The heavy snow had been falling for seven consecutive days, covering the entire city in a silver and white cloak.
The funeral arrangements had been prepared in advance, but had not been scheduled yet. With the year drawing to a close, if they didn't proceed with the burial soon, the deceased might become a wandering ghost without rest.
Even though Richard Shaw didn't want to admit it, he knew she would not return. Her life had ended at the tender age of twenty, just as it was beginning. He couldn't let her be without a place to belong even in death.
The funeral was arranged on the last day of the snowstorm. With no remains, they buried an empty tomb. It was bitterly cold, and the tombstone bore only Crystal Landon's name.
Very few attended the funeral: the Shaw family, Hawk Howard, Nova Howard, and two young girls from the extended Shaw family who had been close to Crystal.
