Caraliza (17 page)
Authors: Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick
“
Didn’t your aunt mention a plate Yousep exposed, just a brick wall?”
Didn’t your aunt mention a plate Yousep exposed, just a brick wall?”
She was distant enough he would have been required to move to reach her, if he wanted to touch her. Shelly was more physical than that, all the time. She usually sat on him, not just next to him. But, after the silly name, she was making distance between them.
“
Don’t you suppose the wall is one of the buildings around, perhaps the back yard? There would have been enough light. It could not have been the front…I bet he just walked out the back door and set up the stand.”
Don’t you suppose the wall is one of the buildings around, perhaps the back yard? There would have been enough light. It could not have been the front…I bet he just walked out the back door and set up the stand.”
Evan stood up and closed the distance Shelly made, and took her face in his hands and kissed her, before she could move otherwise. She bit his lip and it was not in play.
“
Try something with me, please?” he pleaded with her, taking her hands.
Try something with me, please?” he pleaded with her, taking her hands.
He pulled her to the doorway and then he walked to gather up one of the stands Papa Reisman himself used in that very room. He took Shelly’s hand and asked her to bring the Reisman out with them. They were going to the remains of the garden in the back. She said nothing at all, and carried the camera as gently as she could with one hand. She still held his, and did not try to let go.
They stood moments later in the sunlit back of the store. Just a larger alley in fact, behind the Reisman Portraits. Larger buildings crowding it like bullies. Two walls of brick on either side, one nearly sixty feet above them. While she stood by, Evan set up the stand, and looked around to see where he would put the camera if he just walked out to test the lens.
They were really, accidentally, in the right spot. He finished making the stand ready, and reached for the camera when Shell finally spoke to him.
“
Can I do this? It really should be a Reisman who sets this on a stand.” Her voice softened, and she glanced at him as she said it. He smiled his approval, and rushed while she did it, up the alley to the street. When he returned, she knew instantly he was carrying a basket of plate holders.
Can I do this? It really should be a Reisman who sets this on a stand.” Her voice softened, and she glanced at him as she said it. He smiled his approval, and rushed while she did it, up the alley to the street. When he returned, she knew instantly he was carrying a basket of plate holders.
“
You aren’t going to put one of those in here are you?”
You aren’t going to put one of those in here are you?”
“
I thought I would. Do you want to?”
I thought I would. Do you want to?”
“
Not my place to decide that. We’re messing with history here, and the family is pretty hard to deal with on that issue. You would not believe the trouble I’ve had, just getting them to let me take care of this place a bit. For the first time in half a century, someone who loves this building has to kiss asses all over town to show that love.”
Not my place to decide that. We’re messing with history here, and the family is pretty hard to deal with on that issue. You would not believe the trouble I’ve had, just getting them to let me take care of this place a bit. For the first time in half a century, someone who loves this building has to kiss asses all over town to show that love.”
“
So why would they need to know you used the Waterbury?”
So why would they need to know you used the Waterbury?”
She thought really hard when he asked, but no reasonable answer came to mind. Shrugging a bit, she held out her hand, and gestured he should let her load the plate.
“
Where’s the dress?” she asked him.
Where’s the dress?” she asked him.
He was a photographer; son of another ancient clan of New York City photographers, and he did not have his focusing cloth cover for the camera! After another rush to his car, they were ready to make a photograph with the Reisman, the first they knew of since Yousep held it, in 1919. Shelly was shivering with apprehension.
“
Where is the dress for the Reisman?” Evan wanted to know.
Where is the dress for the Reisman?” Evan wanted to know.
“
That’s lost in the mist of history. No one knows. There are about a dozen different coverings in the studio closet; it might have been any of them, or none of them. I’ve not had this box so that I could check any. There might be two which fit well.”
That’s lost in the mist of history. No one knows. There are about a dozen different coverings in the studio closet; it might have been any of them, or none of them. I’ve not had this box so that I could check any. There might be two which fit well.”
Evan frowned and told her he did not want to be party to angering the ghosts, any more than he had already done. Shelly’s mood was better since they came outdoors, he would rather risk clouding her again inside, than angering the entire clan by putting a Bryant dress on the back of the Reisman.
She agreed, so they went to look in the studio closets. There were three dresses, which looked like the one Evan carried in. Spreading them out on the divan, they looked to make sure they were still useable and pulled one immediately down. Mice, at some point in its long life, had eaten it through. The other two remained to be inspected, and Shelly soon noticed some bad scuffs on the edges of the largest one. Evan took a close look than and they decided it might have been the very dress on the back of the Waterbury when it fell to the sidewalk in front of Yousep. The scuffs were on the correct side; Shelly realized it as she looked at the heavy felt covering which probably saved the Waterbury from complete ruin.
She was delighted they found it, but it did not ease her nerves about opening the lens on that box, disturbing God only knows what spirits around the place. Evan suggested they put some tape on the inside of the worst scuff, just to make sure it was not torn more than they could see. Very quickly, they were standing in the back again and Evan was describing what Shelly needed to do, to load the plate while under the dress.
A couple of curses, and some sharp clicks from the latches on the box, and she was ready to upset history, and had she mentioned to Evan, she was really nervous about this whole thing? He assured her with a kiss and told her how to make the focus while he stood in the front. They would exchange places and he would uncover the lens to capture her image on the plate. Just a moment later and he was smiling at her because she did not smile at all, looking into the black center of the lens when he uncapped it. She stood there, still as stone, and he thought it was silly, but she could not help the shock of seeing that camera looking directly at her.
She stood there for a moment, the lens cap back in place, the clan-shattering image on the plate in the back of the box, and Shelly was not sure they were doing something really mundane at all. It was like tossing a stone into thick, black waters, to disturb something awful, hidden there. The Waterbury looked at Shelly Reisman; had it been offended by what it saw when its eye was awakened?
Evan completely surprised her by bringing out his family camera before they took the Reisman off the stand. He prepared his instrument for a duplicate exposure, only this time it would be he in front of his camera. He would invite her into the haunting closet, and they would develop the plates together, the first time she would see it done. It was the type of education she wanted, no reason to wait; the plates would be in hand. She was losing her jitters as they eventually took everything down to go back inside.
Evan guessed she could be talked into taking her own image because he brought all the materials they needed to do the developing too. Her storeroom was cleaned of offending old goods now, but she still did not have a stock of viable chemicals to put the darkroom into use. Too many things had been pulled out as useless, or suspect, when the other stocks were removed. So they took their cameras to the closet, after lunch in the studio, and Evan prepared to remove the plates in the darkened room. They used a candle and the filtering lens Papa used himself all those generations ago.
Evan turned in the small space and took Shelly into his arms for a reassuring embrace, and to calm his nerves as well. They had been offended by strange sensations when they stood together in the closet before, and he was not ready to feel them again. Shelly was pleased he did not notice, she was desperate to be inside in the darkness with him.
“
Whatever you feel in here, do not fight it, please?” He asked her with a whisper. “But do not open the door without warning me if you must leave. We can keep the plates safe, if I have but a moment to cover them.”
Whatever you feel in here, do not fight it, please?” He asked her with a whisper. “But do not open the door without warning me if you must leave. We can keep the plates safe, if I have but a moment to cover them.”
She did not speak but nodded as she bowed her head into his chest and pulled him closer. There were sensations in her arms, they were already urgent but they were satisfied as she circled him and stood very still. She could not be beside him as the space was entirely too narrow, but she could stand behind him well, and she preferred it to crowding him. He began to explain what steps he would make with each plate as he turned and her cheek was soft against his back.
She wanted time to stop, willed it to stop, to hear only his breath and his voice and nothing else. The light was deep red and very dim, not light at all but warmth that glowed. She could still feel the warmth behind her eyelids as she closed them and listened to his voice whisper around his heart. She had no understanding of his words, they made no familiar sound but she adored the music of them.
He did not move so much as sway, not sway so much as dance and she was in love with his breath and felt safe. The pain was not so bad while she held him, the longing would ease, the dreads would fade, the crush of horrid stinking weight upon her body would be forgotten, and her tears flowed and wet his shirt and touched his skin. She trembled with a desire to let her dress slip to the floor; to hold him with her skin, have nothing between them at all, but the dress would not fall as she moved to release it. It would not free itself from her shoulders, she would have to let go, but letting go could not be done. Why would the dress not slip to the floor? It saddened her. She began to cry.
“
Shelly?”
Shelly?”
Evan whispered into her ear. She was on the divan in the studio and the bright afternoon light was bothering her eyes. Evan was very close, holding her and she felt she had been asleep.
“
We were not finished, but we were close. Are you all right?” he said softly to her. She tried to think what they were doing, that they would be finished. It was hard to think, difficult to remember.
We were not finished, but we were close. Are you all right?” he said softly to her. She tried to think what they were doing, that they would be finished. It was hard to think, difficult to remember.
“
Both plates are fine, but I couldn’t tell in there how they turned out, candles are really too dim. I’ll bring them out here when they dry off. We can see them better then. Are you okay, Sweetheart?”
Both plates are fine, but I couldn’t tell in there how they turned out, candles are really too dim. I’ll bring them out here when they dry off. We can see them better then. Are you okay, Sweetheart?”
It was the first time he had called her anything but Shelly, except for the accidental Tiddles. She liked sweetheart just fine, and she began to remember the plates and the warmth in the closet.
“
What were you feeling in there?” he asked her. “We were fine until the last few minutes and you seemed near to sobbing. When I got us out you were fainted again.” He smoothed her hair and brushed her cheek with his fingers. “I loved it this time, but what were you feeling? What made you cry?”
What were you feeling in there?” he asked her. “We were fine until the last few minutes and you seemed near to sobbing. When I got us out you were fainted again.” He smoothed her hair and brushed her cheek with his fingers. “I loved it this time, but what were you feeling? What made you cry?”
“
That I would have to let go of you, and you would be lost and I would die.”
That I would have to let go of you, and you would be lost and I would die.”
She wanted to hold him again, but she did not really need to. In the closet, it was a painful need. It embarrassed her a bit, but she admitted to him, she wanted to be naked. She wanted to slip out of a dress she was not wearing; it broke her heart she could not let it fall to the floor. He sat quietly listening to her as she described the emotion, and described how powerful it seemed.
“
That explains how you were moving. Like you wanted out of your skin, that’s what creeped me out and made me stop to get us back out. If you hadn’t been holding me, you might have fallen down in there. While we were still, it was wonderful.” He leaned to kiss her and soothe her. “But, there is something going on here that is not normal at all. The closet affects you; this place you love so much might not be as safe for you as you think.”
That explains how you were moving. Like you wanted out of your skin, that’s what creeped me out and made me stop to get us back out. If you hadn’t been holding me, you might have fallen down in there. While we were still, it was wonderful.” He leaned to kiss her and soothe her. “But, there is something going on here that is not normal at all. The closet affects you; this place you love so much might not be as safe for you as you think.”
Shelly closed her eyes and turned away. She did not want to hear anything like those words, least of all, from him.
The plates were surely dry. Evan left her on the divan and hurried in to retrieve them so they could see how well their work turned out. She waited a few minutes, and decided he was taking too long to bring them back. Her legs were still a bit wobbly, carnival ride wobbly, but she made her way out into the shop and found him sitting on the floor in front of the closet and he did not look well. He seemed to be making sounds but the silence swallowed them until she was kneeling at his shoulder.
“
Shelly, we have to get out of here. I don’t think you should be here at all. There aren’t just ghosts here, there is something more than them, and it scares the shit out of me!” He was shaking and she could see it. “It’s just scared me to death and I can’t make my legs work or I would have run.” Evan was panicked.
Shelly, we have to get out of here. I don’t think you should be here at all. There aren’t just ghosts here, there is something more than them, and it scares the shit out of me!” He was shaking and she could see it. “It’s just scared me to death and I can’t make my legs work or I would have run.” Evan was panicked.
“
Why? What happened Evan?”
Why? What happened Evan?”
“
That plate!” he voice rising to a whine. Evan was losing his control and the shaking was getting worse. “Your plate, it’s not right at all, I couldn’t even bring it out.” He was clutching at her and trying to stand. It only pulled her nearly off her own feet and frightened her as well. They struggled together for a moment and he was holding her down. “You’re not alone in the plate! There is someone there with you!”
That plate!” he voice rising to a whine. Evan was losing his control and the shaking was getting worse. “Your plate, it’s not right at all, I couldn’t even bring it out.” He was clutching at her and trying to stand. It only pulled her nearly off her own feet and frightened her as well. They struggled together for a moment and he was holding her down. “You’re not alone in the plate! There is someone there with you!”
Shelly’s terror raised goose bumps on her arms, and she understood why he was horrified; they had been alone in the back, but he saw two people in her image.
She lost all interest in being in the shop and wanted out, and Evan could not get to his feet!
They sat silent in the heat of his car for half an hour before Evan could stop shaking.
The Reisman Portraits quietly looked out onto the street, saying nothing to help calm them. Shelly did not want to believe anything in there was dangerous. She loved the shop and always had, but she was sitting in the street so glad to be outside in the air; it felt like an escape from a tightly closed box they had become trapped inside. He was not close to being calm enough to talk, but she was determined to know what petrified him so completely, he could not even flee the thing that scared him.
“
There is someone between you and the camera,” he said with difficulty, as if the words burned his lips. “It’s not like a double exposure, Shelly; it’s not in focus because she’s too close to the camera! But you are nearly blocked and she is facing you, looking you right in the eyes. It’s not a ghost! There was a person there! There is a young woman keeping the camera from seeing you. “
There is someone between you and the camera,” he said with difficulty, as if the words burned his lips. “It’s not like a double exposure, Shelly; it’s not in focus because she’s too close to the camera! But you are nearly blocked and she is facing you, looking you right in the eyes. It’s not a ghost! There was a person there! There is a young woman keeping the camera from seeing you. “
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