A little girl embraced her father inside the eerie coffin.
Camila, just 8 years old, stood motionless beside it.
They had remained at the wake for many hours, and she hadn’t stepped away for even a single moment.
Her mother tried pulling her away several times, but she refused.
She insisted on staying near her dad, and she didn’t weep; she only stared silently at him.
Visitors came to give their condolences, some gazed at her with pity, yet she gave no reply, only kept her hands resting along the coffin’s edge.
Julian’s remains were clothed in a white shirt he always favored, with his arms folded neatly across his chest.
He appeared pale, though serene.
Grandma’s home was filled with relatives.
Some whispered, others sobbed, while the children played outside, clueless of what was unfolding.
But Camila remained unmoved.
Since arriving, she neither wished to eat nor sit.
She merely asked for a chair so she could be closer to her father and reach him more easily.
Some assumed she was shocked, though Grandma told them to let her be, since every person says goodbye in their own manner.
Her mother avoided arguing and finally gave in.
Though her face looked weary and her eyes swollen, she insisted no more.
Hours slipped by, the air growing heavier.
It was late at night, and still, the coffin had yet to be carried to the cemetery.
Adults slowly realized something felt wrong—not with Julian, but with the child.
She no longer spoke, sitting stiffly in the chair, arms on the coffin, watching her father.
Several attempted to talk to her, but she stayed silent.
No tears, no movement, no response.
Almost as though she anticipated something.
And while no one voiced it, many felt uneasy, unsettled by her strange calm, as if something might occur.
That night, no one rested.
Some lingered outside murmuring, others paced in and out to check the living room.
Camila remained rooted by the coffin.
She appeared drained but refused to lie down or leave.
Then Grandma wrapped a blanket over her shoulders.
None pressed further.
Time dragged on until people grew distracted.
Some smoked outside, others poured coffee in the kitchen, while her mother dozed in a chair, head back and eyes shut.
Then Camila climbed onto the chair, set one knee against the coffin, and slowly eased herself inside.
She moved carefully, as though it had been planned.
No one realized until she lay against her father’s body, clinging tightly to him.
When an aunt turned and noticed, she shrieked, and everyone rushed over.
The room erupted in chaos.
At first, they assumed she had fainted or gone into shock, but as they drew closer, they froze in disbelief.
Julian’s hand was resting against Camila’s back, as though embracing her too.
Some stood paralyzed, others whispered she had moved it, but the hand looked natural, the arm gently lifted.
A man tried to pull her away, yet Grandma stopped him.
She said to wait—that something unusual was happening.
Camila remained motionless, though she wasn’t unconscious.
Her breathing was steady and soft, like she was sleeping peacefully in her father’s cold arms.
Julian’s hand—the very one that had held hers on countless walks—now cradled her gently. It was protective, a farewell beyond reason. The aunt who had screamed broke into sobs, not from fear but unbearable tenderness. Her mother, long paralyzed in grief, sat upright, eyes blazing with horror and wonder.
The house fell into utter silence. No whispers, no cries, no children’s noises—only the sight of the girl within the coffin and her father appearing to console her. The atmosphere thickened, charged with an energy none could explain. Grandma, calm as ever, knelt by the coffin and softly stroked her granddaughter’s hair.
“Let her be,” she murmured shakily. “It’s all right.”
No one dared object. The moment felt sacred, beyond comprehension. Minutes crawled into eternity. Moonlight seeped through the window, casting a spectral glow that blurred dream with reality. Then Camila released a deep sigh. Her father’s hand slipped away, falling back onto his chest.
Camila slowly opened her eyes. She glanced around as though waking from long slumber. Her gaze locked on her mother, who trembled with despair. Grandma helped her from the coffin, and she walked straight into her mother’s arms. She hugged her fiercely, sending chills down her mother’s spine. In that embrace, sorrow lifted, replaced by a quiet peace.
“It’s okay, Mommy,” Camila whispered softly. “Daddy’s asleep, but he told me not to worry—he’ll stay with me always.”
Then finally, she wept. She cried with all the grief and pain she had been holding back. She cried for love, for loss, for goodbye. And her mother clutched her tightly, unwilling to let go, while those around felt the weight in the air dissolve, as though a hidden burden had lifted. The farewell, at last, had come.
