Always loved the deeply funny and deeply humanistic short story, “Sea Oak,” by George Saunders. Included in the Pastoralia collection, it uses the B-movie trope of the reanimation of the dead, as recently deceased Aunt Bernie rises from the grave to bring some order to her dysfunctional, at-risk family. Read the whole story here. An excerpt
“Where the grave used to be is just a hole. Inside the hole is the Amber Mist, with the top missing. Inside the Amber Mist is nothing. No Aunt Bernie.
‘What the hell,’ says Jade. ‘Where’s Bernie?’
‘Somebody stole Bernie?’ says Min.
‘At least you folks have retained your feet,’ says Father Brian. ‘I’m telling you I literally sat right down. I sat right down on that pile of dirt. I dropped as if shot. See that mark? That’s where I sat.’
On the pile of grave dirt is a butt-shaped mark.
The cops show up and one climbs down in the hole with a tape measure and a camera. After three or four flashes he climbs out and hands Ma a pair of blue pumps.
‘Her little shoes,’ says Ma. ‘Oh my God.’
‘Are those them?’ says Jade.
‘Those are them,’ says Min.
‘I am freaking out,’ says Jade.
‘I am totally freaking out,’ says Min.
‘I’m gonna sit,’ says Ma, and drops into the golf cart.
‘What I don’t get is who’d want her?’ says Min.
‘She was just this lady,’ says Jade.
‘Typically it’s teens?’ one cop says. ‘Typically we find the loved one nearby? Once we found the loved one nearby with, you know, a cigarette between its lips, wearing a sombrero? These kids today got a lot more nerve than we ever did. I never would’ve dreamed of digging up a dead corpse when I was a teen. You might tip over a stone, sure, you might spray-paint something on a crypt, you might, you know, give a wino a hotfoot.’
‘But this, jeez,’ says Freddie. ‘This is a entirely different ballgame.’
‘Boy howdy,’ says the cop, and we all look down at the shoes in Ma’s hands.'”
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Another George Saunders post:
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