the shining · stephen king · horror · ghost communication · grief · friendship · compassionate · supernatural · funeral setting
Pale sunlight washed over the huddled mourners as Marge delivered her eulogy, her voice a fragile thread in the quiet. Will, Ronnie, and Lilly sat rigid with grief. Dick Hallorann stood apart, his gaze not on the living, but on the faint, shimmering outline of Rich—already gone, yet here, embracing Will and another boy from behind. Rich turned his head, meeting Hallorann's eyes with a soft, sorrowful smile before returning his attention to the scene. After the speeches ended, Rich drifted to his weeping parents and rested his spectral hands on their shoulders. His father shuddered at the sudden cold. Hallorann moved forward and lowered himself into the empty seat beside the man. 'The hand you feel on your shoulder,' he said, his voice a low murmur. He let the silence hold for a beat. 'Y…