Chapter 1 - The Splintered Lid
The iron head of the claw hammer struck the white pine lid with a sharp, explosive crack.
THWACK.
A jagged silver line splintered across the smooth lacquer of the closed casket.
Nine-year-old Toby swung the heavy steel tool again, his short brown hair dripping with cold sweat.
His dark navy suit jacket, stiff and ill-fitting, strained across his shoulder blades with every blow.
His green eyes burned, wide and unblinking beneath the harsh yellow spotlights of the chapel.
"She’s in there!" Toby screamed, his voice breaking into a high, desperate rasp.
"She’s in there, and she’s breathing!"
THWACK.
A cloud of fine pine dust sprayed across the polished dark oak floorboards.
Behind him, fifty guests dressed in black wool and silk gasped in unison.
A crystal vase filled with white lilies wobbled on its marble pedestal as the floorboards vibrated under his heels.
Toby lifted the iron hammer high above his head with both small hands.
He didn't look at the massive oil portrait resting against the altar.
He didn't look at the black velvet drapes trembling near the air vents.
May you like
He brought the iron head down with everything inside his nine-year-old frame.
---
