डरावना भारत

Photographic talents or ????

Aadit Dalal was an amateur photographer with a hunger for fame and success. The camera Aadit used was a cheap Kodak instamagic. You can see why Aadit dreamt of owning a Nikon like his rich friend Peter. Peter would let his friend Aadit develop his pictures in his dark room while he was developing his own. Aadit really envied Peter and his photographs and would often close his eyes and day dream about being a famous photographer some day. He was only sixteen years old. He wasn't old enough to get a job like his friend Peter and bring in a big pay check.   As peter was puffing on his cigarette in the dark room developing his film beside Aadit , Peter would often make remarks about Aadit 's photographs and tell him that if he wants to take photographs and pictures like him he needs to throw that cheap camera in the trash and buy one like his. Aadit replied with a lump in his throat. "You know I don't have a job and my parents wouldn't even consider buying me a camera such as yours." Peter replied back saying, "You know something Aadit , either you get a good quality camera or I am going to ask you to stop developing your so called photo graphs in my dark room. Your photographs are pathetic." Aadit answered back in a sad tone of voice, "That wasn't a very nice thing to say to your friend." "I know, but it's the truth and sometimes the truth hurts." Exclaimed Peter.  "Well let me tell you something Peter, I am going to own a camera like yours someday and when I do you'll be jealous of me", said Aadit in a stern voice. Aadit took his instamagic camera and photographs with him and told Peter that he wouldn't be back to see him until he finds that special camera. Peter just laughed it off and said to Aadit , "Looks like I'll be in the old age home when that happens." Aadit exited the dark room and slammed the door behind him, walked home and threw his instamagic camera at his bedroom wall. Aadit said, "What have I done, now I don't have a camera. What am I going to do now?" Aadit sat on his bed crying because he knew that he had no way of replacing the instamagic camera he just broke. Aadit made up a story about how the camera broke, but his father just laughed and said, "Are you out of your fucking mind. You'll be able to get a job in about a year then you can buy yourself a new camera." Aadit 's father turned away and told him that he didn't want to hear any of his whining about how he should buy him a new camera. Aadit yelled at his father saying, "But dad it was just an accident." Aadit 's dad turned back around and kicked him in his rear end and slammed the door behind him. Aadit lied down on his bed and cried his eyes out the rest of the night. Morning came and Aadit wiped the remaining tears from his cheeks. He took a deep breath and said a prayer. He decided instead of lying in bed all day sulking about why his friend Peter would be saying I told you so. Aadit got dressed and grabbed an apple from the kitchen and a cola can headed down the road on foot in search of that special camera. As Aadit was walking around the town square he came across an antique shop that had an old bellows camera in the display window. Aadit said to himself, " If I could just have that camera I bet it would take better pictures than Peter's." Aadit slumped over with tears again flowing down his cheeks knowing that in reality there was no freaking way he could afford such a beautiful camera. Just as Aadit was walking past the antique shop, an old man opened the door and came up to Aadit
and said, "I noticed you were looking at that old camera in the window as if it belonged to you." The old man introduced himself as Andy. Aadit answered, "Yes, sir, I was only wishing. I knew in my heart that I could not afford such a beautiful camera. Besides, I don't even have a job or any money to give you and my father told me that the only way I could get a new camera was to get a job next year. By that time your camera would be long gone and I would be heartbroken once more. Well I better be on my way, because if I don't get home soon my dad is going to hit me." "Not so fast!" the old man said in a tender voice. I've never had anyone come by my shop and want any of my antiques like you have. I tell you what if you really want the camera it's yours to keep. Don't worry about the money. Your money is no good to me. There's just one condition. Bring me a copy of the photos you take. I have a scrap book that I would love to place them in. That's all I ask of you. What do you say?" Aadit answered back eagerly, "Yes, sir, Aadit started crying because his prayer had been answered.  The old man handed Aadit the camera and the old man said, "Don't forget to bring me a copy of all of the photos." Don't worry I wouldn't forget. Thank you so very much," exclaimed Aadit . "One last thing Aadit , you have to use the special film that I carry in my shop? The film is also free of charge," replied the old man. "Sounds good to me," said Aadit in a rather excited voice. Aadit loaded the camera and took off to his friend Peter's house to show off his new camera. As Aadit ran down the street to Peter's house, the antique camera swung back and forth around his neck. Aadit was so very excited that it felt like an eternity to reach Peter's house. Aadit finally made it to Peter's house. Just as Aadit reached the front door he put his hands on his hips trying to catch his breath, after a couple of minutes Aadit stood up straight and started knocking on Peter's door in hopes that he was there. Peter opened the door and said, "What is it Aadit ? I thought I told you not to come by my house and bother me unless you had a good quality camera like mine." "I promise you wouldn't be disappointed," said Aadit excitedly. "Come on in dreamer, make it quick. I don't have all day for your shenigans," said Peter in a hateful voice. Aadit stepped inside Peter's house and took a picture of peter developing his pictures in his dark room. "Well let me see the picture. It probably takes pictures as good as your instamagic camera did," laughed Peter hysterically. "Very funny," replied Aadit . Come on with the photo Aadit . I'll give you one more minute and I am going to have to ask you to leave. I don't know why I let you in anyway. The photograph will probably be blurry anyway", said Peter in an extremely angry voice. "Ok! Here's what we have been waiting for," replied Aadit with excitement all over his face. Not only was the picture clearer than any of Peter's photographs from his expensive Nikon. But there was something both of them didn't expect. The photo showed a charred body in what looked like Peter's dark room. Peter took the picture out of Aadit 's hand and said "Is this some kind of a joke to scare me. Well if it is, it's not going to work. Get out of my house and never ever come back. If you do, i wouldn't be answering the door." Aadit picked the bent photograph off the floor in the dark room and quietly walked out of Peter's house. Peter should have taken the photograph more seriously. The next morning just as the photo was shown Peter's charred body was found inside his dark room by the fire department. The cause of death was determined that a cigarette fell into a pan of chemicals that is used in developing photographs in his dark room. Aadit was unaware of what had happened to Peter because his closest relatives were out of the country and wasn't notified about peter's tragic death until about a week later. Aadit took the photo to the antique shop as he was told to do. Aadit asked the old man, "I think there is something wrong with this camera you gave me?" The old man replied, "Let me see the photo." Aadit handed over the photo to him and the old man said, "I see that there is absolutely nothing wrong with this photo.  Your friend is rather handsome." Aadit replied, "What do you mean he's handsome." "Look for yourself." Laughed the old man. Aadit took the photo from his hand and had a bewildered look on his face and said, "I tell you there was a burnt body in a dark room and that was Peter's film hanging on the hooks to dry." "Aadit , I think all the excitement of having this beautiful camera, made you think you took a picture of a dead man.  Maybe you need to go home and get some rest. When you wake up in the morning, go take some pictures of your father and see what happens in the photo, "replied the old man. Aadit shook his head in disbelief at the photo and left the antique shop and headed for home. As Aadit was sitting at the dinner table he asked his father to say cheese. Aadit 's father replied, "I'll show you cheese! Can't you see i am trying to eat my dinner boy? Give me the camera right now or you are grounded." Aadit answered, No! It's my camera! Aadit snapped his father's picture. Aadit 's father got out of his chair and said "If you don't hand over the camera, I am going to have to give you a sound beating." Aadit wasn't about to give up the camera he so very longed for. He knew that if he handed over the camera to his father it would be certainly destroyed. Aadit ran upstairs to his room and locked his door before his father had a chance to put his hands on him. Aadit 's father banged on his door shouting "Let me in." Aadit had one another escape route and that was a tree next to his window. Aadit climbed out of the window and grabbed a hold of the tree just as his father burst through his door swinging his belt in the air saying, "Aadit you are going to get a beating you'll never forget." Aadit 's father was beet red and out of control. Aadit barely got down the tree because his father started shaking the tree violently in hopes that Aadit would fall. Aadit didn't have a choice but to jump from one of the branches that was ten feet off the ground. His heart was beating out of his chest and was scared for his life. He just realized that his father was drinking alcohol and when he drinks, the smallest of the things can send him into a rage that makes him wanting to fight. Aadit ran into his tree house for safety. He knew his father couldn't climb up the tree and get him. His father finally reached near the tree house shouting for his son to come down and take his punishment like a man. After about twenty minutes of telling for Aadit to come down from the tree his father told his son that he would simply just cut the tree down. Aadit thought he was just bluffing. All of a sudden he could hear a chain saw. He was crying and pleading with his father not to cut the tree down. He was too high in the tree and the chainsaw was too noisy for his pleas to reach his father. As the chainsaw was cutting into the tree and being that his father was drunk wasn't a good combination. The chainsaw got stuck and when he tried to get it free he pulled back too hard and cut a main artery in his leg and bled to death. There was no way Aadit could save his father. Aadit just remembered about taking a photo of his father at the dining table and decided to take the camera to his room and check out the photo. As he pulled out the photo from the camera he dropped to his knees crying profusely. He could've saved his father's life if he would've seen what was on the picture that was taken. He ran as fast as he could to the old man's antique shop to have him explain his way out of this photo. Aadit banged on the front doo of the antique shop yelling, "Let me in you murderer!!! The old man opened the door and said, "What's wrong?" Aadit replied "You know damn well what's wrong." The old man said "Calm down!" Aadit handed the photo to the old man and he said, "I don't know what you're talking about." He handed the photo back to Aadit and Aadit looked at it again. It just showed Aadit 's father at the dinner table with a mean look on his face. Aadit ran to the front door of the shop to escape, but it was just too late. The old man was laughing hysterically and said, "you silly fool, nothing in this world is for free." Aadit was shaking so bad and wetting on himself because of the evilness that was coming from the old man. The old man yanked the camera from Aadit 's neck and snapped his picture. Then Aadit disappeared without a trace. The old man wasn't who he seemed. He was a dark magician full of evil in his heart. The sorcerer started laughing hysterically and look inside the lens. There he was Aadit  trapped inside the camera for all of eternity.  The sorcerer needed someone to want the camera so bad that they would give their own life for it and that's just what Aadit  did. The haunted camera needed to have a poor soul like Aadit  to keep it alive. The sorcerer placed the camera back in the display window waiting for the next willing person to come along.