On October 6th at about 9:40 pm, a friend of mine named Abigail was killed in a car accident. She was only 15 years old. Today was her funeral. We were told it was a celibration of her life. We were told to wear pink, and not to bring flowers, but to buy pink, helium filled balloons. I bought two, and arranged to pick them up from the shop after the service and take them down to the cemetary.
I set my alarm for 6am, but I lay in bed thinking and having a cry until quarter to 8. I had a bath, washed my hair, and did all that stuff. I couldn't find my waterproof mascara, and not having the confidence to step out of my house without make-up on, I wore my regular stuff. Big mistake! I wore a pink top, a black jacket, black trowsers and black shoes. I arrived at the church at 10:30 am. It was already packed. Luckily my friend Allie and her boyfriend Dan were already there and they had saved me a seat. The church was packed. There were people queing out the door. I wept buckets. Everyone did. As they carried her coffin in, they played Robbie Williams' "Angels", then at the end of the service, when they were carrying her out they played "you're beautiful" by James Blunt. I cried when the minister read out what her family had written about her, I also cried when they carried her coffin out of the church. It was so small. almost everyone was crying during the service, but hen they carried her out those who weren't crying let rip. We all followed the herse across town to the cemitery. The family stood round the grave and the rest of us stood back. The minister told her coffin that she would never again see a sunrise or feel the wind in her hair, the sun on her face or the cry of the gulls on the cliffs. That had me in floods again. He did the whole ashes to ashes and dust to dust thing. Then we all let our helium filled balloons go. This huge cluuster of about 600 balloons floated off into the sky off towards this rainbow that had appeared at that moment. It was beautiful, but very sad. I think the rainbow was her soul (maybe I'm being weird, but to me that rainbow was very symbolic). It was a nice funeral as funerals go, but we have lost a very bright and beautiful girl in the community.
Abigail you will be sorely missed, we will never stop loving you. Rest in peace babe. Xxx