The quiet funeral home was filled with faint whispering sounds.
Rows of black chairs were filled with somber distant relatives.
An American flag framed in gold hung high on the central wall.
Below the shiny flag stood a polished wooden coffin on display.
Eight-year-old Leo sat near the front row of wooden chairs.
His small fingers rubbed the fabric of his dark blue polo shirt.
His uncle Richard stood beside the large flower arrangements nearby.
Richard adjusted his silk tie and lowered his dark eyes.
Leo looked around at the crying faces in the quiet room.
Nothing about this cold morning felt real to the young boy.
Just yesterday his loving mother had kissed him good night.
She had promised him a hot breakfast before school started.
Then morning came and his uncle claimed she had passed away.
Richard said her weak heart had stopped during the night.
The doctors were never called to the quiet family home.
Richard had handled all the funeral plans completely on his own.
Leo stared at the sealed coffin in the middle of the room.
He felt a strange knot turning inside his small stomach.
A soft tapping sound suddenly came from the dark wood.
Leo stood up straight from his velvet chair near the front.
He walked slowly toward the shiny box on the velvet stand.
The relatives continued to murmur quietly among themselves.
No one paid attention to the small boy walking forward.
Leo pressed his right ear close to the cold wood surface.
A tiny scratching sound resonated clearly from inside the box.
His heart started beating rapidly against his narrow chest.
Leo: Mom, can you hear my voice in there?
The scratching sound became faster and much more urgent.
Leo gasped loudly as his small hands began to shake.
He looked back at the rows of seated family members.
Everyone kept their eyes lowered toward the carpet floor.
Leo: Somebody please come help me over here right now!
Richard turned his head quickly toward the front pulpit area.
His face turned red as he marched across the room.
Uncle Richard: What are you doing near that box, Leo?
Leo: She is moving inside there right now, Uncle Richard!
Uncle Richard: Stop talking nonsense and get back to your seat!
Leo: I am not lying to you about this sound!
Richard reached out and grabbed the boy's small shoulder firmly.
He guided Leo back toward the padded front row seats.
Uncle Richard: You are upset and making up wild imaginary noises.
Leo: Please listen to the wood with your own ears!
Richard held Leo's wrist tightly with a firm grip.
Uncle Richard: Sit down before you ruin this peaceful service forever.
Leo sat down but kept his wide eyes on the casket.
He knew what he had heard through the polished surface.
His mother was trapped inside that dark sealed wooden box.