Our scene starts in the heart of the graveyard, where a freshly-filled grave is surrounded by mourners. The hour is late, with the promise of an unseen sunrise on the horizon, hidden by the gray roiling clouds and the muttering of far-off wind and rain. Two figures stand separate from the rest of the Funeral Chorus, the ever-gloomy Gravedigger and the silent Scarecrow Witch.

Fog rolls in, covering the newly-turned soil and obscuring from view the many flowers laid overtop. The light dims as thunder rolls in the distance, leaving the pair in focus by incense and lantern's glow. The small Scarecrow Witch frantically sweeps her broom over the grave to clear away the fog, not yet ready to say goodbye.