The Funeral Home Director
The funeral is quiet with the exception of muffled sobs,
Murmured prayers, and a mournful violin.
A sea of black cloth surrounds the casket,
the faint sparkle of tears shimmers through the air
The mourners ebb and flow around the body
The feeling of death’s cold grasp still clinging to what once housed a soul
One remains constant nearby
Standing at the doorway
With eyes as dark as his suit of midnight
And a jackal pin on his lapel
He watches those who enter this place of grief
It is his funeral home after all
It’s his job to guard those placed into his care
His name is Anubis, protector of the dead
When the funeral is at its end
The living have left the cemetery,
Dirt on their hands and tears still in their eyes
The body is buried with black soil piled high
For the mournful, the day is done
They will cry again another day, but for now, they will rest
He remains behind
There is a second part to his job, one he is not hired to do
But he has done so since his beginning
“You must come with me,” he says
“It is time for you to leave this place and the scales are waiting”
The soul takes his hand and they leave this land of the living
It is his cemetery after all
It’s his job to bring the souls to their judgement
His name is Anubis, guide of souls