• Laith Taher 177

Chapter Twenty-Five

Jarvis and Hammond washed the body of their father then
all of the Prouds walked to the Prouds’ graveyard, where
the leader was to be buried.
All attending men and children of the tribe wore
mourning clothes, which were same as their usual clothes,
only entirely black.
Hammond and Jarvis put their father in his grave
then filled it with sand. They were further humiliated
because they did not have Adrian’s body and could not
burry him as a dead person was mainly honored by burying
him.
Jarvis, Hammond, and other members of the Prouds
looked at Leader Addison for the last time. Jarvis was
clearly angry, and that funeral was the calm before the
storm.

The Prouds gathered in their late leader’s house to offer
their condolences wearing their mourning clothes.
As they sat, Gilbert said what they all wanted to
say, “It is true that our leader has died only recently, but
there is something that we need to discuss right now. We
must elect a new leader to run our affairs. Who shall be our
new leader?”