There were only a few, strict rules about when the people of the town were allowed to visit the cemetery. First off, the Sun had to be in the sky. Second, it couldn’t be on one of the four days that marked the changing seasons. Lastly, any time someone new was buried there would be a period of several hours when only the family of the deceased would be allowed in.

Like everyone in town, Joss knew the rules. He also knew the reason for them. Nowadays, he often came walking by the cemetery in the evenings. If there was still time he liked to go in and walk around. This evening, though, the sun was hanging low over the horizon and the groundskeepers were hurrying the few remaining visitors out of the cemetery.

A high, wrought iron fence ran around the cemetery perimeter and on the four cardinal sides stood identical gates that were swung open during the day and kept locked in the night. The groundskeepers took it in turns to act as sentries whenever the cemetery was closed. As the years went by, many of the new arrivals had a hard time accepting the idea of the cemetery but eventually they would come to understand.

The grounds themselves were kept in a way the groundskeepers called managed wilderness. Trees and shrubs grew mostly wherever they naturally popped up. The grasses we kept low, but not with any lawn mower. Instead, goats, sheep, and other grazing animals were sent in a couple times a month to keep the grass from becoming overgrown. In fact, no power tools were ever used in the cemetery. Graves were dug and filled by hand. Headstones were brought in on wheelbarrows. Trees and bushes were trimmed with hand tools. The various walking paths were more like nature trails and only needed some crushed gravel from time to time to fill in potholes. As always, the work was done with the groundskeepers keeping a watchful eye on everything being done.

Locals often came to walk among the headstones. Everyone had at least one grave site that was special to them that they’d visit semi-regularly, but it also wasn’t uncommon to see families gathered together to visit in some of the more secluded groves or open spaces where there were fewer headstones. Joss himself found the beauty of the cemetery to be quite breathtaking at times.

This evening Joss watched the last of the visitors shuffle out the gate which the groundskeeper then swung shut and locked. He paused beside the gate and the two of them, Joss and the groundskeeper, watched as the final moments of sunset played out over the horizon, shifting the bands of colored light from blue, to peach, and then finally to red. Neither spoke during that time and when it was over they both let out contented sighs.

“Stars will be coming out soon,” the groundskeeper remarked, looking upward to the darkening sky. “No moon tonight so it’ll be a great night for star gazing.”

“Me and my dad used to stay up late just to watch them,” Joss said. “He knew all the constellations and would tell me their stories.”

“It’s been some time since your dad came in to stay, hasn’t it?” the groundskeeper asked though it sounded rhetorical.

“Mom too,” Joss replied solemnly. “Not long after dad.”

“Yeah,” the groundskeeper said in a gentler voice. “It’s pretty common for couples to go that way. After being together for so many years, it’s just hard to be without them. Hard for the children left behind as well.”

Joss nodded. He didn’t cry. He wasn’t sad, not deeply. He missed his parents, but knew they were getting a well-deserved rest. He’d had so much still to do when they’d gone that he didn’t really think much about it, not at first anyway.

“How’s your work?” the groundskeeper asked after some time.

Joss didn’t answer right away. He continued to stare upward at the sky, waiting for the first star to appear. Time, however, as often happened in moments like this, seemed to slow down and every second of waiting began to feel like hours.

“I think,” Joss began tentatively, “I’ve finished it.”

The groundskeeper gave him a broad smile and patted him on the back.

“Well good for you,” he said with earnest praise.

“Thanks,” Joss replied though he wasn’t sure he meant it.

“You don’t sound very excited,” the groundskeeper observed.

“I just don’t know if I’m ready for it to be done.”

The groundskeeper nodded sagely.

“What was it your dad used to say?” he asked, “Perfection is the enemy of finished.”

Joss gave a short laugh and nodded.

“Yeah, he was fond of saying that, but I still don’t know if what I’ve done is good enough.”

“Well, if you’ve done your best then you’ve done your best,” the groundskeeper said. “Can’t ask much more of you than that.”

They both looked back up to the sky. As if on cue, a star winked into view in the deep purple sky. A few more followed soon after, and before long the whole sky was dotted with glittering stars.

“It’s funny how they sneak up on you,” the groundskeeper said. “I can never tell when it is exactly that they appear. But once they’re there, it’s as plain as day. One moment the sky’s empty, and then suddenly its so full I can hardly believe it. A lot of things are like that though,” he added. “We wait and we watch and for so long we aren’t certain if we’re seeing it or not, but then suddenly it’s right there in front of us and we can’t understand how we didn’t notice it sooner.”

“Do you think I’m done?” Joss asked.

“Only you can know that,” replied the groundskeeper. “But from the looks of things I’d guess that you are.”

The groundskeeper fussed with the lock on the gate for a moment and then swung it open.

There was a fourth rule about the cemetery but no one ever spoke it out loud. It was just something that everyone knew without ever needing to be told. The first three rules were all about visiting the cemetery, and visiting meant that the person entering intended to leave. The fourth rule only applied to those who weren’t visiting.

Joss took a step forward, and then another. The groundskeeper gave him a final pat on the back as Joss walked past and then shut the gate behind him. Joss continued on, deeper into the cemetery until he reached his family’s plot. In the dim twilight he could make out the headstone belonging to his parents. He took a moment to kneel beside them and rested a hand on the carved stone. It had been a long time since he’d last seen them and he was anxious to be reunited with them once again.

A couple headstones over was the spot he had been coming for. His own headstone stood out against the dark. Most grave markers were of a dark gray stone but his had been made from white marble. He traced the etched dates with his finger, remembering all of the years they represented. Years of joy, of trials, of growth. Years spent living and doing so many things he hadn’t done in so long. The simple joys of eating a well-made meal, the warm embrace of loved ones, the smells and other sensations that went along with living. Of course, there were also the pains and sorrows associated with living. He remembered the grief he felt when loved ones died, the frailties brought on by sickness or injury, and the countless other things he’d suffered in life.

Years had passed since the last date marked on his headstone. It didn’t feel like that much time had passed, but then again, time didn’t have the same significance to him anymore. He’d been busy, inspiring, guiding, and otherwise trying to help those who were still alive. Everyone did the same, until they somehow knew they were done. Joss hadn’t intended to come here this evening and yet, while standing there with the groundskeeper, he’d suddenly known that he was done.

It was like the groundskeeper had said. One moment he was looking up, waiting, and then suddenly the sky was full and he knew his work was finished. Joss closed his eyes, grateful for the time he’d been given, for the people he’d grown to love both in life and in death. He wasn’t sure what came next, but then again, neither had he known what to expect when he was preparing to die and that had turned out alright.

Night fell in full over the cemetery. Stars shone and twinkled overhead, the groundskeepers stood watch at their gates, and all was still within the cemetery that night.