Ella loved the park in all seasons. Two miles from home, she had found a more interesting way to reach there than tramping down the A road. Hidden pathways curled around new housing estates, ran beside tall laurel hedges and across suburban metal-fenced kiddies’ playgrounds to emerge into a sparsely treed area edging the northern end of the park.
There was a bench for Ella to dump her pack and bring out whatever equipment she needed that day for photographs. It all depended on the weather and the time of the day, in the variations of light and shade, the contrast of colours, the gold of autumn versus the pale luminous green of spring.
Today, the long grass had been sharpened into icy shards by a deep frost. Each needle on the pines was etched in white, as individual as the wide, listless flakes of snow which fell like an afterthought to add more texture to the scene.
Ella brought out her camera, searching for the right angle. She nodded a thank you to the other Ella, the creative spirit guiding her lens, forming the best vistas, well-framed, capturing the right amount of detail. She peered through the lens, clicking, clicking – more award-winning landscapes to add to her collection.
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PICTURE – MAN WITH BACKPACK IN SNOWY FOREST AND BENCH WITH IMAGE OF GIRL’S FACE AMONG TREES
Head down against the frozen sting of falling snow, Ben moved slowly through the forest feet dragging through the long, wet grass.
Up ahead, he spotted a bench – a lone sentinel in a sea of grey and white.
Surely his imagination was playing tricks – for there among the trees was a vision of the loveliest woman he had ever seen.
Who was she, he wondered, as, reaching into his backpack for the camera he always carried on these treks, he attempted a photograph.
Couldn’t possibly be real – just a trick of light, refraction of fading light shining through the snowflakes.
Still, the image persisted, as his camera shutter clicked rapidly. As he watched, it began to move, beckoning him forward.
Entranced, he advanced several steps, unable to resist her allure.
“Ben,” the vision called. “Ben, don’t you remember me?”
Ben was totally confused. Remember her, he had never before seen her in his life.
“Ben,” she continued. “I am the ghost of girlfriends past.”
Now he was totally nonplussed.
“Girlfriends, what girlfriends?” He couldn’t help but answer.
“All those girls you left behind with broken hearts,” the face replied.
“B..b..but you don’t look like any of them,” he stammered.
“That’s because I am all of them,” the vision explained. “See what you have missed out on. You could have had every one of us. We would have made you eternally happy.”
“What do mean, ‘had every one of us’. Like a harem or something?”
“If that’s what it took. Indeed, yes,” the face persisted.
“Well, I am sorry that I didn’t,” Ben responded. “But surely now it is too late.”
“Never too late,” said the voice. “Never too late. Come with me and I will lead you to the land of milk and honey.”
The face began to drift, receding into the forest. Intrigued, Ben followed and found himself deep in the snowy darkness, down an overgrown track that led to a dilapidated timber hut.
Pushing open the only door, Ben entered the gloom to discover an old cinema projector, spools clacking noisily.
The face with which he had been utterly enamoured was reflecting brightly among the nearby trees.
What on earth is going on, he wondered. This must be some sort of trick.
A solid thud and Ben hit the ground face first. As he struggled to get to his feet, half a dozen giggling young women held him down.
“Got you, Ben Adams,” they all chorused. “That’ll teach you to play fast and loose with us!!”
Ha!
Ella, meet Ella her guiding creative photographic spirit. Umm, interesting concept. Does the spirit look like the human Ella or is she different? I guess we will never know!! LOL
We will never know!