News from the morgue
goth webmaster creates death shrine, public unfazed
"DEATH has been both a recent and a lifelong obsession," says crummy-site-owner Spike. "What started with gnawing horror of the oblivion at the end of the street has become..." Spike pauses pensively as they continue to mop up coffee from their decade-old laptop. "... a kind of affectionate fixation."
Fixation is a fitting word to describe the figure sitting on the carpet in front of me. The room around us is littered with evidence of different "fixations" -- the guitar stashed in a dusty corner and the overflowing and neglected bookshelf are just one part of it. From baseboard to crown-moulding, the walls are spotted with yellowing post-cards and photos. A framed picture of Marlene Dietrich suffocates on a vanity covered in craft supplies.
Continued on page 2.
Corpse Wax: a History of (Mis)Use
Adipocere, known also as corpse wax or grave wax, is a fatty substance sometimes created by the decomposition of human body fat. Having a corpse does not guarantee corpse wax; for adipocere to form, the hydrolysis of fat is carried out by anaerobic bacteria specifically. To those who don't have a dictionary or a biology reference, what that means is the body must exist in a low-to-no oxygen environment with a lot of moisture. This process can take place a month after burial, and is called saponification.
If that word seems familiar, it's because the same name is given to the chemical process of creating soap. The double usage of the word begs a macabre question: has human wax ever been modified for human use, soap or otherwise? Briefly: Yeah.
Continued on page 3.
The Danse Macabre
Death, as the original awful-ugly-upsetting, has tons of euphemisms. Most stray on the side of polite: passing on, leaving us. But there are also the incredibly figurative: joining the great majority, being on the wrong side of the grass, joining the choir invisible... shuffling off the mortal coil. Counting worms. Freeing one's horses. Humanity loves to refer to death abstractly and symbolically... and, history shows us, humorously.
One of the oldest frivolous ways to depict death is the danse macabre, or the dance of death. Enshrined in oil paint and music, this motif shows Death personified as a skeleton, leading a (usually circular) dance. The dancers are from diverse classes and different ages, showing Death's un-picky nature.
Continued on page 4.
"toe tags make great bookmarks," local crone posits
Charnelle Barrows, owner of community-beloved bookstore Catacomb Through, kicked off the fifth annual Rotary Book-Club with a heartfelt gift: personalized toe-tags.
The repeat members of the club were delighted. "It's just the kind of thing I was looking for," says Mrs. De Winter, socialite and yacht-club president. "Now I can keep my page and my husband from misidentifying my body."
Continued on page 2.
about News from the morgue
News from the Morgue is an ongoing project around the topic of death and related subjects. It is a mix of nonfiction articles (citations included) and fictional articles taking place in a morbid little town.