Dan could honestly say that he had never sold anyone a funeral ceremony they couldn’t afford. In fact, he often did just the opposite. Frequently, he had convinced grieving relatives not to overspend themselves. With few exceptions, the vast majority of families wanted the best funeral and casket available. It was the last act of kindness that could be shown toward a loved one.

The reflection on coffins sent a stray thought through Dan’s mind as he tried moving again. Now fully awake, he realized, with a feeling of stupidity, that his restricted movement wasn’t caused by blankets or sheets. He was in some kind of padded enclosure. It felt like…

His mind simply refused to accept the facts his senses gave him. His mental voice screamed in denial. “I am not trapped in a casket!”

Thoughts of returning to sleep vacated his mind as adrenaline dumped into his system and sent his heart racing in a frantic frenzy. He pressed up, with his left hand, against the top of the cushioned enclosure. Like all lids of its type, it was divided into an upper and lower half. Neither side would budge.

Caskets had to be the most uncomfortable resting place in the world. The thin frame rails, made of steel, ran the width and length of the coffin. The thin layer of padding spread over the slats was more of an eye piece than a functional cushion – a corpse didn’t care about comfort. The right side of his body felt numb.

Ironically, Dan knew exactly in which coffin he’d been trapped. He shivered as he made the mental connections. Just two days ago, he special ordered an extra large casket for a particularly obese man, named “Tiny” Tim Overton, who had died of a heart attack. A normal-sized coffin would be too small for two average bodies. He and Janice must be in Tim’s casket. Even at that, the frame rails were probably adjusted to the lowest setting.

None of this gave him any comfort. If anything, it only served to depress him further. Showing and selling caskets to grieving families was one thing, but occupying one was a completely different matter altogether. A thunderous storm of panic stirred through him.