Now for the death. Lots of dead guys in this place - along the walls, as part of walls between rooms, under the floor. These are fascinating because every crypt and sepulcher tells a story. This guy, for instance. He obviously was a venerated holy man, and loved his dog. His expression is friendly and mellow. His vestments are properly arranged, and you can tell what style his shoes are. His pillow even looks soft, thought it is literally made of stone. If the inscription weren't in Latin I bet it would tell us something of his greatness. A lot of money was spent in preparing his burial place, and though we don't know him one can tell he was a good fellow.
Death never did bother me too much, and I have never taken it as seriously as many would think appropriate. But fact is, our earthly death is just a crossing over.
And it can also be fun. Ever play a graveyard prank on someone? In Scouts we sure did. And one time my best friend in college, Kevin, and I decided to prank some kids having recess on the grounds of an elementary school on Mound Street in Nacogdoches, Texas. Yes those innocent kids, frolicking gleefully during play time, had no idea what was coming their way.
In those days there was a funeral home right across the street from their campus. I had just bought a plywood board for a construction project (a snake cage) in my dorm room when we drove by and got an idea. Looking to the left was the playground; to the right, across the street, was a funeral home. Why not give those kids some real entertainment - something they will remember? We quickly circled around to what would become the stage for our caper.
The driveway of the funeral home sort of wound behind the establishment, so we pulled in all the way to the back so the kids couldn't see us. Once behind the funeral home we rearranged that board to lay flat in Old Blue, my 1968 college car, using the front dash and the back seats as support. I happened to have an old blanket in the trunk, and after Kevin laid on the board I threw it over him. Then slowly we crept out of the drive and rolled by those kids nice and easy so they could get a good look.
We would have loved it if all of the kids suddenly screamed and headed for the doors of the school building, whisked in by their caring teachers, but it didn't happen that way. The reason? Kevin could not stop laughing, even when he was supposed to be dead! As a reward we received a few smirks and pointed fingers from the ungrateful little rugrats. Better luck next time...
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