Voids Fill Up Differently by Students of IACT (books for students to read txt) 📕

going to close soon, better go home ah,” the bartender stated with a drawl in his voice. Lilith walked out of the bar, past the glaringly bright fluorescent lights of the tomyam shop. Hearing the shouts of fans hollering at the projection of a football match on the big screen, she began to reminisce about the first experience she had with the gift that she possessed. Her father used to be a mortician and carpenter for a funeral parlor and her mother passed away from cancer when she was only 4. Lilith always carries the pendant of her mother’s picture around her neck as protection and to commemorate her.

          It was the year-end school holiday of 2011, Lilith was planning to apply for a tuition class to prepare for her PMR next year. The sky was gloomy and it looked like it was about to rain, Lilith quickly pulled on her raincoat and carefully tread towards her father’s funeral parlor that wasn’t too from her house. She kept cursing inwardly because she didn’t want to help in the shop but her father insisted her to work there for one week otherwise her allowance would be cut. She managed to reach the shop before it started to pour. She noticed a middle-aged couple walk into the shop gingerly placing their umbrella in the stand holder. The lady’s eyes were puffy and red. “Lily, go see what they want,” whispered Mr. Swee to Lilith. She was hesitant, they looked like they were in a very fragile mood, but what choice did she have if her allowance was on the line?

          Lilith didn’t think much and walked over to the couple. “Good Morning, Mr. and Mrs..” she trailed off. “Lim, Mr.Lim,” the man replied with a low and throaty voice. “Can I help you?” Lilith asked. The tears in Mrs.Lim’s eyes started to flow as she looked at Lillith’s face. “Why did this have to happen to him? He was such a sweet boy and he was taken away from me!” Mrs. Lim ‘s throat felt swollen and she stuttered as she tried to speak the words in her head. Mr.Lim silent held her in his arms, though he was not crying, the devastation in his eyes was as clear as day. “Our son met with an unfortunate accident you see, and we want to show him our love one last time,” said Mr. Lim, trying to maintain the steadiness in his voice.

“My boy’s about 130cm with a medium build,” said Mrs. Lim shakily as she wiped the tears from her face. “Generally, we have caskets and coffins and the difference between the two would be the cost and the material used. We have two types of coffin in our shop, my dad can show you later, it’s at the back. Other than a coffin, we have caskets, burial casket and cremation casket depends on your choice. If you opt for a better quality one leh, I would suggest you to choose casket over coffin because- uh it is constructed of better quality wood one and got higher standards of workmanship, but of course, the price will be much more expensive la than the coffin,” Lilith replied after checking her notes on the counter. “We want the best for our son, can we have a look at the casket available after we discuss other details for the funeral?” Mr.Lim replied gently. “Yes, sure. I will ask my father to explain more about the details of the funeral, wait a moment.” Lilith replied while making eye contact with her father to signal him.

“Good Morning, Mr. Lim and Mrs. Lim, you can call me Ah Swee. The first thing you guys have to decide now is whether you want your little boy to be buried or cremated. If you guys choose a burial funeral, we will provide a package with a burial casket, embalming, and preservative dry ice. Likewise, if you choose cremation, we will provide a cremation casket, an urn as well as the cremation and retrieval of ashes service. You can choose to place him at a columbarium wall or have the ashes scattered at a significant place.” Mr. and Mrs. Lim looked at each other. “A burial service would be enough,” said Mr. Lim as his wife continued to shake and weakly sob in his arms.

While leading them to choose the casket and other additional stuff for Jamie, Mr.Swee explain to them about the procedures of the Taoist ritual. Lilith followed her father along when he leads them to pick some joss papers of materialistic items and paper clothes for Jamie. She also suggested them to choose two puppet maids and a paper palace to burn for Jamie during the last day of the funeral because she always thinks they’re cute. “Okay, Lith, go ask Uncle Tang and the rest to prepare 10 packages of joss sticks, 10 packs of Heavenly Gold and money, we have a new case. You should get ready too, you are coming with us,” Mr. Swee instructed Lilith.

She turned around and walked towards the counter. She then saw a pale young boy with just the exact body build that Mrs. Lim just said standing next to her father’s office window and staring outside as if he’s searching for something. He had a light blue aura around him.  Her heart was racing, she knows that that’s Jamie standing there yet her curious nature made her approach him. “Hey-y-y-y, a-a-are you oka-a-ay?,” she stuttered. He turned around and smiled, a somber look in his eyes and said, “Yeah, I’m fine it’s just that I am looking for a way to speak to my parents again, I don’t like to see them like this,” he said in a low voice. Even under the inexplicable distance of worlds between them, Lilith could feel his disappointment deep in her heart, rumbling away like a million black moths trying to buzz their way out. She then took his hand and told him to take a walk with her. When they’re about to reach the main gate, Jamie stopped and said, “I’ve tried, I don’t know why but I can’t go any further than this.” Lilith assumed that this may be because Jamie’s physical body is in the house. Lilith said, “Alright then I’ll see you in a couple of days. Maybe, I can try and help you. We’ll see la how if I see you again ok?” On her way home she remembered how she always wanted to give her mother a last goodbye when she died of cancer but she didn’t have the ability to do so yet and somehow miraculously she’s able to see things from another world now. She plays around with her mother’s pendant while telling herself that she will do what’s right, something she can do right now, determination running through her veins as she began to think of ways to help the young boy.

                She came back the next Monday and as usual, she’s reading the newspaper on the counter right after she finished helping her dad set up the shop. She didn’t really expect to see Jamie again as it had been so many days and she was wondering if it’s even real or not. She felt a sudden gust of wind blew past all of a sudden, but it didn’t creep her out, instead, she felt excited as she feels Jamie’s presence in the wind. As expected, Jamie appeared in her father’s office, he fades into form and smiled and greets Lilith. “Hey, I didn’t expect you to be back so early, I’ve been so bored these past few days.” “Hey, why don’t I bring you some of my favorite comics after lunch later so we can read them together.” She then held his hand into hers and cupped them gently, “Why don’t you tell me what you wanted to tell your parents and I’ll see if I can help.” “I want them to know that it’s not their fault that I’m dead, and that I will always remember the time we spent our time together.” Jamie paused and sighed, “I really miss them. The days when I would help out my mother’s florist after school and how my dad would always come to the shop to pick us back home every day after 7. Sometimes when he works late we would watch a movie together and eat the grapes in the fridge. Mom knows I love grapes so she would always stock the fridge full of them so I can eat them when I come back from school. My dad would always bring us and our dog, Lulu, to the nearby park to jog every Sunday and we would get ice cream together after that. I miss them so much.” Lilith then took him for a tour of the procession and told him about the process of it and see if it could suit Jamie perfectly. “I feel so unreal, it’s like what I see in the movies,” Jamie looked up to the sky standing beside a window. “Being dead, being a ghost, seeing my own funeral’s procession. I think this is like what my mom told me. She always said ‘son, get ready to be surprised.’” Their laughter ripples through the hall while Lilith showed him how the day of his funeral is going to be like. “It just that - this surprise is a bit overwhelming, ” he said while looking dead into Lilith’s eyes as if he’s trying to get hold of something.

          Lilith asked Jamie what flowers he likes. Jamie told her he likes chrysanthemums and lilies. “They are my favorite flowers as they represent all the things my mother is. Chrysanthemum blooms during fall, it symbolizes a thriving beauty despite an oncoming winter,” he said this, while looking at the flowers on the altar. “And in China chrysanthemums are one of the most common flowers and because of how similar they sound in Mandarin, chrysanthemums also symbolize a long life.” Lilith was impressed by how well he knew the flowers and asked him why. Jamie shied away and started talking in a very soft tone, as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear. “It's because I don't really have many friends in school.. a-a-and I would always read the book about flowers that’s in my mom’s desk’s drawer.” Lilith hugged him. “it's okay I understand because of my father’s profession i don't really have many friends too. That’s why I spent all my time reading comics hahaha.” Jamie started following her wherever she went. They spent time looking at the rain, disturbing their father by having Jamie move things around the place and playing with the trip switch, they also talked about the things Jamie wished to have done when he was alive. They also tried to walk out the gates of the funeral home, thinking why Jamie can’t get out. Lilith thinks it's because Jamie’s body is not buried yet and it's in the funeral home- which is why he can’t get out. Lilith tells Jamie that he will be freed once the body is buried.

           “Do you want to decide yourself when to be freed?,” while bringing Jamie to a table to get a calendar. Using a Faber Caster blue ball pen to point up and down at the numbers on it, “Thursday, Friday or Saturday? My dad always called these days as golden days in the Chinese calendar,” she chuckled. “Friday or Saturday sounds good to me. I feel like staying here for a few more days, it's really peaceful and there are no neighbors, so I can do anything I want,” he said while looking out the same window in his father’s office again. This time, Lilith realized that he had been staring at the swings across the street and she realized what she had to do. She brought a thick rope out of the basement and she cleaned the recycled tyres her dad