Undying Devotion

Scrapbooking the dead

The following morning Krista busied herself with house work. She didn't get many days off, and it felt weird to her to start the day without accomplishing something at the house. Things were actually pretty tidy as they were. Krista found herself looking for things to dust or wipe down. She sighed. Was she procrastinating? She didn't exactly know where she was going to possibly begin her quest. Eventually determination outweighed uncertainty. She finished loading her bedding from the night before into the dryer. She had carefully and respectfully removed Laura's body from the bed, so that she could fit it with new linen. She even gave Laura a quick sponge bath in the bathroom, so that she could be just as clean, or at least as clean as a dead body could be... Krista bundled up, the cold of the air conditioning was starting to get to her, but it was necessary. She couldn't imagine how Laura would turn out if she waited too long to find the answers. Still nervous about her new found life of crime and potential paranormal endeavors, she settled down for a hot cup of coffee. She imagined how Laura took her coffee, or did she drink tea? She flipped through the mornings News paper over to her favorite section- the obituaries. It might seem odd to other people, but Krista felt like she knew these people. She treasured the words spoken about them, and tried to imagine those named who had out lived the deceased. She liked to imagine they were all happy families, and she was proud of the role she played in keeping their memory alive during a time of great hardship. After a few moments of browsing her heart slipped a beat. She was surprised with everything else going on that she had completely forgotten that Laura's obituary was going to be in the paper today. It made sense, it had been only a few days ago, but these things happened quickly in most cases, especially when it came to a young person. For the very first time Krista found herself looking into the eyes of a very alive Laura Lee. Black and white or not didn't matter. She was beautiful. Krista had no knowledge of her life, other than that she died tragically. She was surprised to find that not many names came up as next of kin. Could it be that she hadn't had a big family? It stated that she had out lived her parents, and that she was an only child. She must have spent a few lonely years with grandparents or distant relatives trying to make her own way in the world. What a sad life she must have had. She deserved so much better. Krista began tearing up. If only she had the chance to whisk Laura away into the life she deserved. Krista caught herself choking up, and let out a sigh. No, if anything this was good. It meant that nobody was going around asking too many questions, and that once the ceremony was held then Laura would become a memory to them trapped inside a decorative vase. That was okay, right? After all it would bring them just as much peace as the real thing. Why should that matter more than a chance to preserve her in a much more meaningful way? The world didn't deserve Laura, and because very recently, Laura had become Krista's world, that meant that they should be together. Krista clipped the photo of Laura out of the paper. She had a scrapbook with many similar images in side. Many pages were accompanied by the little religious cards they give out at wakes. Krista had been tasked with making them herself more than a few times. Some of these were her own handiwork, and others weren't. It had been years since she picked up the hobby, cataloging the dead so that she might keep them alive I  her own special way. She flipped through the pages, there were names and dates by photos and articles. Some photos were colored, others out of newspapers. None of these people had ever struck Krista the way that Laura had. She just felt comfortable around them, and she felt sorry that she never got to meet them while they still had heartbeats. These were people of all backgrounds, shapes, and sizes. Some of them Krista had worked on personally, there were others whose families she had the pleasure of meeting. She was in one way or another the last piece of humanity that could be offered to a grieving stranger, and almost always, they were very happy to receive her. That was why she loved her job, somebody had to do it, and Krista was obsessed. With death? No, not exactly, more so a desire to mitigate the harshness of death in those who had such short time to grieve. As Krista continued to flip through the pages, tears began streaming steadily down her face. She had reached a very special page in her scrapbook. It was the obituary of her mother. Nearly the entire page was adorned with photos, notes, and articles. It was the most meticulous of any of her collection, because it was so close to home. Krista could think back to the service they held for her mother. She was still only a child, trying not to let her knees shake or let a tear escape from her eyes. She looked to her father who stood stone faced as he greeted their grieving family. Every one complimented him on keeping it together after only just losing his wife. Many made a joke to ease the tension, pointing out how doing this for a living probably made it easier. It didn't though, and Krista knew that for herself at a young age. She did respect her father for being strong for her, and for everyone else, and from that day on she took the initiative to follow in her father's footsteps. She had done a wonderful job as she grew and learned, but now something was different. After all she had done she still couldn't change anything. The families she serviced would never remember her, not like those under her charge who she made particular care to put here in this book. Was the finality of death what made these people important to her? Of course not, but in death they wouldn't have a chance to be important to anyone save their families. Maybe Laura was the final nail in the coffin, Krista didn't like that expression, but the humor was never lost on her when it popped in her head. Maybe Laura was a higher calling for Krista to do something more than consol and catalogue. Hell, if anyone knew enough about death to finally do something about it, it was going to be Krista.She carefully placed the picture of Laura from the news paper into the sleeve next to her own mother's, blushing slightly. She slammed the book shut. Finally she felt the fire that inspired her all those years ago. "I got this" she whispered as she finished her coffee. She fired up her laptop, and a couple of proxy servers and VPN's later she had gained access to the dark web.