The grave was quite easy to find. There was an old churchyard just at the edge of Wexford with a small burial plot. There were perhaps twenty graves in all. Sarah and David split up, but it took just a few moments for her to find the one she was looking for. It was simple stone, looking a little worn and overgrown. There was a simple engraving upon it:
“Here lies KATHLEEN SARAH KILGANNON. Died on the Tenth Day of November the Year of Our Lord 1881. Wife of JOHN KILGANNON. Together now in God’s Kingdom.”
Sarah laid a rose against it and whispered, “I hope you are now.”
David came over. “You really think she was a relative?”
“I’m sure.” She stood for a moment with her head bowed.
* * * * *
On the other side of the grounds, just out of sight of the couple, Ankou stood. They would not have recognised him in this form. He thought about presenting himself, or an aspect of himself, as the hitchhiker once more, but thought it best to leave them be. The woman had played her part to perfection. The biggest black mark in his record book could finally be erased. John Kilgannon had moved on. Ankou sighed with relief as he watched David and Sarah leave the churchyard and get on with the rest of their lives.
Shane Rynhart 