As I approached the coffin, a hush fell over the congregation, the air thick with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. Max’s persistent barking was unsettling, but there was something else in his eyes, a fierce urgency that compelled me to move closer.
“Stop it!” someone whispered harshly, but I ignored them. My heart was pounding, echoing the rhythm of Max’s insistent howls. As I knelt beside him, his demeanor changed. His barking quieted into whimpers, and he pawed at the coffin, looking at me as if pleading for understanding.
