death bells

I live next to the church, but the bells can be heard all the way to my work. There is one kind of ring (constant, quick ringing for about 30 seconds) to call the people to mass every day. There is another kind of ring (slow interval ringing for a minute or two) that signals that someone in the town died. I hate that ring, it´s awful. You get all worried because some deaths here are so unexpected...then everyone starts talking about who died, how they died, and get ready for the visitation, funeral, and burial, which is a town event here.

So, the guy who takes care of the church, Hooper, is kinda an unconventional jokester and sometimes, when he rings the bell to call people to church, he starts of slow like the death bell and then, before the priest can get mad, speeds it up. Gets me every time.