Fò Miranda

The unkept crypts are swathed in lichen. The Spanish Mass blocks the pathways. On first new moon following Miranda's internment, the workers Albee hired were following her orders without complaint.

"That one. Slide it down, the long ways."

"Hey, Miss Albee, what is that guitar for? How come it ain't got no strings?"

"Never you mind that. Put your shoulder into it, move that cover down, I need to open the coffin."

"Hey, Miss Albee, is it true your mother was Marie Laveau?"

"Who told you that?"

"Everyone knows it, Miss Albee."

"If everyone knows it, why are you asking?"

The youngest of the three hired helpers spoke for the first time.

"Who is Marie Laveau?"

Using a prybar, she opened the coffin and pulled the wooden lid high enough to see the child's gray face.

She was a beautiful child.

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Miranda Everlasting is a collection of three short stories: Fò Miranda, Envie, and Gris-Gris.