Her Brother Demanded to See Their Father, Unaware of the Terror Locked Inside the Casket

The Closed Casket

The heavy scent of white lilies did little to mask the suffocating tension inside the wood-paneled living room. A solemn grandfather clock ticked slowly in the corner, marking the agonizing seconds of a wake that felt entirely rushed. Maria stood rigidly beside the closed pine casket, her long dark hair falling over her simple black dress. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her, not in grief, but in a desperate bid to stop them from shaking.

Suddenly, the heavy front doors burst open. Leo stumbled into the room, his dark grey suit disheveled, his face stained with tears.

"Dad! Dad!"

he sobbed, his voice echoing off the wooden walls. He rushed past the few stunned guests and collapsed directly onto the wooden lid of the casket, his shoulders shaking violently.

"When did all this happen, Maria? Why didn't you call me sooner? I want to see my father one last time. Please, open it."

Maria’s heart hammered against her ribs. She lunged forward, her fingers digging fiercely into Leo’s shoulders as she pulled him back. Her voice was a frantic, trembling whisper.

"No, Leo! You can't! It can't be opened. Your father had a disease. A very contagious disease. The doctors strictly ordered that the casket remain sealed for everyone's safety."

But beneath the polished pine lid, in the pitch-black claustrophobia of the casket, Arthur was listening. His hands were bound tightly behind his back, and thick silver duct tape was pressed hard over his mouth. Hearing his son’s voice, a surge of adrenaline rushed through him. He opened his eyes wide in absolute terror, trying to scream, trying to thrash, but the heavy sedatives Maria had slipped into his tea hours earlier made his limbs feel like lead. He was being buried alive by his own daughter, and his only hope was standing just inches away, on the other side of the wood.