The putrid stench of formaldehyde seeps its way into everything. My hair, my clothes, and my skin all smell. I’ve been surrounded by it for so long that it won’t wash out anymore.
Halina Norwalk was a 46 year old polish banker who worked on Wall Street in New York City. According to the initial interview with her parents and husband, she was always hardworking and dedicated to her craft with her thirst for success bringing large sums of fortune to her family. If not to be taken lightly, she was the perfect business woman through and through. Now, she sits at my table. Her body is cold, pale, and stiff. Pink thin lips, luscious brown hair, a sharp chin, high cheekbones, and a hole blasted through her left eye. According to her death certificate, she was murdered in her high rise apartment a few days ago. She hadn't shown up for work in a while, so an employee of hers called the police for a welfare check. The motive is unknown as of now, and the suspect is still at large, but I have no reason to worry about trivial things such as these. My only job is to get her prepared for viewing.
The process of embalming a body isn’t too complicated. First you must clean the body to get rid of any excess blood or other organic materials that are excreted after death. Next, the body is drained of all its blood, washed through with water, and pumped with embalming fluids such as methanol, sodium nitrate, glycerin, or the aforementioned formaldehyde. This allows the body to be preserved for longer periods of time until the burial. Finally, if any damage has been done to the face or chest area, it must be reconstructed if the family requests an open casket viewing. In this case, Miss.Norwalk’s family would like to have one. Wax, plaster, cotton, glue, and many other materials were used to patch the hole in her face, and makeup was applied to make her look like she’s sleeping peacefully. It’s sad, really. It never matters how nicely you’re able to put a corpse back together, it doesn’t change the brutality of their death.