His Silence

Chapter :16 Sixteen

                         Adalyn

It was the day of Tatum's funeral and most of the service was taking place in the town hall. Most of the town had attended. In Riverstone the town attends funerals to show their respect. To me it's like people only "know" the person after their death but when they are alive their non existent.

I was seating on the front row along side Kelly and my mother and Theo and his family.

It was time to say our eulogy and one by one the people who had been close to Tatum went up and read our eulogy and my turn had come.

I breathed in and got up from my seat i walked up and stood behind the microphone with a paper i had written my speech on.

I looked around the hall then at Theo's family then at the piece of paper in my hand. I tore the paper in half because what was in it was not what i wanted to say i wanted to speak from heart.

"Many of you in here did not know who Tatum Ravens was and to all those who did not know who she was let me tell you who she was. Tatum Ravens was Tilly Ravens twin sister, London, Noah, and Theo's sister, Emily and Bennet's daughter, Corey's cousin, May's niece and to me she was a sister. She had goals and dreams she will never get to achieve, she was bright and kind and most of all she was Tatum Ravens. "

Tears fell from my cheeks as I walked to sit down. My mother placed her hand on mine and so did Kelly.

Theo got up from his seat and so did Corey. Corey was going to read Theo's eulogy for him.

" While writing this eulogy i realized that my sister died without ever hearing my voice that's what many probably think. But she is the only one who knows my voice. I did not want her dying without hearing my voice she is the only one who knows why I stopped talking I told her I told her with my voice. Many ask me why I don't talk or why I stopped talking and a lot of them just assume I'm mute or deaf but I'm neither. Before midnight tonight everyone I trust will know why and Tatum had been the first. "Corey read out Theo's eulogy and it shocked me.

Everyone else said their eulogies and then the first part of the funeral ended and we went to the towns graveyard to complete the funeral.

The pastor said a few words then we had a moment of silence as Tatum's burial began.

Tilly, London and Noah had been left with a babysitter in town hall because their mother did not want them seeing Tatum get buried.

Out of nowhere Tilly's voice rang in the air. "No stop. Tatum is just sleeping she will wake up soon I'm telling you." Everyone turned to look at her and her mother ran up to her and carried her. "Mommy don't let Tatum be taken from me. She will wake up and we will play hopscotch together all day don't let her be taken from me." She cried.

"My little duckling Tatum is gone and she will not be coming back. She will visit you in your dreams and be by your side even if you don't see her." Her mother tried to explain to her and I knew how much pain she was in after loosing one of her kids.

"Mommy you are lying. That's what you have been telling me everyday since she left and she has not visited me not even once." Her mother looked around then back at her. "She was probably still traveling to a wonderful place." She said."Mommy I want to go with her to the wonderful place please mommy."

"Maybe one day dear but for now you are going to be right here with your mommy, your daddy, your sister, your brothers, your cousin, your aunt, and even Adalyn." Tilly cried even more, "But no Tatum."

I walked up to them and offered to take Tilly away from the graveyard so she does not cry even more if she was to see her sister be buried.

I carried her back to the town hall as she cried I walked in and found London and Noah sitting together and sat next to them with her. A while later Theo walked in and walked up to sit next to us.

I realized that he had not shed a single tear since Tatum died and I know he was sad. "Theo, I know Tatum's death is hard on you. It's hard on us all its okay to cry and not bottle up your emotions." I said to him and he looked at me.

He hung his head low and I could see a few tears fall down his cheeks. "Theo don't cry Tatum will wake up I know she will." Tilly said to him and he looked at her sadly then back down.

Tilly was young and confused and she did not want to believe that her sister could leave her forever never to come back but many of us also don't want to believe it but it's real and she really is not coming back.