We were standing among the dead in the middle of the woods in April 2023. Two large grave mounds — quilted with Japanese stiltgrass and slightly collapsed with the years — sloped up from the dark earth, a few meager feet between them. The dogs’ owners, still living, wanted to be buried beside their pets someday, but also beside each other. This was impossible, and so Alison and I were scouting Plan B. The hillside around us was a scatter plot of existing graves, leaving little room for two new ones. We measured, jotted down some numbers, measured again.