After Closing the Corpse's Eyes, I Saw the Killer

The funeral home has an unwritten rule.

When doing makeup on a corpse, never look into the deceased's eyes.

My mentor said that after people die, their pupils hold on to things.

He didn't say what they hold on to.

I didn't ask.

Until my third day on the job, when I closed the eyes of a young woman.

The moment my fingers touched her eyelashes, the makeup room disappeared.

I became her.