Scherezade Errio: The Woman Who Laughed at Death

A cautionary tale about the dangers of being too sarcastic.
Scherezade Errio was a woman with a sharp wit and an even sharper tongue. She loved nothing more than telling jokes and making people laugh. But one day, she made a joke that she would regret for the rest of her life.
It was at a funeral. Scherezade was standing in the back of the room, watching as the mourners filed by the casket. She noticed that one of the mourners was crying particularly loudly.
"Why is that woman crying so hard?" Scherezade asked her friend.
"Her husband just died," her friend replied.
"Oh, I see," Scherezade said. "She must be really sad."
Her friend nodded.
"Well, I guess she'll get over it," Scherezade said. "After all, it's not like he's coming back."
Her friend gasped. "How can you say that?" she asked. "That's so insensitive!"
"I'm just being honest," Scherezade said. "He's dead. There's nothing she can do about it."
Her friend shook her head and walked away. Scherezade shrugged and turned back to the casket.
As she looked at the body of the deceased, she noticed something strange. His lips were moving.
"Scherezade Errio," the body said.
Scherezade's eyes widened in horror. "How do you know my name?" she asked.
"I know everything about you," the body said. "I know that you're a sarcastic woman who likes to make people laugh. But I also know that you're a good person who has a kind heart."
"What do you want?" Scherezade asked.
"I want you to apologize," the body said. "I want you to apologize for what you said about my wife."
"But I didn't mean it," Scherezade protested. "I was just joking."
"I know you were joking," the body said. "But that doesn't make it right. You hurt my wife's feelings, and you need to apologize."
Scherezade hesitated. She didn't want to apologize, but she also didn't want to make the body angry.
"Fine," she said. "I'm sorry."
The body smiled. "Thank you," he said. "That means a lot to me."
The body's lips stopped moving, and Scherezade turned away. She walked out of the funeral home and into the bright sunshine. As she walked, she thought about what had happened. She had never believed in ghosts before, but she now knew that they were real. And she knew that she would never make a joke about death again.
Epilogue
Scherezade Errio lived a long and happy life. She never forgot the lesson she learned at the funeral, and she always treated others with kindness and respect. She also never stopped making people laugh, but she always made sure her jokes were appropriate.