Dave Casler
PO Box 98
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
Young Adult Novels by Dave Casler...
I've been told by publisher after publisher that there's no market for Young Adult novels. I think they're wrong! So I'm putting my novels on-line for you. Forget the publisher! Read to your heart's content--it's free! And, I'd like to hear from you, too! Contact Page.
You're reading About Dan. Be sure to check out About Phillip here.
Dan is a normal kid who loves his soccer. Except everything goes wrong. Everything.
About Series Home
About the About Series
Index to All Chapters
Here are all the chapters, disguised as asterisks. Hover your mouse over an asterisk to see the title of the chapter. Click on the asterisk to go straight to that chapter.
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(About Dan Home) (Last) (Next)
To the Chapel
The bishop led them into the chapel using the door up front by the sacrament table. He was surprised by the size of the crowd. While the chapel was by no means full, it wasn't empty either. Half the people were church members. There were several fellow priests—they must’ve skipped school. Phillip was there, along with his father, mother and his younger brother. He saw a number of the girls from the Laurel class, including a girl he remembered that had just moved into the ward whose name was Jerri. Lisa was sitting with her mother on one side and Justin on the other; she avoided his gaze. He recognized most of the rest of the crowd as being soccer teammates. These were easy to recognize since they didn't wear church clothes, at least not white shirts and ties. Coach Johnson was in the back. Dr. Jensen was there too. There in the middle section toward the front was Cheryl, looking right at him. Dan nodded acknowledgment. Oliver, his next door neighbor, sat on the far side, along with several other neighbors Dan recognized but whose names he didn't know.
And, on the last pew, way in the back, was his father. Someone sat next to him, someone ruggedly handsome.
Mike. So that’s Mike.
He sat between Aunt Betsy and Peter. The casket was in front of the pulpit and was open, just as the bishop said. He couldn't see inside it from where he was but the thought made him shudder. Aunt Betsy put her arm around him and squeezed.
Bishop Parker went to the pulpit and the organ prelude ceased. He welcomed the mourners; he made special mention of Aunt Betsy. He said there would be no internment following the funeral because the body would be shipped to England to be buried in an ancestral plot. This rattled Dan—he hadn’t thought about this.
After a hymn—sung limply by church members and not at all by those who weren't—the service followed a predictable course. Marilyn read the obituary. Betsy gave a tearful reminiscence. To Dan's surprise, Peter talked about Dan and how much he valued him as a friend. When he came back to the pew, Dan put his arm around him but was too choked up to say anything. The choir sang a hymn. He recognized the tune but couldn't place it. He opened his printed program to find out what it was; it simply said "Choir Selection."
Finally Bishop Parker delivered the standard Mormon "Plan of Salvation" sermon. He recounted how we lived before we came to earth, how we were here to be tested, tried and proven, and how we would be reunited with our loved ones in the hereafter. Dan noticed Marilyn paid close attention. When the bishop got to the part about the resurrection, he saw a tear fall down her cheek; she didn't wipe it or anything. He wondered if he did the right thing by asking the bishop to give this sermon.
Dan hadn't wanted to speak so Bishop Parker asked if he could give the closing prayer. As the last phrases of the closing hymn died away, he readjusted his brace and lifted himself to his feet. He hit the side of the pew with his cane and it clattered loudly. He floated up the stairs onto the podium as though this wasn't really happening. He set his cane beside the pulpit. He folded his arms like he always did but changed his mind; he unfolded them and grabbed the pulpit. He had no idea what he was going to say but something inside him took control. He thanked the Lord for the wonderful spirit that was there. He thanked the Lord for the restored gospel and the comfort it was to everyone. He expressed his gratitude for being Maria's son. He prayed that the heavens would be open for her and that she would find peace. He closed the prayer in the usual manner, marveling at what had just happened.
He headed back down the podium stairs. But he didn't go back to the pew. Rather, with all eyes on him, he made his way to the casket. Aunt Betsy jumped up and followed him. Fortunately, the organist had the presence of mind to begin the postlude. The congregation stood, sensing the service was over. They lined up on the opposite side, waiting for Dan to finish so they could also file by the casket.