From the Ashes

It was gone. All gone. How does a fire move that fast? Abby nudged an ash-covered table leg with her dusty sneaker. Or maybe it was a chair leg. Or a frame. It was hard to tell. Where her apartment building once stood was a charred pile of barely-recognizable pieces of lives that had now been turned upside down.

She looked at the rest of neighborhood and saw that a few other buildings had been consumed by the flames. Some cars, too. Fire is a hungry beast. Abby didn't need a car to get around: she could take the bus or get a ride with her roommate Gillian, so that was one thing she hadn't lost. Oh, no. Gillian. She was out of town this weekend. Her other roommate Shelly left in the morning to stay with her parents, who lived about an hour away. She would be sure to break the news to Gillian.

Abby started sifting through the debris to see if she could find anything that might belong to her or her roommates. She spotted a mug that she picked up at a thrift store a few months ago. It had a derranged-looking cat on it, and across the bottom, it said, "Give Mee Coffee!" Abby clutched it like it was encrusted with diamonds. Then the tears came. It was beginning to sink in. The life she was slowly and steadily making for herself had been set back to zero.

Aimlessly she continued to wander, not certain where her apartment ended and the next house began. She spotted a few broken dishes, a hammer, a melted TV remote, and a toaster. Nothing looked familiar, but then, she was not thinking clearly at all at this point. How long had she been there? It seemed like hours, like everything was moving in slow motion. She snapped back into reality. She had to let the cafe know she wouldn't be there today.

"Hi, Joe. It's Abby. I..."

"Abby! Hello! We heard on the news what happened. I'm so sorry. I can't believe it. Absolutely no worries about today. Or tomorrow. Take whatever time you need. If you're up for it, stop by later and we'll get you something to eat."

"Thanks so much, Joe. That means so much. My head is spinning a bit right now, but I'll let you know later."

"Of course! Yeah, we're here when you need us."

Joe was great. Abby hadn't made many friends since she moved here two years ago, and Joe had thousands. No exaggeration. He helped her find this apartment and helped her navigate this crazy city. Abby wasn't the best at socializing. Clubs were definitely not her thing. The cafe was a perfect environment for her. She could make small talk and meet people with no pressure.

Back to this other reality. Should she keep trying to look for belongings? Or figure out where she was going to stay tonight? Joe would likely help with the latter, so what to do right now? She climbed over more piles of singed rubble. Soon the area would be closed off for safety reasons.

Abby was about to walk toward the end of the street when she spotted a shiny metal box. Of course, she had to look inside. Empty. She set it aside. What was underneath it? Was that a camera? A digital camera. She hadn't seen one of these in years. Did people even use them anymore? Phone cameras have gotten so good that films are being made on them! Abby dusted off the camera. Somehow it had survived. Did it work, though? She switched it on. Yes! Miraculously, it still worked! After trying to figure out which buttons did what, she browsed through the saved images. The display was scuffed up, but for the most part, the photos were visible. Cute children playing in a pool, someone holding a fluffy dog, balloons, Gillian's car. Wait, what? This was taken next door. She looked through more photos, eager to see what other clues she could find. A birthday cake, people laughing and sitting on a sofa with a mirror above it. This last photo was different. In the mirror reflection, Abby could see a face of the person holding the camera. That was her neighbor! Mrs. Co... Was it Connor? Collins? Abby wished she could remember her name. A quick online search of the address came to the rescue. Mrs. Louise Kennoway. All right, so she was sort of close. But where was Louise? She could be anywhere. Looking for her whereabouts would be just the distraction Abby needed to avoid facing her own situation.

Let's see. Louise was older. Lived alone as far as Abby could tell but had family. Her mind raced then stopped at the worst scenario. Could she have died? That would be horrible. Abby pushed that aside and tried to be hopeful. Maybe she went to the hospital? It was right around the block, so Abby decided to start there.

"I'm looking for a Louise Kennoway."

"Are you family?"

"Um, no. I'm her neighbor. I she here?"

"No visitations except family right now."

"So she IS here? That's a relief. Can I leave her a message, at least? Her house is, I mean was, next to my apartment. On the street where the fire came though."

"Oh, my! You poor thing. Are you all right?"

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. Can I leave her a message?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Tell her I found her camera, and it still works. I want to return it to her."

"Wait!! Come here!" A loud but frail voice called from across the hall. It was Louise.

"OK, Ma'am. Well, I guess you can go on in, then," said the receptionist.

Louise had been badly injured in the fire. She was home when it happened, and she tried to grab as much as she could save before getting out. That was a mistake. Severe burns over much of her body and part of her face. Abby had been home, too, but she rushed out with her handbag, phone, and the clothes she was wearing. She didn't even notice anything happening around her. It was all such a blur.

"Hi, my name is Abby. Abby Barker. I found this next to my place. Well, not my place anymore."

Louise started to cry through the bandages.

"I can't believe you found that. And I can't believe what's happened to you. To me. To everyone on our street."

"Yeah, I don't know what I'm going to do yet. I'm reeling from the whole thing. It's like a nightmare. But you, are you all right? Is there anything I can do? I know we don't know each other well. Or at all really," laughed Abby nervously.

"Actually, there is something. Photography is a true joy for me. I love taking photos of anything, anywhere. Sure, I have lots of family pictures, as you've no doubt seen, but I so enjoy just snapping images of flowers, people, life."

This was a new one for Abby. She rarely took photos. When she did, they were of random, quirky things she encountered on her way to work, like a cool outfit in a store window or a fancy drink Joe would make.

"So, what can I help you with? Do you need these downloaded somewhere? Or printed?" Abby asked puzzled.

Louise sighed. "I'm going to be here for a long time. My recovery will take weeks, maybe longer. What I would love more than anything would be... How shall I ask this without overstepping? I would love it if you could be my eyes for a while. Take pictures for me. Of people, animals, art, life!"

"Hmm. I don't know..."

"Oh, I shouldn't have said it. You're young. You have your own life to lead..."

"Well, right now, I don't have much of anything. But that wasn't it: I was going to say you probably don't want me to be your photographer. I am no good at it. Seriously, I am awful."

"Would you try? Just for a day? A few hours even? It would mean the world. And I would be overjoyed to have a little company. My family lives far away and won't be able to visit me for at least a week. I will only be able to see them through video chat. And boy, I am almost glad my hands are burned so someone else has to figure out setting that thing up!" chuckled Louise.

Abby nodded and smiled. What else did she have going on? The photos might not look good, but this might help take her mind off things.

She walked along the street, getting further and further from the hospital and her neighborhood. Was this a good shot? How about that? Abby was doubtful she would manage to capture anything that would cheer up Louise or herself. Then she spied a little boy with his shoes untied. His mother was attempting to tie them, but he wanted to do it himself. Finally, the mother gave in and told him how to do it. He successfully tied his own shoes, and a big, proud grin stretched across his face. Instinctively, Abby snapped his picture. This was it! This was the "life" Louise was talking about. Abby could feel it now. She ran to the park. There was an older woman about Louise's age sitting on a bench feeding ducks. Again Abby took a photo. And again. She felt incredible.

A group of teenagers were gossiping in front of a pizza shop, giggling and whispering. "Another fantastic shot!" yelled Abby. Then the camera shut off. Did it break? That would be awful. No, it wasn't broken. This thing takes batteries! Regular old batteries. Abby laughed and bought a pack from Roy's One-Stop. She was back on track All day she took photo after photo. She couldn't wait to show Louise her accomplishments.

It was almost dinner time when Abby went back to the hospital. Louise had been asleep but awoke immediately when she heard Abby.

"Let me see. Let me see!" cried Louise.

Abby talked nonstop about what she saw that day and shared every detail with Louise.

"I ran out of space on the camera," sighed Abby. "Do you want me to delete any to make room for more?"

"Heavens, no! I'll get one of the nurses to get another card for you to fill up with your remarkable photos! You really have an eye for this, Abby. I'm so grateful you're doing this for me."

"You know, Louise, I think I may be getting the better deal here."

They both smiled at each other. It was getting late. Abby had to go see Joe, who had a friend with an extra room for Abby to stay for a few days. Tomorrow would be another day. Life would go on, and Abby and Louise would be there for it all.