blot the blood on the ground by Esme's body. The brother leaned over at one point, looking into her pupils, and a quarter slid out of his front pocket, glinting in the sunlight as it fell onto her chest. My mind swam for a moment when I tried to think of who it was that you had to put money over the eyes for. Charon. At the River Styx.
I found out later that only one of the two undergraduates had successfully called 911, because the other kept dropping her phone. I found out later that the driver had been texting and that Esme died of internal injuries, the car crushing her, her own bones puncturing her lungs. I found out later that in Arabic when you call out to someone you say “Ya” first, which is sort of like saying “Hey” to get someone's attention. Sayeed and his brother would always look at me a certain way after that day. They would always touch my arm by the elbow when they talked to me. They would invite me to drink tiny cups of tea.
Quite possibly one of the worst things I have ever had to do was pick up
42 | Psychopomp Magazine