Jose Martin skillfully pulled up the door curtain and turned on the radio. Music flowed out as he started sweeping, adopting a relaxed stance to begin his day's work.
As a funeral company, the daily tasks at the shop weren't very busy. Customers would call after sending off their loved ones at the hospital, based on the business cards provided by the hospital. Then, they would visit the shop in person to make arrangements and complete the necessary procedures. Although there were occasional inquiries from people looking for services, it was relatively uncommon.
Jose was set to start university in September, but for now, he was just helping out at the family shop. Since business was sparse, his responsibilities were limited to watching over the shop and maintaining its appearance.
In this moment, with a broom in his hands, Jose suddenly spun around to the rhythm, as if he was gracefully dancing in a ballroom. However, his line of sight caught a figure, causing him to pause in confusion. He thought he might be seeing things, but as he spun around again, he saw the same figure, and this time, there were two. Jose became flustered, hastily stopping his steps, but inertia caused him to take two more steps, almost causing him to stumble and fall.
"Be careful, do you need help?" A concerned voice came from the entrance. Jose shook his head repeatedly, not realizing that his attempts only made him even more dizzy, and he ended up sitting on the ground.
Jose wished he could just dig a hole and hide in it. "Sorry." He mumbled as he quickly got back up, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.
After a brief pause, he realized there was no sound. He secretly glanced upward and discovered two individuals standing before him. The one on the right had a cold expression, and his sharp eyebrows made people instinctively avert their gaze.
The person on the left, however, had a smile on his face as he politely looked at him, not saying much. He didn't pretend to look elsewhere while speaking or overly inquire with feigned concern. This reassured Jose, who adjusted his voice slightly, "Good morning, welcome to Martin Funeral Services. How can I assist you?"
"I need to find a casket," the man on the left, his right hand in his pocket, spoke with a gentle smile.
Jose finally managed to regain his composure, earnestly sizing up the newcomers. Both of them appeared quite young, in their early twenties, probably from the same generation as him. If nothing unexpected had happened, it was likely their grandparents had passed away. Jose carefully chose his words, "I'm truly sorry for your loss. I wonder, who is the casket intended for?"
"Oh, no, the casket is for me," the man on the left's smile grew slightly, akin to the morning sunlight filtering through the wutong tree leaves.
"Ah, it's for you. In that case..." Jose maintained a composed tone, his expression shifting to one of realization, but suddenly, his throat was constricted. His eyes widened in bewilderment as he stared at the man before him, at a loss for how to react.
Jose's shock froze him in place, and his bewildered expression was rather comical. Renly chuckled softly, "Don't worry, I'm not a vengeful spirit crawling out of a grave." He then explained his purpose, "I need to rent a casket, so I can lie inside it for... well, around eight to ten hours. I'm curious, how is the cost calculated?"
In Europe, Gothic style isn't uncommon. A small number of Gothic enthusiasts, or even devoted vampire fans, would purchase a casket to use as their bed, sleeping in it every night. While this wasn't a mainstream practice, it wasn't exactly unheard of either.
So, for someone like Renly who wanted to lie in a casket for a period of time, it might be considered peculiar, but Jose was relieved and didn't react with shock, "I'm not quite clear on what you mean. Are you looking to take a nap in the casket?"
"No, not exactly," Renly shook his head, "I want you to nail the casket shut..." Seeing Jose's eyes widen as though they were about to fall out, Renly chuckled softly, "But there should be gaps for air circulation, allowing me to breathe. I don't want any accidents." Renly added a joke, but it was evident that Jose wasn't finding it funny.
In fact, in "Buried", Paul had only stayed inside for less than three hours before the heavy sand pressed down on the fragile wooden board, burying him for real. Simultaneously, the air inside the casket also gradually decreased. Many of Paul's emotions were suppressed to the extreme, preventing too intense fluctuations that would consume oxygen too quickly.
Attempting to fully replicate the experience of being buried alive was challenging in real life, and the danger factor was high. It required professional supervision and companionship. However, the cost would undoubtedly be significant. The "Buried" production crew wasn't a wealthy one, and neither was Renly. So, eventually, Renly came up with a compromise.
"...?" Jose waited with bewildered eyes, "What exactly are you planning to do?" He couldn't even muster the politeness at this point, and his question came out straightforwardly.
"If I were to say that I just want to experience some excitement, would you believe me?" Renly semi-jokingly remarked, but beads of sweat began forming on Jose's forehead. He was completely overwhelmed, and Renly toned down his smile, "I'm conducting an investigation into claustrophobia. Coffins are one of the scenarios with the most confined spaces. I need to personally experience the feeling of being in one to gather more data."
Renly didn't mention "Buried". If he framed it as an actor immersing himself in a role, it would attract not only media attention but also curious onlookers. This would complicate matters, not just by adding trouble but also introducing uncertainty, threatening not only the role's authenticity but also personal safety. That's why Renly came up with this excuse.
Although he had provided a reasonable explanation, Jose still couldn't formulate a response, "But, but..." He felt his brain falling short, sensing that something was off, yet he couldn't quite pinpoint it, causing him distress.
"But what about my personal safety?" Renly had considered this aspect thoroughly. He was well aware that activities with such risks would lead to complicated legal implications in case of a disaster.
Even companies specializing in high-risk sports weren't willing to bear such colossal risks. Take skydiving, for instance. Before the actual jump, each participant would sign numerous waivers relinquishing their rights. If any form of accident occurred, those involved with the skydiving company wouldn't be held liable. Even insurance companies were hesitant to provide coverage. Only specialized extreme sports insurance companies offered relevant policies, usually exclusive to professionals.
Even qualified instructors in extreme sports were subject to these conditions. What's more, considering Renly's current situation, he had randomly approached a funeral company and issued a challenge for an extreme experience. If any potential deviations occurred, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves.
Matthew, who had remained silent on the side, stepped forward, "I'm a licensed attorney. I can draft a waiver of liability. He'll sign it, and then everything will be fine."
After speaking, Matthew glanced at Renly speechlessly. He could hardly believe that today of all days, Renly intended to lock himself inside a coffin. Even for Renly, this was going too far. After a year of not seeing each other and finally reuniting, he was now tasked with drafting a waiver of rights for Renly. The urge to roll his eyes was almost irresistible.
Renly spread his hands, wearing a completely composed expression. Matthew felt his capacity for sarcasm failing him.
Jose had long given up on trying to comprehend the situation. When he heard the words from the man on the left, he nodded repeatedly in agreement. But as he heard the words from the man on the right, he was lost. Giving up rights? What did that mean? Was this something permissible or not? Wait, what did the man on the left intend to do, anyway?
"Um... I need to... um... make a phone call to inquire," this was Jose's only reaction now. He, at only eighteen, wasn't equipped to handle such matters and would have to call on an elder for help.
Renly spread his hands, looking at Matthew in silence. "Alright, a simple matter has now become complicated. Now we're in for some hassle." After drafting the waiver, if the other party was cautious, they would undoubtedly require their lawyer to review it. Then there would be back-and-forth discussions. It would be an endless cycle of "you said, I said". "If I had known, I'd have locked myself in the bathroom. That would have been simpler."
Matthew decided to ignore Renly's complaints and observed the young lad, who was now in a state of panic, reporting the situation over the phone. The scene was unexpectedly amusing, and then Matthew suddenly remembered something, "Were you originally planning to do this alone?"
"Why not?" Renly shrugged, wearing a nonchalant expression. "There's no real danger as long as I ensure there's air circulation. It's not a big deal." While experiencing the confinement of a closed coffin was a bit offbeat, the fact was that there wasn't much risk involved, of course, provided the coffin wasn't completely sealed.
Renly had courage, but he wasn't insane.
"Let me tell you, I'll be inside for at least eight hours. It'll be boring and quite unsightly. If you have other things to attend to, feel free to leave before I'm done." Renly advised with sincerity and consideration.
Matthew squinted at Renly for three seconds, then silently turned his gaze away. He remained where he was without any intention of leaving.
Renly spread his hands, "I've already given you a heads-up."
Two hours later, after repeated confirmations and thorough checks, Renly's incredibly bold and adventurous plan was finally ready to be executed. All the nervousness and anticipation seemed to have worn off. Now, Renly just wanted to climb into the coffin as quickly as possible; otherwise, he'd miss lunch and then dinner.
Jose watched as Renly crawled into the coffin without any hesitation, and after one final confirmation, he asked, "Ready?" Upon receiving Renly's nod of affirmation, he closed the heavy lid of the coffin.
In Renly's world, absolute darkness enveloped him.