Six months passed after Lug started transforming the cemetery.
It now looked like a large garden.
Even in the middle of winter it was buzzing with life.
A whole bunch of cold-hardy plants had been planted.
Lug was now more of a gardener than a janitor.
He knew almost every ghost in the cemetery.
He hardly ever went out anymore, there was in his situation the mixture of the most complete isolation and the most natural socialization.
He was a paradox.
We find him now, sweeping in front of his door on a beautiful winter morning.
It was a dry cold day, the cemetery floor had not yet met the snow.
Lug was wearing a heavy down jacket that he had ordered a little before the cold days.
His hair had grown slightly, his cut looked uneven, a sign that he had sought to cut his hair all by himself.
He looked a little more cheerful than when he first arrived at the cemetery.
He was humming as he swept, already thinking about lunch and the nap he would take after it.
His appetite and need for sleep were as strong as ever.
It was a peaceful morning until someone knocked at the gate.
Lug turned around suddenly, his stomach in knots.
The gate, which was simply composed of large vertical bars through which one could see, had been reinforced.
Heavy black metal plates had been placed so that no one could see what was going on inside.
Lug had even thought of installing a small sliding plate through which he could see what was going on outside.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
It looked like a nightclub door, reinforced and intimidating, as if to keep out any troublemakers.
The only person who passed through this door except on the rare occasions when Lug went into town, was the old lady who liked to wander around the cemetery.
But she never knocked.
Who was there?
The door began to vibrate again, the person was getting impatient and the knocks were becoming more insistent.
Lug swallowed, put down his broom and walked towards the door.
He approached slowly and stuck his ear to the gate.
Suddenly the gate vibrated even louder, someone was drumming vigorously.
Lug was surprised and asked who was there, forgetting his original plan to pretend the cemetery was closed and empty.
The person stopped knocking on the door and a small voice was heard.
"I'm here to see a family member," the voice said.
Lug was amazed at the difference between the softness of the voice and the violence of the knocking on the door and opened the small sliding plate that just revealed his eyes.
He then saw a head right in front of him.
A young blond woman, her hair straight down to her shoulders, her blue eyes wide open, her skin white with slightly pink cheeks.
Lug took a step back, he didn't expect to see someone so close to the door, almost glued to the metal plate.
And his surprise was even greater to see such a beautiful woman come here, in a forgotten cemetery lost deep in a mountain.
But he suddenly came to his senses and said to her:
"I'm sorry, but the cemetery is closed to visitors for the time being." in a monotonous and solemn voice.
The young woman frowned.
"I saw on the internet that you were open today!"
"Internet? Our website hasn't been updated for a long time unfortunately." Lug said quickly, proud to have found a parade.
"That's annoying, I drove over an hour to get here. I assure you my visit will only take a few minutes." she said in a pleading voice.
"I'm sorry, that's not going to be possible," Lug said as he closed the small metal plate that allowed him to observe her.
As he walked away from the door he prayed that she would give up the idea of visiting the cemetery.
And then he heard:
"I'll call the town hall directly in this case." In a chilling voice.
The employees of the city hall did not want to hear anything about the cemetery, it was the only condition for Lug to live his life in peace.
This was the most important threat for Lug.
He hurriedly opened the gate to greet his guest.
"Excuse me for the wait, you can visit but be quick, there’s work in progress." Said Lug panicked.
The young woman entered, looked around with a curious eye.
She was a little shorter than Lug, but not by much.
She had a big brown coat with synthetic fur on the hood.
She looked engulfed under its weight.
After looking around a bit, holding her gaze for a few moments on the large cinderblock fountain, she looked at Lug.
"I am looking for the grave of my great-grandmother, Miss Parnac. Can you tell me where it is?" the young woman said, looking Lug in the eyes.
Lug looked away and told her to wait a few moments.
He went home, when he closed the door he let out a long sigh.
"What do I do now?" he asked himself, leaning against the front door.