The Accidental Photograph (Short story)

The Accidental Photograph

The sound of knocking causes Ajit's head to snap up. He quickly pulls out the sheet he had immersed in water and proceeds to hang it up, pausing slightly to check on the details that have appeared on the paper. Satisfied, he dries his hands with a rag, and heads out of the door, shutting the red light illuminating the room.

The sky is dark blue in color, the moon faded into view, clouds partly hiding it. There is an elderly man standing in front of the door. Ajit steps out of the shack he was working in. He spots the elderly man standing in front of him and asks, "Dadu? What happened?" He shuts the door, sliding in the latch, and turns to face his grandfather.

"It's Saturday tomorrow." He replies. "You have to go to Patnaik ji's farm to help him." He continues, face a combination between exasperated and amused at the blank look Ajit levels him with. After a few moments, recognition dawns on Ajit's face and he ruffles his hair in embarrassment. "Sorry Dadu." He says apologetically. "6 in the morning, right?" He tacks on quickly, hoping to distract the elderly man as he sees his grandfather's hand lifting to smack him on the head.

The smack on his head proved that his attempt at distraction didn't work. He rubs his head, and frowns a bit at his grandfather. His grandfather only shakes his head in response. "What should I do with you?" He asked, rhetoric. "You are 19 now. Still you get lost in that photography of yours." He said, wrinkling his nose, looking towards the shack behind Ajit. Ajit just sighed. They had had this conversation multiple times.

As he opened his mouth to speak, his grandfather sighed and said, "Whatever." He waved his hand dismissively. "Just go to Mr. Patnaik's farm tomorrow." He paused. His eyes narrowed, "Don't be late." He warned, pointing a finger at Ajit.

Ajit smiled a bit and raised his hands to placate his grandfather. "Yes. Yes. I'll go on time." His grandfather didn't reply, just looked at him. The silence stretched a bit. His grandfather then relented, and smiled. "Say, Ajit," he started, "when will your new project be done?" Ajit laughed and slipped a hand around his grandfather's shoulders, hearing the unsaid words, when will you show me what you have been working on? He steered them in the direction of their house and started walking. "Soon dadu." He said as he squeezed his grandfather's shoulder. "It is almost done." His grandfather just shook his head with a smile and continued walking, letting the boy ramble on about his photos.

_._

Feet pounded, blowing up dust as Ajit ran towards Mr. Patnaik's farm.

I'm going to be late, thought Ajit.

He had woken up just before sunrise, good thing too, because that gave him almost an hour to get ready and be at his workplace. It takes only 15 minutes to get there, he had thought, and promptly fell asleep, thinking to get up in some time.

He ended up sleeping till only 10 minutes were left for his assigned time, and ran as soon as he woke up.

The bleary-eyed boy almost didn't see his friend near Mr. Patnaik's Farm. He slowed down and turned to look at him. "Pradip! Going to Patnaik ji's farm?" He asked between harsh pants, as he placed a hand on his chest to calm his rapid heartbeat.

Pradip patted him on the back and replied, "Whoa, whoa. Take it easy. Yes, I am." He then looks towards the sky and pushes Ajit on the back. "Come on. We should hurry. We don't have much time left. You know how Patnaik ji hates tardiness." He said while urging his friend to walk faster. Ajit gave him a nod and complied.

Both of them started walking quickly towards the house, a few meters away. They could see a man wearing a white dhoti and kurta along with a cloth strung over his should, standing on the porch of the house. He was standing with a hand fisted on his waist and an annoyed look on his face as he saw Ajit and Pradip speed-walking towards him. He called out, "Hurry up boys. We don't have all day."