“The Death Issue” December 2015 1

church's décor.
Between the organ and the stained glass is a metal lamp resembling a longboat. The
lower section is wider than the upper. Its front aimed at the stained glass. Following this
line, the room seems to imitate the bow of a boat with a copper cross its figurehead.
Aaron recalls the story of the ark, and how it protected all forms of life during a purge.
Another word for a boat comes to mind: a vessel. The more he thinks of it, the clearer it
seems that the parable of Noah's ark and the church itself are metaphors for the body as a
vessel for the soul. The immaterial essence supposed to withstand all trails, including
death.
He wonders how many other religions have expressed a similar idea in a different
context, and if any would continue to do so once this building has been demolished,
buried by debris, or fallen to ruin. Its hidden message further obscured.
Two grey haired men in black robes sit near the front of the opposite pew. The youngest
is somewhere in his late sixties and has thinning hair. The eldest is a generation older and
sits hunched, twisting the end of his beard.
With the back of his robe trailing, the youngest moves along the pew and walks to the
front.
As the composition trails off, the horn dies in faint degrees.
“Guten Morgen, Brüder und Schwestern,” the priest begins.
Small circle glasses with white metal frames rest on the middle of his nose. The sun
reflected on his forehead.
When he speaks, he looks at each member of the audience in turn. His voice precise and
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