Amos Oz - Between Friends

The coffin was now completely covered and a small cloud of dust hovered over the new grave. Roni Shindlin said, “That’s it.” Then added, “It’s a real shame he’s gone. There aren’t many people like him left.”

He collected the five shovels they’d used to fill the grave, loaded them on a small wheelbarrow, and turned to go. The other mourners followed him, leaving the cemetery in small groups that broke up as each person went to his place of work. David Dagan reminded Moshe that the next lesson would begin in fifteen minutes. And he left. Moshe waited two or three minutes and he too left. Osnat lingered for a while beside the small mound of earth and listened to the chirping of the birds and the rattle of a distant tractor, and she felt a sense of peace, as if this hadn’t been a funeral, but a good, satisfying conversation. A sudden desire came over her to say one or two quiet words in Esperanto, but she hadn’t had time to learn anything and she had no idea what to say.

Born in Jerusalem in 1939, AMOS OZ is the author of numerous works of fiction and essays. His international awards include the Prix Femina, the Israel Prize, and the Frankfurt Peace Prize, and his books have been translated into more than thirty languages. He lives in Israel.