Ghosts Come Rising by Adam Perry

Author:Adam Perry [Perry, Adam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: little bee books
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Save Forever

I sleep until morning, never working on the rest of the plates. Mr. Spencer will be mad, but I don’t care. I needed the rest.

At breakfast, I carry the box of photographic plates with me. Maybe I can drop them on the ground, shatter them into a million pieces. That would make a good excuse.

Mr. Spencer looks at me and I shake my head. He sneers and stands, makes a big show of coughing into his hands.

“I’m not feeling well,” he announces, heading to the stairs. “Perhaps I’d better stay in my room today.”

A few people grumble. First the assembly hall is closed and now this, but it’s not my fault. I couldn’t bring myself to make the ghosts last night, not after everything that’s happened.

Charles comes beside me and taps the package of plates.

“This changes our plans,” he says. “Our new order of supplies should be in soon. Once it arrives, we’ll have plenty more plates to use. And if you’re going to be my assistant, you’ll need to learn how this works. Wait here.”

He goes down to the basement and returns with his camera and tripod, then pulls out one of the unaltered plates from the top, covering it in a cloth and placing it into the wooden plate holder before sliding it into the back of the camera.

“Have you ever taken a picture?” he asks, and I shake my head. Another lie, stacked on a pile of them. He waves at me to follow and we go out into the yard, standing in the stone courtyard. He extends a hand as if offering the entire world to me as a gift and says, “What would you like to save forever?”

I’ve never thought of it that way before. Save forever.

Spinning in place, I take in the scenes around me. In the late morning light everything looks bright and beautiful—the hill leading to the woods, the moss in between the stones in the wall, the way the sun reflects off the top of the gravestones. John is watching us from the porch, and I want another picture of me and him together, but I don’t dare ask for that. People would wonder why.

I keep looking. Even the house is beautiful with its white bricks and green railings wrapping around the porch. Will I want to remember this place? I doubt it. We’ll either be kicked out or leave on our own, but by the time we’re at stop number twenty, I’ll try to forget everything about it.

Then an idea hits me so strong I can’t believe I had to think at all.

“You,” I finally say. “I want a picture of you.”

Charles looks surprised and shakes his head.

“No, there must be something—”

“I want a picture of you,” I say, a little more forceful this time. He’s shown me kindness and I want to remember that, even if it will end on some day with chants of fraud. He’ll think I’m terrible then, joining in the chants, driving us away. This, before all that eventually happens, is the moment I want to save.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.