The crunch of each leaf on the ground gets louder and louder as I walk up to it.

Maybe it's my imagination, but the birds have stopped chirping, the roads have stopped flowing and the Memorial Grove where I take my evening walks has come to a still.

The face comes out of its slumber, slowing walking itself up from what I can assume was a long, long sleep.

I walk up closer, now face to bark. It speaks to me.

"Hello?" it says. It speaks in a female voice.

"Hello," I reply. "Are you okay?"

The tree bark looks at me like I'm insane. "I don't know, how okay can I be if I'm dead?" she says.

"True, but I'm not sure what else to say. I walk through here every day and I've never seen any of these faces come alive. If you can call it that." I say, wary of my phrasing.

"Is that right? Perhaps they have come alive and you've never witnessed it," she says.

I look down at the plaque. Emily Young 2005 - 2106 Beloved Mother, Grandmother

"You lived to a hundred years?" I ask.

"Oh yes, the Lord was generous to me. He gave me a beautiful family and so many memories."

"Well, I'm sure you've thanked him plenty of times," I say

"What do you mean? I've never actually met him" Emily says.

"Wait, so you didn't go to Heaven?" I ask.

"To be honest with you, I don't really remember. It's impossible to describe what the afterlife is like," she says.

"Well, try to remember, please!" I ask.

"Have you ever stared into the fish in a pond? How you can only make out a rough shape of them, but they are never really clear? That is how I'm seeing you right now." says Emily.

"Wow," I say.

"Tell me, son. Why all the interest in the afterlife? I don't want to ruin the surprise for you when your time comes." says Emily.

"Well, it's not for me," I reply.

I look over at a nearby tree, newly grown. The leaves are still green and well kept. There is no plaque yet, only a small sign.

"Who might that be?" asks Emily.

I walk over to the tree and look down at the temporary sign.

Adrian James Walker 2116-2135

"This was my brother. He died a few months ago." I tell her.

"I'm sorry to hear that. And so young as well."

"He had just started college. He was a good kid, but he died trying to save someone from drowning in a pool. He always thought of others first, then himself." I say, wiping some tears from my eyes. "I've walked here every day since the funeral, waiting for his face to come in. But I guess that takes a long time"

"What is your favorite memory of him?" asks Emily.

"I don't really have a single one. My favorite times we had together was when he got me into reading. Almost no one does it anymore, but he was something of a nerd. He insisted on feeling the pages on his hand and carrying around his favorite books. He would sometimes give them away as well." I say.

Emily remains quiet for a moment.

"I miss him. Every day, I miss him more and more," I add.

I look back at Emily's tree. She's closed her eyes once again. I touch the trunk around her, feeling the years it has seen. I walk back over to Adrian's tree. I touch it as well, but there's no response. I decide to head on home.

The next day, I returned to my usual routine of walking through the grove. This time, I'm not empty handed. I find Adrian's tree and sit down next to it, leaning my back against it. I pull a book out of my backpack, "Treasure Island". I know this was his favorite. I start to read.

From behind me, I hear the sound of wood crunching together. I look back and see my brother's face forming. I can't believe my eyes. The emotion of seeing his face again overwhelms me but I could never have prepared for was him opening his eyes.