The camera never lies
‘Do you buy second hand cameras?’
The man laid a scuffed brown leather satchel on the glass counter. The strap was rubbed blond with handling, and its brass clasp bore the patina of age and use.
Ellie’s heart skipped a beat at the thought of what it might contain. She looked up from the satchel to the potential seller. Dressed in a white tee and smart, casual jacket, Ellie guessed him to be mid 30s. Blue eyes frowned in question from a tanned face beneath short, tidy dark hair. Public school accent.
‘Occasionally,’ she said. ‘Do you mind me asking where it comes from?’
‘My grandfather’s. I remember him taking photos of us with it when I was a kid.’
‘It works still?’
‘Don’t know. Been years since he used it, and now he’s passed and there’s no one in the family knows how to work the damn thing.’ He laughed, drew his phone from his jeans pocket. ‘Bit more complicated than these, hey?’
Ellie’s fingers itched. She touched the case. ‘May I?’
‘Sure, go ahead.’
She pressed the clasp, which opened smoothly, and reached inside to slide the camera out. A thing of beauty. Late 19th century, not wooden as most were then, this was all black metal and worn brass. And clean.
‘Hmm.’ Hard to pretend disinterest when the young man grinned at her like that. ‘May I?’ She pointed to the lens towards him and he nodded, smiled more widely.
Ellie peered into the viewfinder, searching for the image. And there it was. Now it was she who grinned.
All her subject’s secrets, his feelings, his thoughts right now – flattering indeed – were exposed by the inquisitive eye of the lens.
She had found it, finally. The devil had kept his side of the bargain.
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Re-running this story with several much needed corrections!
The creature glared balefully at Tom, its inquisitive eye sizing him up.
Perhaps he is wondering whether or not I will make a tasty morsel, he thought, as he slowly began backing away towards the safety of a nearby cave.
The tongue flicked inquiringly, touching his cheek, exploring the taste.
He’s getting ready to pounce – now is the time to run. And with that, he sprinted for the cave entrance.
The creature was hot on his heels, a frustrated bellow escaping from its mouth as his head and neck became jammed in the narrow opening.
Its head thrashed and teeth gnashed as it tried to push further into the cave, large body preventing any progress.
Tom moved slowly and carefully towards the gloomy back wall, hoping to find a crevice through which he could crawl to escape impending doom.
With the beast’s frenetic and concerted efforts, the cave entrance was beginning to crumble and Tom thought it was only a matter of moments before he would be upon him.
He felt a rush of cold air and, looking up, spied open sky and the perfect escape route. Sheer panic gave his legs wings and soon he was through the shaft and into the bright sunshine.
Looking back, he could see the rear end of the creature, tail thumping as it pushed ever onwards.
Thank god, he thought, someone up there is watching over me and he offered up a silent prayer as he ran into the woods – back to the safety of his father’s cottage.
The creature glared balefully at Tom, its inquisitive eye sizing him up.
Perhaps he is wondering whether or not I will make a tasty morsel, he thought, as he slowly began backing away towards the safety of a nearby cave.
The tongue flicked inquiringly, touching his cheek, exploring the taste.
He’s getting ready to pounce – now is the time to run. And without he sprinted for the cave entrance.
The creature was hot on his heels, a frustrated bellow escaping from his mouth as his head and neck became jammed in the narrow entrance.
His head thrashed and teeth gnashed as he tried to push further into the cave, large body preventing any progress.
Tom moved slowly and carefully towards the gloomy back wall, hoping to find a crevice through which he could crawl to escape impending doom.
With the beast’s frenetic and concerted efforts, the cave entrance was beginning to crumble and Tom thought it was only a matter of moments before he would be upon him.
He felt a rush of cold air and, looking up, spied open sky and the perfect escape route. Sheer panic gave his legs wings and soon he was through the shaft and into the bright sunshine.
Looking back, he could see the rear end of the creature, tail thumping as it pushed ever onwards.
Thank god, he thought, someone up there is watching over me and he offered up a silent prayer as he ran into the woods – back to the safety of his father’s cottage.
A close escape!
The art of black magic, eh?
Love a bit of black magic