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Thefull Dry leaves fall from the oak tree and the air sround and a light ainst a tree trunk with my notebook propped open on my knee, a pen in my hand, as I scribble words that are important to me

The cemetery is my sense of comfort, ht I have in my life

I ree and read over ar Allan Poe or Ee part of who I am With a sio painfully If their life will end up stolen

I set the notebook on the grass and tuck the pen inside the spine I pull my hood over my head, cross my arhts flickers and a dog barks frolance at rab round is damp and clunky, and my black boots sink into the , small, intricate, plain I wonder if the details of a headstone define the life of the person resting beneath it If it’s big and fancy, does it mean they were loved by many? Or were they lonely, but had money? Do small and plain ones declare that they lived a lonely life? Or were they just not materialistic?

I’ around thinking these thoughts

The wind howls like a dust storm and leaves ind around h the dust toward the front gate as pieces of ainst rave and I face-plant onto the grass My notebook flies from my hand and my head smacks the corner of a headstone

“Ow,” I aze travels upward to a statuesque carving of a hooded figure with the head tucked down and in the hand is a scythe

“The Gris, and tilt my head up “I bet you knohat it’s like, don’t you? To be surrounded by death all the time? I bet you understand me ”

The wind violently picks up and carriesh the leaves and glides across the grass, finally resting against a soaring angelic statue in the crook of the cemetery I hurry after it A black raven swoops down from one of the trees and circles in front of me

“Why are you always following me?” I whisper to the raven “Is it because you knohat I am—a symbol of death like you?”

“Da all your dirty work It’s such crap,” a voice cuts through the cemetery

I hastily take cover behind the Angel statue and the raven perches on the head, ruffling its wings No one hangs out in ceht, except for weirdos and people like irl of my kind )

A shovel cuts into the dirt “I’s up ”

I peek through the cracks between the Angel’s wings A thin guy, with frail ar dirt My journal is inches frohts will be buried

“If I were you, Gregory, I’d watch ure hops fros stretch as he strides toward the hole His hair is as pale as the moon and his eyes are like ash “I can easily find sorave ”

Gregory mutters under his breath and scoops up a shovel full of dirt

The taller one cups his ear “What’s that? Speak up, I can’t hear you ”

“Nothing,” Gregory

The other guy’s sht and my breath catches in my throat His face is beautiful, but burdened with sadness and pain, as if he carries the world’s sorrows on his shoulders I long to reach out and tracehis full lips, his firm jawline, and erase his pain

The pages of my journal flutter in the breeze and he bends over and picks it up I cringe with es out in a ceraves, so h the pages and then pauses on one, studying it, then his eyes skim the cemetery I crouch down and hold ht, except for the shovel scratching the dirt

“Where’d this coory

I peek through the feet of the Angel statue

Gregory takes the notebook and turns it over “I’m not sure…” He hands it back “It says Ember Rose Edwards on the back ”

The tall figure runs his long fingers along ly melodious voice envelops me and beckons me to move out from behind the statue I start to step out

“Hold it right there ” A pale orb of light bearass in front of my feet

I tense as the shovel stops cutting into the dirt and the night grows quiet, except for the hooting of an owl

“Noly turn around,” a deep voice instructs and static cuts through a stereo “I’m with the suspect now ”

Darave This is not o easy on me

“I said, slowly turn around and keep your hands where I can see them,” the cop orders

I shut my eyes and slowly elevate my hands to my sides

“Good, now turn around slowly,” he says

Yeah right I sprint off across the graveyard, o

“She’s on the move,” he yells and the speaker statics

My clunky boots rip against the grass as I hop and ravestones The cop pursues le I speed up as the brick fence piercesonto e and I quickly pull