WARNING: You may not see my comments on your stories from me. WP still hasn’t resolved my inability to leave comments or I have been punished and sent to the SPAM room. 😀 If you see a ‘Like’ from me it says I’ve enjoyed your story. Have a wonderful weekend 😎
The funeral service at Saint Lucy’s was exactly the way Grammy wanted. Father Karvalis spoke benevolently about her life. Poppy sat silently. Tears flowed as Father spoke of her.
A short month later, Poppy joined his beloved. We knew he would. She was his life.
Cremated, both of their ashes sat on the mantle in handcrafted jars they purchased years earlier.
The will stated I inherited the house. As a travel writer, I left the States. An estate agency auctioned the contents.
To my surprise, a coroner called soon after the auction. It seems someone purchased their ashes at Goodwill.
2024©Isadora DeLaVega
Genre: Flash Fiction
Word Count: 100
Photo Prompt:©DaleRogerson
To join Rochelle and her Friday Fictioneers challenge
Inside the Mind of Isadora 
May 21, 2024 at 2:00 am
My stomach lurches to read the ashes part. To leave all of those arrangements to a paid liquidator is imprudent at best 😦
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May 21, 2024 at 2:48 am
You can imagine the shock as the person told me the terrible tale of what had happened. I made up the beginning of the story. The items that didn’t sell at the auction were donated to Goodwill. The granddaughter should have been present for the auction. Life … and all it’s complexities. Thank you for your powerful comment. My feelings exactly. Have a good week … Izzy 😎
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May 21, 2024 at 3:10 am
They say truth is always stranger than fiction, and this story confirms it. You also on the good week, Izzy.
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May 20, 2024 at 8:06 pm
Querida Izzy,
Tengo muchas preguntas. Why would you sell someone’s ashes? Unless the urns just got lost in the shuffle. And who would buy them? I guess the buyer thought they were pretty jars not expecting the added attraction. 😉 Bien escrita mi amiga.
Shalom y abrazos,
Rochelle
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May 21, 2024 at 2:18 am
Querida Rochelle,
My guess is that the estate sale was done by a professional company. The urns may have looked like decorative jars. All items not sold were donated to Goodwill. Me thinks, the granddaughter could have hung around a bit until after the auction. Sadly, this happens a lot. People left behind are thinking about the big picture (cash). I have so much artwork that it got me thinking about where would it go. The lesson here is that the item you treasure may be, not-so-special to the inheritors who want the quick cash. Death … a long journey we need to prepare for like childbirth. Thanks for the kind words. I think I could have written a better stroy with a few more words. LOL Gracias, mi amiga … Abaraozs y Carino, Izzy 😎
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May 20, 2024 at 7:44 pm
So sad that the travel writer was so thoughtless,… I also have moments when WordPress frustrates me.
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May 21, 2024 at 2:38 am
Yes, their granddaughter should have been present for the auction or removed the urns from the home. I suppose the ashes weren’t something she wanted to have. I know you do have issues with WP. I’m assuming you’re Linda as the name annonymous has appeared. LOL my friend always say “You gotta laugh” when something frustrating comes up in life. Thanks for popping on by.
Isadora 😎
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May 20, 2024 at 1:47 pm
Such carelessness at the bereaved’s expense. Sadly, these things really do happen.
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May 20, 2024 at 6:07 pm
Yes, this is an incident that occured. It all comes down to being strong enough to have the ‘After Death’ conversation before your demise. The final personal requests in writing. Thanks so much for visiting and commenting. You have a great week … Isadora 😎
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May 20, 2024 at 7:15 pm
It’s a subject no one wants to have but it’s important. Yet, when my husband’s brother died very suddenly, he had no will written up and no planned funeral arrangements. His wife and my husband together did what had to be done and his ashes are now home, buried next to his son’s ashes at a little meditation grotto in the backyard of his house.
I think sometimes we fuss too much about the inevitables in life in an attempt to make details easier for the ones we leave behind.
Thanks, Isadora.
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May 21, 2024 at 2:30 am
I believe you’re right, Nancy. We worry about the things we treasure and hope that other’s will treasure them too. In Florida, the waiting cemetary room, elderly are abandoned with little or no family visits. I have friends who have experienced this emptiness. Sometimes,, I think they hope their things will give their loved ones fond memories of them. But, sadly, that’s not the case. My grandson passed at 24. His urn is on an alter my daughter created for him. As an advoacte for suicide, she was on a podcast recently talking about the ones left behind after they take their lives. Navigating the waters of death is difficult. A very intense subject for all of us to ponder. I do remember your bil unexpectedly passing. My deepest condolences to you and your family. 🤗
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May 21, 2024 at 2:59 am
My sincere sympathies, Isadora. There are few things in life as unbearably painful as the death of our children or grandchildren. May your grandson rest in peace and your daughter find comfort.
People say my BIL died a king’s death …. here one minute and gone the next with no pain or suffering. We who are left behind know in our rational minds that he is gone yet it all seems so unbelievable. I’m sure in Jim’s final seconds he didn’t think about not having a will or making funeral arrangements or how messy his basement was. In the end we ask ourselves “what does it all mean and why does it matter?”
Peace, Isadora 🕊️
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May 20, 2024 at 2:48 am
Oh no! Auctioneers have no heart and no discernment, it seems.
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May 20, 2024 at 6:10 pm
True! They are there to liquidate all the contents without thoughts of what the item might be. Although, the granddaughter could have mentioned the urns were more than decor. Thanks for the comment and visit. Have a good week …
Isadora 😎
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May 19, 2024 at 5:02 pm
Ah, Isadora, happens to me constantly, WordPress is such a pain. It seems different on every site, and on the same site one week it works, the other it doesn’t. Sigh..
Anyway, what a story! How could she have the ashes of her grandparents auctioned off?
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May 19, 2024 at 10:49 am
Oh dear! Not a nice way to mark someone’s life. And I feel your pain re WordPress comments. I never knew there were so many different hoops that had to be jumped through before you could post your comment – different for every site. Duh!
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May 19, 2024 at 3:18 pm
Oddly, this did happen to a family. Personal property directives, such as the urn with the ashes, need to be stated in your will. If a member of a fmaily doesn’t want them: where do they go? As with all the personal items family members don’t want, they will probably go to thrift stores or resale shops. Something to think about. One man treasure is another mans rubbish, Thank you, Sandra. Yes, WP can be frustrating. I may consider deleting my blog. It’s becoming work to navigate. Have a lovely Sunday 🙏🏻
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May 18, 2024 at 10:46 pm
as someone commented above, oops. I enjoyed where the prompt took you.
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May 19, 2024 at 3:27 pm
Thank you for commenting. Sadly, this did happen to a family. Death has become complicated. Personal property directives need to be written in your last requests. 🤪 It loooks like your fur-child Fluffy needs to be wanted by someone who feels the same as you or off it goes to a thrift shop. Honestly, I know death isn’t a fluffy subject (no pun intended) but family left with your items don’t feel the same as you do. Life and all its’ complexities. Thanks, again, Isadora 😎
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May 20, 2024 at 2:07 pm
Oh, yes I know. A cousin of mine moved in to a house and someone left an urn behind – he just dumped the ashes off the deck into the Gulf of Mexico and threw away the ashes. When he died and was cremated his mother buried his ashes in the ground around a rose bush in his honor. It is said we have two deaths when we die and when we are forgotten and this is profoundly true!
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May 20, 2024 at 5:57 pm
I love this last line: ‘We have two deaths, when we die and when we are forgotten’. Profound, indeed. Have a wonderful week 😎
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May 20, 2024 at 6:09 pm
You too have a wonderful week. Catch up with you on “Friday”
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May 18, 2024 at 6:45 am
Very interesting ending
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May 17, 2024 at 7:39 pm
Oops
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May 19, 2024 at 3:29 pm
Unfortunately, it’s a true event that I wrote the story about. My story is fiction but the urn in a thirft shop … true. Thank you, Neil.
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May 17, 2024 at 7:08 pm
Oh my! That was unexpected!
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