Walking, Walking
By Starkey Flythe, first published in The Northwest Review
A mother grieving for her late son spends sleepless nights watching him walk across her bedroom. One day, she receives news that his grave is to be dug up.
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Plot Summary
Rosa, a woman grieving her late son David, is unable to sleep and sees her son walking in her bedroom, looking tired as well. She thinks about David’s funeral two years ago; she had put him to rest in a tuxedo and walked by the casket a thousand times. She tells an imaginary woman — a character she has created herself — that she sees David, and Rosa changes her voice to play the other woman, asking where. Rosa tells the woman how she remembers being pregnant with David, and the woman tells her to be careful. Rosa lies in bed, still awake. She thinks of her relatives agreeing with her, saying they could see David to appease her, and telling her it was normal that she could see him. Rosa, on the other hand, disagrees, worrying about David and wondering why he is walking all over the place. A letter soon comes to tell Rosa that they needed her permission to dig up David’s grave, as they planned to dig up the entire cemetery to make way for a new highway. Rosa does not reply to the letter, and her silence is understood as consent. A second letter arrives to tell her David’s grave will be exhumed on December 21st. When the day comes, Rosa gets ready to be present during the process and realizes she has put on her funeral dress. Upon her arrival, a car drives up to her, and the people inside ask who buried David and if any valuables are inside the casket. Later, in a meeting with representatives from the district attorney’s office, Rosa sees David again, walking alone. She suddenly turns and asks a man if he can see David, and the man shouts in agreement, rolling his eyes to the back of his head to show the other men that he simply wants to appease her. The other men look at her strangely, but Rosa, satisfied, says, “David’s in the sky.”