Fangs for the Memories Count Dracula. 

Now that Charles’ funeral is behind us, we are all in our own ways trying to come to terms with our great loss.  It is a very difficult road to travel. 

A superb feature and photographs appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News and an obituary written by his brother George was published in The Scotsman the day before the funeral.  The East Lothian Courier also picked up on it as did the East Lothian Messenger and articles have also appeared in various magic and psychic publications.  In hindsight, a death notice should also have been put in The Herald which covers the west of Scotland and also English and American papers, but such things were only thought about when it was too late. 

If we look for mercy in death, it was that Charles' departure was quick and he did not suffer,  he just collapsed into unconsciousness with an aneurysm in the abdomen and died in hospital. Being a sudden death, his own doctor would not sign the death certificate so there had to be a post mortem/autopsy and a report to the Procurator Fiscal because Charles had not been ailing and was not taking any medication.  He only drank and smoked too much!  The alternative, if he had survived with brain damage and become a vegetable with no quality of life does not bear thinking about and nobody, including Charles himself, would have wished that.  However, it is still a shock. 

Now that Bro. Karl Bartoni has gone home to Blackpool, the aftermath of the funeral has to be worked through with the family,  with Charles’ younger brother George acting as Executor of the estate,  we will now have more time to grieve.  The cards, emails, letters and telephone calls etc. have all been so very comforting and heartwarming at an extremely painful time.  Messages of condolence are still coming in, even now, from people who have seen the press items.  The flowers, wreaths and floral tributes at the funeral were breathtaking.  Indeed the funeral director had to lay on a van to convey them all to the crematorium – they wouldn’t all fit in the hearse!  Some of the floral tributes had to be sent to St. Columba’s Hospice afterwards because of the lack of room.  However all the precious cards have been retained and a charming letter of thanks has been received from the Matron of the Hospice. 

The day of the funeral was sunny and memorable,  the funeral was indeed different, as you would expect it to be, but leant to convention with a Church of Scotland minister conducting the service.  Charles, of course, would never have opted for a clerical collar unless it was a prop for a show, which I suppose, when you come to think about it, it was.  It was Charles' final performance before he went out in a blaze of glory to that Great Rock Candy Mountain to meet up with his old friend Tony Andruzzi and all the other greats of yesteryear. 

It was not a sad service,  it was a celebration of his life and there were no psalms, dirges or long prayers.  The hymns were rousing,   Onward Christian Soldiers, the Battle Hymn of the Republic and Lord of the Dance,  which was remarked upon by some as being 'spooky'!  The minister read from Charles’ biography which had been downloaded from the website at www.dragonskull.com. and included various asides of his own like referring to the skulls gazing at him while he was in the flat making notes for the service! 

At the end our worthy Chairman Karl Bartoni paid tribute to Charles and  bade him  farewell, concluding by breaking the wand.  The attendance was unbelievable,  a full house with standing room only. A colleague who had attended the funeral only remarked to me this morning that, knowing what Charlie was like, they half expected him to suddenly rise from the coffin and show everyone a card trick !. 

Afterwards, it was back to the flat for teetotal refreshments for the family and close friends who left around lunchtime.  On cue the magicians arrived, a litre bottle of Scotch was cracked open (Famous Grouse of course), a candle was lit and a toast was drunk at 3 p.m. Tthe Americans had already had their toast at 3 a.m. our time.  The minister mentioned this in his introductory remarks! Time passed quickly swapping stories and sharing memories and when all was said and done, I did not get to bed until 4 a.m. on the Sunday morning! 

My inheritance is intangible but also very real.  We all have to try and come to terms with our grief but I have such happy memories of Charles during our all too short time together (six years).  In that time – apart from two hernia operations,  he was as fit as a fiddle and as chirpy as a cricket, he was active, writing, doing magic and enjoying life to the end.  Together we discovered quaint watering holes, out of the way villages and 'wrecked' country pubs and hotels>  Charlie Cameron even got the locals doing card tricks and practising triple cuts!  Places were never the same again after we left!  He was fun, and he led me down paths I had never trodden in my life before.  He was my other half, my better half.  I shall never forget him and nor will you. 

Which brings me to the second part of my inheritance.  All you Brothers and Sisters in Magick out there.  With all your tremendous support and messages I feel a warmth and a glow and an all-embracing friendship of such magnitude, it is difficult at this time of shock and grief to actually feel despair or unhappiness.  An emptiness and a great void, yes – but thanks to you all, I am not alone. I am a lucky lady to have such fantastic friends worldwide and half of them I have never even met and, thanks to Bro. Karl Bartoni - who has been, and is, a tower of strength - I am now able to express my gratitude to you all . My inheritance is not monetary but it is rich nonetheless. 

If you are ever in Edinburgh, perhaps we can maybe meet up for a bite to eat and a drink (Grouse) and raise a glass or two to Charles Cameron, a truly remarkable man who became a legend in his own lifetime.  A man we all loved, who left his footprints in the sands of time and now lives on in the hearts, minds and magic of all those he left behind. 

Blessed Be and my love to you all.
ALEX WALLACE.
a.k.a. The Queen of Hearts.