The hall was packed with familiar faces, some in attendance, many others following the ceremony in mute, from afar. Each with the distraught, resigned expression of someone who has lost a partner, a colleague, a creative.

A sad melody, fused with the scent of wood and candles, set the stage for my thoughts. I was there, but I shouldn't have been.

“Today we gather to remember Laura, a communications professional who has left us.”

A moment of confusion, then I finally understood: I was at my own funeral....