The Grove of Lost Souls

All of the dead in Talitha Harbor are given the same burial, regardless of which city they come from. It doesn't matter if they are apart of the credit system or if they live completely off of the grid. Everyone is given to the planet to give back and nourish it.
All of the cities, to include the new City of Candamius have special tree groves that house the dead. These are called, The Groves of Lost Souls. When a person dies their bodies are put into specialized capsules with various forms of vegetation, mushrooms, and decomposers. The bodies are left in the capsule for a month. The result is a very rich fertilizer that is great for nourishing plants.
The Groves in each city look a little different, but the first three cities all use a similar concept. The groves are made of evenly spaced trees. They include trees that have been brought over from Earth and native Talithan trees. A person's loved one can choose to have their soil added to an already existent family tree or request a new tree planted. If the tree is an Earth tree, there is a credit or labor return requirement. Since Talitha heavily controls all non-native species, planted Earth trees require extra steps to make sure they will not become an invasive species. Native trees are allowed to be planted at will.
All of the trees are spaced out based on their growth, giving them adequate space to reach full height. They each have a shallow wooden fence going around the trunk. If the tree grows large enough then occasionally the fence must be removed and rebuilt. They will also be rebuilt when they start to break down due to the natural process of decomposition. The fence is spaced out about three feet from the base, depending on the age. A new tree will have more than three feet so it has space to grow. On these fences are plaques with the names of all of the dead who have helped the tree grow. Most plaques only have names, dates, and a little note from the family. Some families will pay to have the person's face engraved on the plaque.
The fences and plaques are all maintained by individuals, whether it's the person's family, friends, or other loved ones. Some fences and plaques will eventually wear away into nothing when there is no one left to main them. Sometimes these are removed by those who work with the dead, preparing them for the Grove. Some Talithan's will go through and repair fences and plaques for people they don't know, not wanting to see them fade away into nothing.
These groves tend to be on the outskirts of the cities. Along with being a place to visit one's dead, they also improve air quality and help remove what little pollution the cities make.
The Grove of Lost Souls in the City of Candamius is different than the first three of the Big Cities. The City is still in the early stages of construction and has already experienced it's first death. They have rough terrain and did not want to destroy the thick forests that exist on the Island. So, they marked off a section of an ancient forest that already existed on the outskirts of the city. Here they laid the soil of their first dead. They included a plaque near the tree, but there are no fences. Here a tree will not be tied to an entire family. Instead the people will be scattered, the grove as a whole a symbol of the lost.

***Picture care of app.wombo.art

Type

Cemetery