Short story? Brother/sister in back of truck, coffin falls, kills sister
February 7, 2014 4:47 PM   Subscribe

Simple summary: A brother and sister rode along to the store in the back of a truck to purchase a coffin. On the return trip home, the coffin falls on the sister and kills her, and they have to go back to the store to buy a coffin for her. Google has had some mighty strange or irrelevant suggestions to my query, but nothing that seems right. It's probable that I'd recognize the cover or the name of the book.

- I read it in the U.S. sometime between the mid 80s and the early 90s.
- It was set in Mexico (I think. There was definitely a sprinkling of Spanish words.)
- The original coffin was for someone who died just before or as the story opens.
- The family travels some (hours? overnight?) distance to purchase coffin
- Sister is younger; brother is teen or preteen

I *think* there may have been a dress the sister was admiring at the store, and they purchased it for her to be buried in.

And that's all I've got. I have no idea if it was a short novel, a short story in a book of short stories, or an excerpt or short story in a literature text.
posted by stormyteal to Writing & Language 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
« Older Wanting to get a KitchenAid mixer but confused by...   |   Work leave request policy conundrum. What's fair?... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.