(Scars do not appear to be cause of death –shock ... - Bad Request

that, though I am skilled, but contract it out..." He paused for a breath. "And
the handles alone are another matter entirely..." He nodded knowingly.
I sighed, "What about the handles?"
"Big thing handles: everything about handles depends on how the coffin is
to be carried: you got skilled men carrying the coffin at shoulder height,
don't even need to worry about handles, professional pallbearers never use
them, see. If you got your family and friends carrying the coffin, then the
handles are necessary. You'll need some rope handles or even metal
handles..." He gave me a satisfied look.
"That's fine and all, but I came in here for a pillow... Do you have any?"
"Let me give you an example: I think the most beautiful coffin I'd ever seen
was this one of clear pine. I don't know where they managed to get it,
whether from a place in Bytopia or elsewhere... Anyway, it was pegged
together carefully and trimmed with this beautiful run of redwood. The
effect was somewhat ruined by the crude amounts of thick hemp rope that
surrounded the affair. Surely, something was needed for the pallbearers to
hold on to, but to ruin the entire beauty of the coffin with such badly
woven-rope..." Hamrys shook his head.
"I'm sure this is fascinating and all, but I just want a pillow..."
By the time I looked behind me for some support, I had noticed that both
Morte and Annah had left. Only Dak'kon remained out of his stoic sense of
duty, and Fall-From-Grace hid a smile behind her hand. Only a Sensate could
possibly find this amusing.
Hamrys continued, "Then there's the matter of measurements. They can be
tricky, and I try and do it myself, since occasionally a client will neglect to
inform me as to the race of the deceased or forget something like the hip
width... very important indeed. Also, if the client is still alive, I try and make
precautions should the client 'fill out' before they die, you know?" He
paused. "Then there's the construction itself..."
"Hamrys..."
"There's many different ways of attaching the sides and ends to the floor of
the coffin, and to each other. Some use internal battens or corner-blocks,
588