Forgotten Photography: The Case Of Maddison Valentine

Chapter One

Evergreen focused on the beautiful foliage that surrounded her, making sure not to breathe too heavily as to not to disturb the small rabbits nuzzling each other between the thorn bushes. It provided ample protection from any predators and made for a good spot to dig a small den for their ever growing family. Evergreen had just barely snapped a good image of the fuzzy lovers when they were spooked by something and dashed away, making Evergreen frustratingly sigh.

I really hope I managed to get a good photo out of that. Evergreen thought to herself, starting to pack up her gear. She looked up to the sun starting to set, and quickly made sure she had everything before setting on her way home. She wasn't far, in fact she could smell the food her mother was cooking, causing her belly to growl and her mouth to water. She zipped up the duffle bag and gently moved it over her shoulder, briskly moving so she could make it home before dinner was done. As she opened the door to her house, her mother called out from the kitchen in a sing-song voice.

"Dinner is almost ready, Evie, hurry up and get ready to eat!" This made Evergreen smile, and she quickly called out back to her mother.

"Okay Mama! Give me just a moment!" She climbed her way upstairs, setting her gear down on her bed, unzipping the bag and plugging her camera to her computer. She inspected the photos she had taken for the day, and was relieved to see that the bunny photo came out crystal clear and adorable.

Thank Goodness.

As she flipped through her photos, she deleted any that didn't come out clear, but then one photo jumped out to her.

What is THAT?

Evergreen zoomed in on the photo of the rays of sunshine coming through some fluffy rain clouds to see a woman standing on a hill that resided in front of the beautiful forest. She couldn't make out any features, in fact, it almost seems like a black hole in the shape of a woman. The photo gave Evergreen goosebumps, but she shook her head. It's probably nothing, right? After all, it could just be a glitch in her camera or a clever trick of the light. She zoomed back out and sighed, realizing it could be anything. She still decided to print all the photos out and pin them up on her wall above her computer.

Evergreen sat back in her computer chair, looking at her desk. A picture of her father holding a three year old Evergreen on his shoulders, both laughing in glee sat next to her computer tower. It made Evergreen smile every time she looked at it. Next to it sat her father's badge in a glass protective case, Evergreen gazing at it longingly. She was nineteen now, and she wished she could remember him clearly. It didn't bother her every day that he wasn't present, but it hurt a little when she sat down to think about it. She still vaguely remembered the day they got the news about her father, the sound her mother made was one that sounded like a woman whose heart was ripped from her chest.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her mom's voice.

"Evergreen! Dinner is ready!"

Evergreen quickly got up from her desk, and went into her bathroom. She washed her hands, and dried them off, staring out the window above the toilet. An uneasy feeling settled in her stomach, but she ignored it, there was no reason to freak out over a picture. It also could have just been a woman from town spending time outside, after all. No reason to worry.

Right?

As she dried her hands off, she made her way downstairs, seeing something out of the corner of her eye of one of the stairwell windows. She quickly looked outside and laughed at herself when she saw nothing. She was so jumpy, with no point in being so. She made her way to the kitchen, ready for dinner, the smell of delicious food caressing her nose, food would definitely settle those sparky nerves.