Thursday, September 15, 2011

Photographer

Click. Click. Click.

Jason took a quick succession of pictures, trying to catch the motion of the swings. He had been taking pictures in the park all afternoon, and felt he had gotten some really good shots.

With a sigh, he began putting his camera away – but he couldn’t stop watching the children as they played. They seemed so happy, so content with life. Their laughter filled his ears and his thoughts. It seemed that they knew exactly what they wanted.

Zipping up the camera case, Jason started home – thinking about what he wanted. Once, that had been obvious, but now he wasn’t so sure.

This line of thought was cut short when Jason caught sight of the cutest golden retriever he had ever seen. The dog was huge, with long golden fur and a lolling tongue. Instantly, Jason had his camera out and was snapping pictures as the dog romped happily, completely oblivious of his presence. The tree-lined sidewalk, bathed in afternoon sunshine, made the perfect backdrop. Noticing Jason, the dog ran towards him, and Jason snapped some close shots before beginning to pet the dog.

“Abby? Abby?” A girl’s voice called. From around the corner, came a young woman, looking frantic. When she spotted the dog Jason was petting, a look of relief came over her. “Abby, there you are!”

The dog ran toward her, but, at the last possible minute, turned and dashed across the street.

“Abby!” the girl called in frustration. She chased after the dog, but Jason was quicker. He caught up to the golden retriever and grabbed her by the collar.

“I’ve got her,” he told the girl.

“Oh, thank you!”

“No problem.” Jason looked at the owner of the dog. She was quite attractive, with long red hair and big brown eyes. She also looked strangely familiar, though he couldn’t place why until she introduced herself.

“I’m Tasha, by the way.”

“Not Tasha Martin, by any chance?” Jason asked.

“Yes. Do I know you?”

“I’m Jason Wood. We went to elementary school together.”

“Oh, of course!” she smiled, “It’s been a long time. Why, we haven’t seen each other since fifth grade, have we?”

“No, though I still have some of the pictures I took of you,” Jason said, then wondered if that sounded creepy, “I mean, I took a lot of pictures – I’ve probably got a picture of everyone in that class.”

Tasha laughed, “I remember, you were always taking pictures. And I loved having my picture taken. I used to do the craziest things, just so you would take a picture of me.”

Jason grinned, “Yeah. You climbed to the top of the swing set and hung upside down.”

Wincing, Tasha said: “I got twelve stitches from that fall.”

“I’ve got the picture of you covered in blood.”

Abby seemed to have grown tired of this conversation, and began straining against Jason’s hold on her collar.



♥/Kat!e




Today's Novel Idea Prompted by: "Write about a scraggly photographer, and his search for the meaning of life. Throw in a cute dog, his favorite food, and his long lost childhood friend!" Courtesy of the Fiction Prompts! thread on Writing.com.

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