The once crowded rows of tombstones were gone, replaced by fields of crops. A worker nearby was watering them with a hose.
I stumbled forward, my throat hoarse and aching. "Excuse me, isn't this supposed to be a cemetery? How did it change like this? Where did the people buried here go?"
The man frowned in confusion, then his brow relaxed as he pointed to a small hill not far away. "This used to be a cemetery, but the Watsons surveyed the land and found the geological conditions were good, so they used it to grow mushrooms."
A girl weeding nearby looked up, her eyes full of envy. "Yeah, I heard it's because Mrs. Watson's lover is in poor health, so she spent a fortune to buy this land for him."
In the distance, Phoebe guiltily looked away.
Jose kindly reminded me, "Don't worry. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to find your parents' ashes, so I specifically had them placed at the top of the hill."
My mind went completely blank and my legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.
I ran towards the hill without looking back, but then it started to rain heavily out of nowhere. The raindrops stung my skin and I collapsed to my knees in the mud, exhausted.