[Joseph's P.O.V]
So Amanda had known all along, but she didn't say anything. "Skin and flesh separate, just as it was in the beginning when those slaves were skinned alive." It sounded really terrifying.
I laughed at myself, but my emotions remained undisturbed. Amanda must have kept silent because she saw how afraid I was. I wondered if I had stayed calm earlier, perhaps I would have known, and I could have prepared in advance to preserve Amanda in her most beautiful state before her burial.
I had no idea when Mrs. Anna had left, but it seemed to be after Amanda's burial. The guests had dispersed, leaving only me in this little house.
As night fell, I didn't turn on the lights. I sat on the floor despondently, the night wind rattling the windows like countless tentacles trying to creep inside. I held myself, feeling a chill. Even the tears that I thought I couldn't shed started falling, one by one, dampening the ground.
