' i am terrified
by this dark thing
that sleeps in me '

— SYLVIA PLATH,
( from, elm )

introducing...
FUNERAL HOME

a lord of the rings story
( written by amelia )

FUNERAL HOME,
( as it began... )

GHOSTS OF THE PAST YEARN TO DWELL BESIDE THE LIVING — 'two houses both alike, in dignity'. These spirits, translucent and tingling with an opalescent gleam, spend each passing day shrouded in a veil of futile longing, yearning to cling onto one last embodiment of life itself.

They first appeared after the passing of Hilde — three days of rain before the air began to turn, and the apparitions began to walk.

Isolde had been fetching water from the crumbling well, a chore that had not been forgone in the wake of her grandmother's transcendence into the next life. Despite the grief that loomed above the familial home, daily activity had not quite managed to grind to a halt. Being the eldest of three daughters, Isolde had been tasked with managing the more menial household tasks, allowing her grieving mother to prepare herself for the funeral rite to come.

     And it was here that the first spirit appeared.

Grandmother Hilde was as formidable in death as she had been in life — a woman only content when malcontented. And even then, when appearing before her eldest granddaughter, a ghostly visage of the woman she once was, Hilde spared no thought of the fear that quaked within Isolde's grieving heart, bestowing her with a gift few mortals could boast.

From that moment, Isolde of Rohan became the voice of the dead, forever entwining herself to that which was and that which is.

Yet mediumship is a burden. One that rivals the toils of even the heaviest of crown-laden heads — for communicating with the dead does not come without anguish.

As the war for Middle Earth approaches and the Age of Man begins to wane, the watchful eyes of Isengard piercing the land with a knife's edge, Isolde's gift can no longer remain hidden. The young woman now exists only to live for those whose lives were untimely ripped by the barbed talons of death.

     Beginning with Théodred, Prince of Rohan. A boy robbed of his future.

     For the Golden Hall of Meduseld may only stand against Isengard united, even in the face of death itself.

OR, IN WHICH
in the wake of the war of the ring,
one girl's connection with the dead
may just help save the free peoples
of middle earth from themselves.

' it is better now, death is closer,
i no longer have to look for it,
no longer have to challenge
it, taunt it, play with it.
it's right here with me
like a pet cat or a wall calendar '

— CHARLES BUKOWSKI,
( thoughts on being 71 )

ISOLDE
— stefanie martini

' perhaps one did not want to be
loved so much as understood '
( george orwell,
nineteen-eighty-four )

THÉODRED
— sam claflin

' if you are not too long, i will
wait here for you all my life '
( oscar wilde,
the importance of being ernest )

featuring...
BOROMIR — sean bean
ÉOMER — karl urban
ÉOWYN — miranda otto
THÉODEN — bernard hill
ARAGORN — viggo mortensen
LEGOLAS — orlando bloom
GIMLI — john rhys-davies
GANDALF — sir ian mckellen
and others!

' someone i loved
once gave me
a box full of
darkness.
it took me years
to understand
that this, too,
was a gift '

— MARY OLIVER,
( the uses of sorrow )

SOUNDTRACK
( featuring various artists... )

i. FUNERAL HOME | covey
' this could be my funeral home, made
out of sticks and brittle black bones '

ii. WELCOME TO EDEN | samia
' well, i thought i was eve,
but i guess i'm the snake '

iii. DEATH WITH DIGNITY | sufjan stevens
' yes every road leads to an end,
your apparition passes through me '

iv. PURE COMEDY | father john misty
' it's hard not to fall in love
with something so helpless '

v. I KNOW THE END | phoebe bridgers
' a haunted house with a picket fence
to float around and ghost my friends '

AND MANY MORE
( available on my spotify )

NOTES AND DISCLAIMERS
( please read! )

     i. i do not claim to own any of the characters, locations etc of the lord of the rings franchise — all familiar content is the intellectual property of writer and creator J.R.R TOLKIEN, with other film elements from PETER JACKSON.

     ii. i only own the characters of isolde and her familyand the plots surrounding them. any similarities to other people, real or imaginary are merely a coincidence ( unless you've copied them and then i won't be very happy! ).
    
iii. this book contains themes of death, war and medieval violence. if you are uncomfortable with any of said themes, please take care when reading.

iv. 'funeral home' is dedicated to the lovely Unlock-Your-Mind gentleblues bIoodiedwings lionessoftheseas slytherinfolk25  LuluofLemons -K0DZUKENN and anyone else who continues to support my writing journey. i adore you all <3

' when he shall die
take him and cut him
out in little stars '

— WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
romeo and juliet

( started: 12th april 2023 )
( completed: tbd )