41.2

Luke stopped, letting the stretcher go forward. My aunt also stopped me near Luke. An invisible border separated us. The men secured the stretcher at the top of the platform and retreated towards us. Reid stood next to me.

Grandma Cooper began to carefully arrange some things around the edges of the stretcher. Only after looking closer, I realized that these were, apparently, Morgan's personal belongings. His connection with the human world. I examined a book, a family photo, a knife, a flask, a small box, the contents of which remained a mystery to us. And maybe only for me, but for the rest of the familiar part of the ceremony. Separately, she hung a leather bracelet on the top of the protruding branch. The sign of belonging to the flock.

After the bag of things was empty, she went to Luke and took the torch from him. The torch was powerful, on a long stick, but the elderly woman waved it confidently, setting fire to the stretcher. They blazed right away. The flames shot up, wrappin