(Credit:
eBay Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)
In what seems a
slightly macabre move, New York state's Office Of Mental Health has chosen eBay
in order to dispose of a chilling artifact. The current top bid is $860.
It may never have
crossed your mind what happens to morgue fridges when they're past their
sell-by date.
It had never crossed
mine either, until I came across a frisson of news from
the New York Post.
For here was the
announcement that New York state's Office of Mental Health had chosen eBay to
sell an old morgue fridge. A Norlake Scientific 4 Drawer Morgue Refrigerator,
to be precise.
Perhaps eBay bid the
lowest to stage this macabre auction.
The listing
has uplift at its core.
It doesn't try to
lean on celebrity. There is no mention of whose body might have temporarily
rested within.
There is simply a
picture of the fridge, shot in an almost golden light, and the information that
its condition is "used."
You might think that
this is some mere gimmick. You might also think that morgues smell of rose
petals.
For there have
already been 43 bids for this artifact. The highest, as I write, stands at
$860.
One cannot help
speculating who might be bidding. Might it be a butcher, thinking this fridge
would be perfect for resting meat?
Perhaps it is
someone with a more macabre purpose who intends to use this fridge to cool beer
for their Halloween party.
Heather Groll, a
spokeswoman for the state's Office of General Services told the Post:
"Every once in a while, we get an unusual item -- and this would be
that."
Yes, this is
definitely that.
Some may be
delighted that, despite the delicate nature of this fridge's original life, no
background checks are required in order to bid. Indeed, there are no
restrictions at all as to whose house or business will be the resting home for
this fine object.
Should you be
tempted to bring a mortifying chill into your life, please be prepared with
your own transport.
Should you already
be walking around your house wondering where you might put it, may I tell you
that it is 6 feet wide, 8 feet deep and 6 feet high.
Oh, and you also
have to dismember it before taking it away, as it won't fit through the door
where it currently resides.
I feel
sure that in a world where so little furniture could be called original, this
piece will adorn many a home with the appropriate melange of classicism,
romanticism and existentialism.
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