Leo reached inside his small blue pocket very carefully.
His fingers wrapped around a sturdy silver butter knife.
He had taken the metal knife from the kitchen earlier.
The adults were talking softly near the refreshment table.
Leo slipped out of his padded chair without a sound.
He crept toward the front of the quiet funeral room.
The heavy wooden coffin sat raised on two velvet benches.
Leo dropped down on his knees near the lower latch.
A thick brass lock secured the lid to the frame.
He stuck the silver knife point straight into the keyhole.
Leo: Hold on mom, I am trying to open it!
He twisted the metal tool with all his small strength.
A loud scraping sound echoed through the silent chapel room.
The relatives stopped talking and turned their heads around quickly.
Leo pulled on the stubborn latch with both sweaty hands.
Leo: My mommy is alive in here, help me please!
The metallic scraping noise echoed off the high walls.
Several guests gasped softly in utter shock and confusion.
Richard turned around from the back of the chapel aisle.
His eyes widened in sudden fury as he saw Leo.
He rushed down the center carpet with long fast steps.
Uncle Richard: Have you lost your mind entirely, young man?
Leo: Help me open this lock right now, please!
Uncle Richard: Get your hands off that lid this instant!
Richard reached down and pulled Leo away from the coffin.
He held the boy back to prevent another loud scraping noise.
Leo kicked his legs in the air, crying out loudly.
Leo: She is breathing inside, I know she is!
Uncle Richard: You are causing an unacceptable disaster in public!
Richard stood between the small boy and the wooden casket.
His large body blocked Leo from touching the metal latch.
Leo dropped the silver knife onto the shiny wood floor.
The tool clattered loudly against the polished floorboards below.
A woman in the third row wiped a fresh tear.
Aunt Sarah: The poor child is just in deep denial today.
Uncle Richard: Yes, he does not know what he is saying.
Richard wiped sweat from his high forehead with a cloth.
He looked down at the brass lock with nervous eyes.
Leo lay on his knees, weeping loudly into his hands.
Leo: Why won't anyone listen to what I hear?
The room remained still as Richard adjusted the brass latch.
He made sure the lock was firmly secured in place.
Leo looked up through his blurry, tear-filled eyes again.
He saw a subtle twitch in the casket handle metal.