Afterlife: Reincarnation

13

May 26

LANE

Her laughter was infectious, and I couldn't stop myself from joining along. From the moment we arrived, she hadn't left my side. Everything she did, she laughed. Everywhere she went, she ran. Everything around her made her happy, even if it was something so small, like a little bug in the grass. So much happiness, surrounded by so little.

For those who ever felt they needed to reevaluate life, this was how you did it.

I had gone with Neil, Will and Ariel to follow up with the mother and new baby we had delivered days before. Will had said it was rare to be able to do follow up visits, since many women here did not seek traditional care for births and aftercare. Many were cared for by the village, the community as a whole working as a unit. He had no doubt this would be the same now, but since we had already been involved, he wanted to take the chance to make sure everyone was doing well.

I, of course, jumped at the chance to do the same.

Over and over again since that night, I had been looking over the images I had taken. And each time, no matter how many times my eyes had already engrained every detail into my memory, it was like the first time. Like looking through the lens again, and seeing it all new. They were without a doubt the most moving, real, and incredible images I had ever taken.

The day after the birth, I had been reviewing the images in comm when Rob came in. He, of course, being the lead, wanted to see what I had taken. I handed over the iPad, suddenly nervous. This was the first time since our arrival he would actually be reviewing and possibly critiquing my work. And with such a sensitive and rare subject, I prayed I had captured it appropriately.

He went through the images, his face completely impassive. I couldn't tell his reaction, since there was nothing on his face to give me any indication of if he thought they were well done, or complete shit. As the minutes ticked on, I grew more nervous, and began to chew my nails.

Finally, he set the iPad down, turning to me.

"Absolutely incredible," he praised, his usually stoic face curving into a grin.

"Really?"

"Really," he laughed. "Honestly, I don't even think I could have done this well. Hands down, some of the best I've ever seen of such a moment."

I laughed, feeling excited and nervous all at once.

"I'm definitely going to push for these to be published."

My eyes widened, my mouth falling slack. Noting my expression, Rob laughed at me.

"Don't be so surprised," he commented, standing from his seat. "That's why you were brought out here. You had to expect that something you took would end up published."

He said nothing more, merely patting my shoulder and stepping out of comm, leaving me with my muted expression. As much as I knew the whole purpose of this assignment was to produce usable and publishable images, I suppose part of me never really considered something of mine would be in the running. Especially so early.

Of course, I wanted more. I wanted to come back, see the baby, see my new little friend, who's name I had learned was Daliah. I wanted to see their home through clear eyes, in daylight. I wanted to revisit that moment, without the fear of the unknown clouding my mind.

The moment I stepped out of the jeep, Daliah was at my side. She hugged my legs tightly, before taking my hand and pulling me into her home. There, she brought me directly up to her little brother, sleeping in a tiny box like crib on the dirt floor. Sitting by him, she gazed at him adoringly, before looking back to me. I sat beside her, crossing my legs and placing my camera in my lap.