23 Forster Street, Page 3

day drew on with no improvement calomel and laudanum were administered in considerable quantities, but before the afternoon had set in Emily was dead.

  Over the course of the following day final arrangements had been made for the young girl, which included an appointment at McAdams & Associates Daguerreotypes for a family portrait before Emily was to be laid to rest on the grounds of the cemetery on Liberty and 13th.

  Her father carried her in his arms with the utmost care as the Drakes entered the building. A simple, solemn nod and a gesture toward the back of the studio were the extent of McAdams’ actions. The less that was said the better. In silence there was respect. No matter how brief the flicker of life, or the unrelenting frequency with which death occurred, little could surmount the grief borne over a departed loved one. Certainly his words would not suffice. As such McAdams saw little need for pleasantries in these situations, but as he was far more familiar with such circumstances as the proprietor of the establishment, he felt obligated to offer direction once the party had gathered in the flower-laden studio.

  Emily and her brother were seated between their parents on the sofa. No iron bracing was required as her diminutive head did not rise above the frame of the couch. Her hands still bore signs of wrinkling and not having gloves to cover them, a bouquet of white lilies was placed over her palms. They complimented the floral embroidery around the collar and base of her dark blue dress, which in turn did its part to cover the marks where the doctor had bled her.

  Emily’s skin carried a pale bluish-grey hue to it, a distinct attribute of the cholera infection that engendered its informal Blue Death moniker, but the black and white nature of the daguerreotype would largely conceal this tinting. Aside from the altered coloration and her slightly sunken eyes McAdams could not help but think of just how lovely the little angel looked.

  As he made final adjustments for the portrait his mind wandered to thoughts of just how terribly young Emily was, and how terribly old he had become. He had lived no less than seven of her lifetimes, and whether measured in years or sunrises he considered that fact remarkable. Not that her life ended at such a young age, no that was simply tragic. Remarkable was the feat that through the chaos and turmoil that greeted each day he had somehow escaped death’s embrace for so long.

  He took solace in the fact that his work could blur the lines between life and death, and that his services would provide a lasting remembrance of the girl’s life removed from the disease’s taint.

  A gentle, respectful knocking could be heard in the studio coming from the office. Jack had returned and informed McAdams that the gentleman who was in earlier had arrived to pick up his daguerreotype. McAdams excused himself from the Drakes and made his way to the office.

  With the door slightly closed to provide the grieving family a degree of privacy, McAdams handed Jack the recently compiled list of supplies to acquire come Monday and then dismissed him for the day.

  Swift stood in the office marveling at the framed representation bearing his likeness while offering spurts of genuine praise. The reaction was quite common and McAdams made the most of his time awaiting Mr. Swift’s departure by bending down to cross a line through the third listing in his ledger.

  The voice came from outside the office doorway. “Excuse me sir, but will this take much longer? I have to be going soon.”

  McAdams’ focus remained on finishing his line through the ledger while responding with the customarily polite and softly uttered, “No, no. It’ll be but a moment more.”

  Swift took his cue to depart and as he exited McAdams & Associates Daguerreotypes he chided the photographer, “Best to let you get back to your work. It’s never good to keep a girl with such an angelic voice like that waiting for long.”

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  About the Author

  Robert T. Belie has lived all over the world including stints in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. As a former US Army officer, he has seen, experienced, and interacted with people and cultures from all across the globe. His travels have taken him to nearly 30 countries and just as many states. He holds degrees in History and International Relations from UCLA and Oklahoma University respectively. He has published several works of both fiction and non-fiction, and has had nearly 60 of his travel photos featured on Travellerspoint.com.