The park was one she'd never been to before. That was probably an odd first observation to make given that she was only just waking up from a fainting spell. Then again, exploring different parks in the area had been something she and Lyla had loved to do together. They once took a Saturday and drove to a park up in Oregon because they felt like they'd seen all the sights their side of California had to offer. This was the first time Naomi had tested her endurance, but she was fairly certain she lacked the stamina necessary to cross state lines on foot. So maybe it was just as strange that Naomi had quite literally stumbled upon a brand new park mere hours before Lyla's funeral.
'That's right,' Naomi remembered with an inward groan. 'The funeral.' When she'd invited Lyla's grandmother in, it had been early in the afternoon. Now stars were twinkling at her overhead, and while it was still dark enough for the moon to shine bright, Naomi could also see a patch of sky on the eastern horizon that was steadily getting brighter. Dawn was approaching and Naomi had no idea where she was. Her only indication was the little park she'd passed out in, and even that didn't provide her with much.
It was quaint, hosting a single tri-seater swing set, two rusted spring riders, a merry-go-round, and an iron staircase that spiraled up to nowhere-- not even a jungle gym. The equipment was set up so they formed a large ring, spaced out enough that there was a twenty-five foot diameter. The park's main attraction seemed to be an ancient weeping willow tree that sprouted in the center. At the base of the deciduous the trunk was split open in such a way that it formed a teardrop arch.
Naomi was so encompassed with the way the leaves cascaded down in waves that she almost missed the woman who stood silently in the arch watching her. She started when her gaze finally landed on her. At first glance the woman seemed to be no more than two to three years older than Naomi. The longer she studied her however, the less certain she was about her age. Her dark skin was completely unblemished from both wrinkles and acne, and her amber eyes held the weight of millenniams. 'Maybe she's just one of those people who never age,' Naomi decided. 'Like Sandra Bullock.' Still, it unnerved Naomi that this woman did not break the silence in the air or make any attempt to move out of the shadows. She simply stood in the archway, her gaze locked firmly on Naomi.
After about a minute of intense silence, Naomi spoke first. "Lovely morning," she said to the woman, cringing at her choice of words.
The woman's only response was a slight tilt of her head. Naomi wondered if the woman might be deaf. She tried desperately to remember that ASL class she and Lyla had taken freshman year, but she couldn't recall how to sign anything except for "dog," the letter J, and the phrase "thank you." None of those seemed very helpful in this particular situation she had found herself in.
"This might be a dumb question," Naomi admitted, ultimately deciding to give another shot at communication, "but do you know where we are?"
The woman shrugged. "I can tell you where we're not," she offered, and Naomi genuinely couldn't tell if she was serious or not.
She rolled her eyes at the response though. "That's not very helpful."
"No, probably not," the woman agreed. She sounded young, which possibly helped narrow down her age. Possibly.
Naomi sighed, her frustration mounting. Who was this lady and why was she so enamored with her? Naomi was fairly certain the woman hadn't even blinked since she'd noticed her staring. It was really setting her on edge. "I have to go," Naomi told her.
"Yes," the woman nodded. "You don't want to be late saying goodbye."
That last part made her pause. "What did you say?" Naomi demanded.
"You missed the first goodbye," the woman said. "'Parting is such sweet sorrow.'"
"Oh," Naomi breathed, relaxing a bit. "You're quoting Shakespeare."
The woman smiled. "I'll see you once I've made up my mind," she promised.
"What?" Naomi asked of the very bizarre response, but just then the first few rays of the sun peeked over the horizon. They flooded through the archway, shining right into her eyes. As she blinked away spots, she realized the woman had left her spot in the tree. Naomi turned this way and that, but she didn't see the woman anywhere. As far as she could tell she was alone in the park.
The sudden vanishing of the woman had her more thoroughly creeped out than when the strange woman had been silently staring at her. How was it possible for a person to so completely disappear in a matter of seconds? Naomi must have smacked her head hard when she passed out. She'd thought the grass at least might cushion the fall, but clearly she'd been wrong about that.
Great. So Naomi had no idea where she was, no transportation to get where she needed to be, and to top it all off she was probably concussed as well. Wherever Lyla was now, whatever the afterlife was like, she hoped she was getting a kick out of things at least. Naomi knew if the girl was with her she'd probably figure something out. Naomi felt like she didn't quite share Lyla's same level of ingenuity.
Well, walking didn't take any thinking. The only thing she could figure out for now was to head out down the road until she found something familiar. If not that, then maybe she could at least find someone kind enough to lend her their phone. Like most kids her own age, she didn't have too many numbers memorized. She did, however, know her dad's home phone. He'd promised to be at the funeral so hopefully that meant he was at the house right then and would be able to pick up. As for whether or not he'd be in good enough condition to drive, well, that was another topic of conversation. Either way, Naomi would have to just hold her breath and hope for the best.
As she turned to go, she noticed a beam of light reflecting off of something shiny in the base of the tree. Cautiously she approached it. Her shoes crunched on the ground and for the first time she noticed that all the grass around the outer edge of the tree was dead, fried to a crisp. Yet another something unsettling about this place. She was beginning to think the place was haunted. Maybe the woman she'd seen was the founder's wife or something. Even still, she couldn't stop herself from bending down to examine the silver object gleaming at her from its place in the dirt. As carefully as she would handle an egg, Naomi picked up the object and held it just with the tips of her fingers. She turned it this way and that, trying to determine what it was.
It was quite clearly a statuette, though of what remained uncertain. The creature's design seemed reptilian; it instantly made her think of a dragon. It had no wings though, and it stood upon two humanoid feet. A long, leathery tail twirled around its legs and it boasted two stubby horns on the top of its head. Rubies glittered from its eye sockets, adding a solitary splash of color to the otherwise singularly silver theme. There was an engravement across the belly of the beast, but Naomi couldn't read what it said. If it was indeed writing, then it wasn't in English.
'This day just keeps getting weirder.' Naomi had never seen anything quite like the little statuette in her hands. She knew she should put it down. The strange lady had likely dropped it here by accident, and if it was real silver and rubies then she'd definitely be back for it. The right thing to do would be to leave it somewhere the woman could find it.
A horn honked and Naomi almost screamed. She pocketed the creature and whirled around to see a grey SUV sitting in the road beside the park. She braced herself to run at a moment's notice as the windows started to roll down. She felt wobbly as she waited, and her stomach flipped as she began to see the face of a man come into view from the driver's seat of the car.
"Naomi?" the driver asked, utter confusion coating his words.
All the air left her lungs in an enormously relieved single breath as she recognized the man in the car. "Hi, Henry," she greeted him weakly.
"What are you doing out here? Where's your dad?" he asked her, looking around at the empty park. His brows furrowed even further. "Are you alone?"
Naomi opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, trying to determine how to answer him. It would probably be a pretty worrying response to tell him she'd ran here from her house and then promptly passed out for a few hours. An answer like that was also likely to get her father in trouble with the state even though he had nothing to do with it. Or maybe he'd be in trouble because he had nothing to do with it. Either way it would be bad.
"Can I get a ride?" Naomi asked instead. She hadn't answered a single one of his questions, she knew, and she hoped he'd leave well enough alone.
Henry let out a sigh, his expression suggesting that whatever he was about to say would be against his better judgement. "Hop in," he told her, nodding his head towards the passenger seat. Naomi didn't wait to be told twice. She hurried to the other side of the car, closing the door as soon as she was clear of the frame and quickly clicking her seatbelt into place. Henry watched her for a moment, his expression undecipherable. "Where to?"
"Mountain View Funeral Home," Naomi told him, feeling instantly more grim as she spoke the words. That's where it would happen. She would have to see Lyla and her mother's bodies in their coffins. She would have to face the fact they were really dead and that that's just the way the world was now. She hated thinking that. She hated that it was true. She shut her eyes against the onslaught of thoughts about it, trying to block out her horrible reality.
"I'll take you," Henry promised, his voice hoarse as tears of his own welled up in his eyes. "Do you mind if I make one stop along the way?"
Naomi shrugged. "Do whatever you need to," she told him, leaning her head against the window.
From the corner of her eye she saw Henry offer her an empathetic smile as he put the car into drive and made his way back onto a main street. They drove in heavy silence. Naomi could tell that Henry had more questions for her. She almost felt compelled to answer them, and it only made her all the more grateful that he didn't ask. Instead of being interrogated, Naomi spent the drive watching the scenery speed by. Trees blurred together with the sky into green and blue blobs as they made their way ever closer to the service.
The car slowed as Henry made a turn into a parking lot. He put it in park and glanced over at Naomi as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "I'll be right back," he promised. He hopped down from the driver's seat and disappeared inside the store. Naomi didn't even have the energy to turn and look at which store it was.
She kept her attention on a baby maple tree that had recently been planted on the outskirts of the parking lot. It was still strapped into the support stakes, which evidently was necessary. The little sapling was being tugged to and fro by the breeze that was blowing through. As Naomi watched, a blue jay came soaring down to land on a lower branch of the sapling. The extra weight helped steady it a bit.
Blue jays were Lyla's absolute favorite bird. The only tattoo she'd ever debated getting was of one depicting a blue jay in flight. Naomi knew there was a story there, some deeper meaning to Lyla's love for the small songbird. Whatever the story was, she'd never heard it. Now she never would.
Naomi jumped as the driver door opened again. Henry leaned across the way, offering her a large shopping bag. Dumbfounded, Naomi accepted the bag before she realized she was grabbing it. She looked inside at the long black dress, then back up at Henry.
"I thought you might like something proper to wear to the viewing," he told her. "They've got a changing room in there if you want to put it on now. The receipt is in there as well so you can swap it out if it doesn't fit, or even if you just don't like it. I wasn't entirely sure what to get for you."
Naomi shook her head. "It's lovely," she assured him. She slipped out of her seatbelt and dropped down out of the car, gripping the bag firmly at her side. "I'll be right back."
She hurried to the changing room, silently promising to make it up to Henry at some point. Once the stall door was shut she started kicking off her dirty ripped jeans and tossing aside her ratty band t-shirt. Naomi tugged the dress over her head, watching the fabric roll down her body, coming to a swishing halt at her calves. The sleeves were billowy like the skirt, with miniature roses patterned across her arms. It had an ever-modest jewel neckline topping it all off. Naomi had always been more of a two-piece suit kind of girl, but as far as dresses went this one wasn't bad.
Newly clothed, Naomi hopped back in Henry's SUV. They took a moment for him to tell her she looked beautiful and for her to tell him thank you. They devolved into silence after that. Henry didn't move the car. He looked at her, his eyes glistening. "I'm so sorry this happened, Naomi," he said to her. He wiped at the tears that fell down his cheeks. "I promise you, the pain won't last forever."
Naomi shook her head. "It feels like it will," she whimpered, tears of her own dropping.
"It won't," he promised. He leaned over and gave her a friendly pat. "Are you ready for this?"
She scoffed at that. 'How could anyone ever be ready for something like this?' Not that she'd say that to Henry, who was trying so hard for her. Mrs. Murphy had been taking Lyla to his ice cream shop for the past decade. She knew he'd grown to see them as his family in that time frame. This whole ordeal couldn't be any easier for him than it was for Naomi. She knew it must be tearing him up inside. So instead of her immediate sarcastic response, she didn't say anything. Instead she simply nodded her head and Henry started up the car.
The ride to Mountain View was short. By some miracle, Naomi and Henry both managed to keep it together and not completely break down. That almost changed when they pulled in. Naomi felt her breaths come short and fast. She didn't think she could do this. She couldn't see them like that.
"There's quite a few people here," Henry murmured.
"Yeah," Naomi agreed, swallowing down her fast rising anxiety. "Yeah, the Murphys were popular. Lyla had a lot of friends in school."
"I've seen a lot of them in my shop," Henry commented, smiling fondly. His brows furrowed in confusion as his gaze landed on someone in particular. "I don't think I know her though."
Naomi's heart almost stopped when she saw who he was looking at. Her fingers instinctively closed around the figurine she had stashed in her pocket. Amber eyes seemed trained on her once again, and she froze under their weight. It was the lady from the park. For some reason she was here, watching Naomi, waiting to go inside for Lyla and Mrs. Murphy's viewing. She was staring her right in the eyes as the woman lifted her hand and beckoned her over.