My parents had left already for the county morgue, leaving behind a note that they would call before lunch. I was in no rush to get ready for the day, so I poured a bowl of cereal and settled on the dining room couch to watch TV in my pajamas. Luckily, the previous night’s storm had resulted in only minor damage to our town. A few roads were still closed and some more trees had succumbed to the strong winds, but that was it, and clear weather was in the forecast. A perky news anchor confirmed that local schools would be back in session on Monday. She talked over a montage of footage showing cars slowly driving through foot-deep water and people struggling to push grocery carts through flooded parking lots. There was also a shot of a long plank of wood leaned against someone’s garage. “A local man made an odd discovery this morning when he tried to drive to work,” the news anchor said. “When his garage door would not open, Shawn Burton investigated and found the lid of a casket had washed in front of the door, jamming it from the outside.” The camera zoomed in on the splintered wood.
