“Let’s get this over with,” I say, and everyone grows quiet.
“Who’s going to open it?” Ava asks.
“I’ll help with the lid.” Roman jumps back down into the grave and nods at me. Looks like it will be the two of us.
“Wait, is it, like, going to explode when you open it up?” Ava asks, and we all turn to stare at her.
“I did some googling.” She shrinks back, looking sheepish.
“I don’t think his casket was sealed like that,” Piper says. “It should be okay. But that might mean decomposition is further along.”
“Oh God.” Bram gags and disappears from sight. Ava mumbles something and follows after him.
The casket is one of those modern lacquered affairs. There’s nothing but a latch on the side, keeping the top half of the lid closed. It’s rusted and sticks when I push on the metal. The latch digs into my fingers, but it finally moves with a light screechand clicks open. There’s a soft hiss of pressure as though a seal is being released. I step back and take a deep breath before I go back in and throw open the lid to the coffin.
“Piper, maybe we should go over here,” Josephine says, but Piper stands at the foot of the grave, peering down at the half-desiccated body of her father.
“This is really gross,” Stellan says. Ava reappears by herself in time to smack her brother. Who knows where the hell Bram went.
“It’s fine,” Piper murmurs. “Ambrose, pour the potion over his lips. It’s okay if his mouth isn’t open.”
I’m pretty sure they sew the mouths of dead bodies shut, and I’m not about to whip out my scissors and snip them open. Although, it looks like I don’t have to. The sutures must have disintegrated over time, because his mouth is open in a macabre gape. Stellan is right, this is really gross. Even more disgusting than that time we reanimated one of the founders of Mystic Hollow’s skeletons and made him tell us about our curses. That was fun in comparison to this.
I try not to look at the leathery shrunken face in the casket as I pour the potion into his mouth. The body shudders and begins to cough. Roman and I shout, scattering back to the muddy edges of the grave.
“What the fuck!” Roman yells.
“Sorry, I guess I should’ve warned you,” Piper cringes, wringing her hands together.
“Should’ve warned us about what?” I gaze up at her. “What exactly is going to happen?”
“He’s going to expel his tongue.”
“Oh, hell no,” Bram shouts from somewhere far away. But obviously close enough that he still hears what’s happening.
I can’t watch. I'm not delicate by any means, but this is too much for me. There’s a sound as if a cat is hacking up a hairball and then everything is quiet.
“Ambrose, can you please collect the tongue?” Piper’s voice is quiet. Even the night birds are horrified into silence after that.
I look back at the corpse and find a dried, shriveled prune of a thing that used to be Piper’s father’s tongue on his chest.
“Fuck, I’m going to have to eat this.”
“What?” Roman says, sounding horrified. Me too, my friend.
“Nothing,” I say, a little bit too loud and flick the shriveled tongue into the plastic bag. The juxtaposition between modernity and the ancient art of witchcraft. Nothing like carrying your spell ingredients around in a Ziploc bag.
“Let’s get this grave filled in and get out of here.” I release a groan as Stellan helps pull me out of the grave. Turning, I do the same for Roman. We pick up our shovels, ready to bury this body and never think about any of this again.
“Actually, would you mind giving me a minute first,” Piper says. Everyone freezes. Piper’s still tense, her eyes focused on the now closed casket.
“Yeah, we’ll just be over by where Bram is cowering.” Ava pats Piper’s arm.
“I’m not cowering,” Bram says. “I’m just catching my breath.”
“Yes, from all that running away you did,” Ava deadpans. Bram grabs her around the waist and swings her around, threatening to throw her in the grave.
“Let’s give Piper a little bit more privacy.” I shuttle our friends away, keeping Piper in sight, but giving her the space to do whatever it is she needs to do.