𝖂𝖊𝖑𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊

Pelle's drawing depicts a certain Romanian cemetery, which probably caught his attention because of the morbid humor that surrounds it:

"The Merry Cemetery is a cemetery in the village of Săpânța, Maramureş county, Romania.

When someone dies, only the sweet stories about the person are retold. On their tombstone generalized niceties are written, often reduced to as little as “Rest in Peace.”

Not so in the town of Săpânţa, where over 800 wooden crosses bear the life stories, dirty details, and final moments of the bodies they mark. Displayed in bright, cheery pictures and annotated with limericks are the stories of almost everyone who has died of the town of Săpânţa.

Illustrated crosses depict soldiers being beheaded and a townsperson being hit by a truck. The epitaphs reveal a surprising level of truth, for example:

“Underneath this heavy cross,

Lies my mother in law, 

Try not to wake her up, 

For if she comes back home, 

She’ll bite my head off.”

Illustration from Around The Year (Floris Books)