Chương 109: Funeral of Abraham Pratt

It was strange seeing my old body again. Surprisingly, I didn't miss it at all. I was just annoyed that someone had taken something that belonged to me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. I wasn't even angry. I was just annoyed that Raven had chosen this particular moment to appear. It definitely wasn't a coincidence.

"I'm returning what I borrowed," Raven said, not even bothering to explain. I didn't ask since I knew he'd just lie. More than likely, it was because he was screwing with me. It probably had something to do with Gaia unlocking the Causality gift.

"Took you long enough," I said.

"So, how does this work?"

"That depends on you," he said.

"I'll leave the body. You can then enter it." I frowned, "Why would I want to enter it? I like who I am now." Raven raised an eyebrow at that.

"Are you sure? You can walk among humans again. You don't have to use a doggie door."

"I'm sure," I said. Part of me still missed being human, but it was a very small part.

"Whatever you say," Raven said as he went to my old recliner. After sitting in the chair, my old body started to change. Moments later, a youthful Abraham Pratt was sitting there. A shadowy raven then emerged from the body and slowly solidified. It landed on the armrest of the recliner and looked at me, obviously waiting to see how I would react. I stared at my old body, now looking like a twenty-year old. Damn it, he's still testing me.

"Are you sure? Well, just in case you change your mind, I thought I'd give you a present for allowing me to borrow your old skin for a while. Consider me putting gas in the car after driving it around. Don't you want to be young again? Wasn't that one of your final wishes?"

"It was, but things change, as you should know," I said.

"Are you sure, because this body has been touched by the divine, and will never grow old. It will stay like this forever. Don't you want to be human again?"

"Nevermore, for I have my Lenore," I said. Tala immediately hit my arm and asked, "Who the fuck in Lenore?"

"Ow, read a book, dammit. It was in reference to a poem. It was supposed to be fucking romantic," I said, glaring at Tala for hitting me. She really enjoys that. Guess I need to get used to it.

"Oh, I knew that," Tala said. Raven laughed, which was sort of creepy. While he laughed, he faded out of existence, which was even creepier. I turned back to Tala.

"Is that what it looks like when I fade into the Liminal Lands?" Tala thought for a second, then nodded.

"I guess. Are you sure there isn't a Lenore?"

"God. Yes, I'm sure." I then explained the poem. I had to admit that I was a little surprised she didn't know the poem. I wonder what else I'll discover about her, I thought as I started calling someone.

"Who are you calling? Is it Lenore?" I paused and stared at her. I really wasn't sure whether she was screwing with me or not. Just in case, I explained.

"I'm calling everyone together. We're going to have a funeral." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Tala then looked at me like I was the one messing with her now.

"Whose?"

"Abraham Pratt's funeral. He lived a long life, full of ups and downs. It might not have been the best life, but it was the life he lived, and he was content with the hand he'd been dealt." Tala leaned back and studied me.

"Uh, you do know that you're Abraham Pratt?"

"No, I was that person. At the moment, I'm Abe to my friends and family. Eventually, I'll be Noyasunai the Raccoon, the Eternal Trickster. For now, though, I'm enjoying being who I am at this moment, The Great Trash Panda." Tala snorted, but then hugged me. She didn't say anything. She just sat there, close enough that I could feel the warmth of her, and that was enough. Eventually, I picked up my phone and started making calls. Tala made a few calls herself. By the time we finished it was late.

Not wanting to move, I sat there, staring at my old young body until I fell asleep in Tala's arms. The next morning, the garden was full of family and friends. Everyone was there. I couldn't believe how many people I'd come to consider my family and friends. There were even a few I wasn't sure which category to place them in. Pierre carried out my old body. He'd wrapped it in an old quilt. Shelly had already shown off her new powers by pressing her palm to the ground and causing the earth to open up.

Derek watched from the fence.

"Nice work," he said.

"Next time I need an excavator, I might just call you."

"Thank you," Shelly said while I tried not to roll my eyes. Claire surprised me by wearing an honest to goodness dress. I'd just assumed she'd wear her uniform. It was strange. Everyone else dressed as I'd expected. There were even a few figures I hadn't expected. A coyote, a giant spider, a raccoon, a rabbit, and a raven were at the edge of the clearing, watching us from a distance. I nodded to them but then concentrated on those around me.

"First, I wanted to thank you all for coming," I said as I nodded to Luke, Mort, Bambi, and a host of others, human, animal, or supernatural.

"That said, Abraham Pratt lived for over seventy years," I said.

"He was stubborn and he wanted to be left alone and mostly he was. He spent a long time getting ready for the end of the world. Then when it came, it didn't look like what he'd prepared for. He died in this garden in October while feeding a small raccoon." I paused and nodded to Pierre before continuing.

"Therefore, I think it's appropriate that he be laid to rest here, the place he loved." Pierre stepped forward and set the body down next to the grave. Shelly then knelt and touched the ground once again. I had to nod, impressed as my old body was shifted into the grave by the dirt. It reminded me of a boat lift but with an ocean wave made of dirt. The garden was quiet as we watched. After the body was inside, Shelly moved her hand again, and earth filled in the grave. Most people just stood silently, faces solemn.

Ignis was different. He looked confused. Ignis cleared his throat, accompanied by a puff of smoke, and then lumbered forward. He looked at me and then dropped a penny on the grave. I hadn't been expecting anyone to say anything, especially Ignis.

"Uh, I never met Abraham Pratt, but if he was such a close friend of the Great Trash Panda, then he's a friend of mine." Then he looked like he was about to say something more before changing his mind and retreating. I sighed, realizing I was going to have to have a talk with Ignis. I didn't have time to think about how I would approach the subject before another unexpected speaker stepped forward. Paws on my hips, I stared at him suspiciously.

He stopped where Ignis had dropped the penny and I realized what was happening. Really? Really? Damn! Show some respect, you mangy marsupial! Mort didn't say anything. He just walked forward and placed his hand on the ground, while coincidentally touching the penny which disappeared. I heard Marcus start to say something, "Did he just…" before he got hushed up by Loki. Thankfully, Ignis hadn't noticed yet, so before he did, I started speaking again, "I want to thank you all for coming today. It meant a lot to me.

For now, I think I need to spend some time alone with Tala. We have a lot of things to discuss." After that, the atmosphere seemed to lighten and my family and friends started to mingle and talk. That was when I say Ignis frown while looking at the grave. Then he looked at Mort and started walking toward him. Fortunately, Pierre was on top of it and steered them both toward the barn. From beside me, Tala asked, "You alright?"

"Yeah," I said.

"So, what do we have to talk about?"

"What do you think our kids will look like?" Tala grabbed my arm and squealed like a squeaky toy getting devoured by a pitbull. She practically dragged me through the doggie door. Before the flap shut, I noticed fire coming from Ignis's mouth, but I ignored it. I had others there to help me take care of problems like that. I didn't have to do everything on my own. It was nice, that feeling of knowing that you can count on others.

My last thought before getting dragged down the hall toward the bedroom was, Life sure is great. I really am enjoying my cozy, little slice of life in the apocalypse.