Clara raised the heavy iron axe high above her right shoulder, herFreckled face tight with fierce anger. The bright sunlight streamed through the tall stained glass windows, reflecting off the sharp edge of the blade. Julian sprinted across the platform, his arms outstretched to stop her from reaching the ornate white coffin. He shouted at the top of his lungs, telling the entire room that Clara had completely lost her sanity. The wealthy mourners gasped loudly, several women pulling their coats tight as they backed away from their chairs. Clara ignored the chaotic noise around her and focused all her energy directly on the sealed lid.
Clara: Get away from me, Julian! My sister is not dead inside this box!
Julian: Stop the coffin, no! Guards, grab her right now!
With a powerful strike, Clara brought the heavy iron axe down onto the center of the white lid. The sharp wooden creak echoed through the large room as the pristine polished wood cracked wide open. White glass decorative vases sitting on the edge shattered, sending sharp pieces flying across the marble floor. Julian lunged forward and grabbed Clara's left arm, trying with all his strength to twist the axe away. Clara shoved him backward with her elbow, causing him to stumble over a large arrangement of white lilies. She raised the heavy tool a second time and struck the cracked wooden surface with even greater force.
The top section of the white casket split completely down the middle, splintering into heavy wooden fragments. Clara set the axe on the floor and used her bare hands to pry the jagged edges apart. The mourners stood up from their gold chairs, leaning forward with absolute horror painted on their faces. Instead of seeing silk lining or a body, the interior was filled with solid white plaster and wet rubble. Heavy dust rose into the bright air, coating Clara's black maid uniform and hands in fine powder. Julian scrambled up from the floor, his face pale and sweat dripping down his forehead.
Julian: She is crazy! She is disrespecting the dead! Get her out!
Clara: Look at what you put inside here! This is concrete, not my sister!
Clara began digging her fingers deep into the soft, crumbling plaster debris near the upper end of the box. She pulled away thick chunks of white material, sending heavy dust sliding down the sides of the coffin. Suddenly, the crumbling concrete began to shift and crack from deep within the center of the structure. A narrow gap opened in the middle of the plaster, and a soft coughing sound echoed out. The crowd gasped in absolute unison as a pale hand emerged upward from beneath the thick white dust. On the middle finger of the reaching hand was a small gold ring Clara recognized instantly.
It was the silver and gold ring their mother had given to Lily on her eighteenth birthday. Clara grabbed the pale hand tightly, tears streaming down her freckled cheeks as she pulled with all her strength. The plaster cracked completely apart as Lily began struggling to breathe in the fresh air of the room. Julian stared with his mouth open wide in extreme shock, stepping backward until his back hit the altar. The guests began shouting in total chaos, pulling out their mobile phones to record the unbelievable scene unfolding. Clara helped her sister sit up, wrapping her arms around Lily's shivering, dust-covered shoulders tightly.