?”

He doesn’t answer immediately. I see the thoughts churning behind his eyes. “In a way,absolutely.”

I don’t really know what that means. But I know I’ll never fully understandCyrus.

“I guess you could say I’ve been fascinated by death ever since,” I say, letting my eyes drop. “After that, I just always had this comfort in being around it. So, being a mortician, it was just the natural course forme.”

Cyrus’ grip on my wrists tightens just a little. But I don’t look. Because I can’t stand the intense way he’s staring atme.

“Is there anything else I can get for you finefolks?”

The voice cuts between us and I pull away suddenly. The waiter sets our matching dinners down in front ofus.

“No, thank you,” Cyrus responds, his voice holding a bit of anedge.

* * *

We eat.Cyrus doesn’t really say much of anything else. He’s quiet and I can tell he’s thinking about something, as if rolling it over and over in his head. Something I said, something from this morning, I’m not entirelysure.

But we finish and he pays. And together, we walk out to the parkinglot.

“Are you ready for this?” I ask with a little bit of asmile.

He looks up at me, giving me this challenging look. “Give me thekeys.”

I toss them to him. Feeling nervous, I climb into the passenger seat. Thankfully it’s a Monday, so the parking lot isquiet.

Cyrus starts the ignition. “Foot on the brake,” I say. “Put it into reverse, and slowly letoff.”

He does as I say. And slowly, we backup.

With more than a few jerks and engine revs, we work our way through the parking lot, practicing circling the parking lot of the adjacent hardwarestore.

He’s really not thatbad.

My neck is only slightly sore from being jerked a fewtimes.

But after twenty minutes, I think he’sready.

“Let’s head back toward the house,” I say, nodding my head in that direction. “It’s getting dark, the roads are quiet. Think you can handleit?”

He chuckles. A mischievous look comes into his eyes, and he smiles as he points us toward the main road. “Oh, I think I can handleit.”