CHAPTER 1: THE FUNERAL NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO INTERRUPT
The church was so silent that every sob echoed beneath the stained-glass windows.
Rows of mourners dressed in black lowered their heads as Eleanor Brooks—a beloved teacher, devoted mother, and the kindest woman anyone had ever known—lay peacefully inside an elegant mahogany coffin.
Her only son, Ethan Brooks, stood beside her, unable to accept reality.
Only three days earlier, his mother had laughed with him over coffee, promising they would finally take the road trip she had dreamed about for years.
Now she was gone.
Or so everyone believed.
As the pastor prepared to begin the final prayer, Ethan noticed something strange.
His mother's left hand...
It wasn't folded the way the funeral director had arranged it.
One finger was slightly bent.
At first he blamed his exhausted mind.
But then...
Tap.
A faint sound came from inside the coffin.
His heart nearly stopped.
Nobody else reacted.
Maybe he imagined it.
Then another sound.
Tap... Tap...
Louder this time.
Ethan rushed toward the casket.
"I'm opening it."
The funeral director grabbed his arm.
"Sir, please don't."
His aunt Margaret stepped in front of him.
"You're grieving. Don't embarrass your mother's memory."
Even the pastor urged him to let the ceremony continue.
But Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.
He leaned closer.
Then he heard it.
A weak scratching sound.
Coming...
From inside the coffin.
Without another word, Ethan shoved everyone aside and reached for the lid.
Gasps filled the church.
His relatives screamed.
The funeral director desperately tried to stop him.
But Ethan ignored them.
With trembling hands...
He threw the coffin open.
Everyone expected to see a peaceful body.
Instead...
The church exploded into chaos.
May you like
Because Eleanor's eyes...
Were open.
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