Word Count: 513
A yellow hue fills the room from a setting sun in a dreary hospital. Conversations in a language Sam doesn't fully understand and the whirring and beeping of electronic medical equipment fills the room. His grandfather has been in a coma for several weeks now and his family surrounds the hospital bed. The decision has been made to turn off his life support as his grandfather's health had not improved since he went into the coma.
At the age of 100 Sam's grandfather passed away in a hospital in Taipei, Taiwan with his loved ones surrounding him. Sam never had the chance to get close to his grandfather so when his grandfather passed the tears shed were from watching his loved ones mourn their loss. He was so close to everything happening but so far away mentally. The body was transported to a closed off room with a sliding wooden door where people began scrubbing the body and preparing it for a ceremony. The body was dipped in water as rigor mortis set in; the body refused to relax anymore. Everything became a blur for Sam until it was time for the cremation of the body. At the top of a mountain in Taiwan a sterile white building stood, seemingly out of place in an otherwise rural area. Its rooms were spacious and tiled, with high ceilings plastered with white. So much so that the entire building felt uncomfortable. The crematories produced echoing hums throughout the building that soon became background noise. As the body and casket were prepared, prayers and wishes were said until the crematory door opened and the roar of the fire grabbed Sam's attention. His thoughts became muddled as he witnessed the body disappear into the flames. His thoughts shifted to the staff; they did this everyday so they have become desensitized to this. The faces of his grieving family juxtaposed with those of the expressionless staff created a scene where a dream wasn't so farfetched. Sam sat in the waiting room, thoughtless as everything around him felt numb and distant. The only thing that could be heard was the hum of the air conditioner. After what felt like an eternity, a staff member approached Sam's family and presented them with the container that held the remains after the cremation. The remaining bones looked brittle but white and pure. Sam stared at the pile of ash and bones struggling to understand that that was all that remained of his grandfather. As he stepped, out the humid and hot weather of Taiwan woke him up from the comfort of an air conditioned building. He sat on a bench that overlooked the nearby town and thought about the past few days. He would never get the chance to know the man that raised his mom and her siblings or even talk to this man ever again. Just a week ago, Sam was in New Jersey enjoying his summer break. In two more days he would go back to that life while his family had to continue a life without a father.
 |
| Grandfather (bottom right) with the rest of my family |
 |
| Incense burned when honoring the dead |
 |
| A crematory similar to the one I saw (taking pictures was not allowed) |
 |
| Rural areas in Taipei |
 |
| Container used to hold ashes |
Comments
Post a Comment