A Most Unusual Camera

"What can I get for ya, darling?" The waitress asked, smiling. She must've had a rough week because I could tell that her smile was forced. She looked like one of those 1950-style waitresses, her hair in a loose bun dangling down to her shoulder. She wore a blue diner-style dress and had a nametag that read 'Sally'.

"Coffee, black- with two sugars. Oh, and can you make that to go please." I answered as I grabbed a seat by the window in the corner.

"Of course, sweetheart! Coming right up. One last question- You got a name for the order?" The waitress asked as she scribbled down my order in her notebook.

"Oh, sure, I almost forgot," I exclaimed, "It's Clio."

"Thanks, Darlin. I'll be right back with your order." She stated as she wrote my name down and headed back to the donut-ridden counter.

I pause and think about what I should to do today. My plan was to grab some coffee, give a generous tip to poor Sally, and explore this strange new city. I moved here to L.A. from a small town in Florida about a month ago and it is remarkably different. The people are more outgoing and alive. Since I'm new, I'm still exploring the town. But, recently, I had found this small little coffee shop. I've only been here a couple of times, but I love the ambiance of this place.

I look outside and watch as the people paraded around on the open street. I wondered what everyone was up to, how they can live such simple yet complex lives. If you move to L.A. From practically any other state, it's because you want to become an actor or actress. Just like if you want to be on Broadway, you move to New York. It's what you do to get by. But I came here to photograph. I'd rather watch people than interact with them. I'm no great figure, but my people skills aren't my strong suit. I find it easier to watch them and wait rather than engage. I lose my train of thought right as my waitress comes back. She places my coffee on the table along with some sugar and creamers. I thank her and as she was about to leave, a question popped into my mind.

"Do you know if there are any antique shops around here? Preferably ones that may sell vintage polaroid's? I'm new here and I'm still exploring so I haven't found any yet."

"Of course, darling! There's an old shop down the road to the right. It's called The Golden Crow. But some folks say that the objects they sell are of the supernatural kind. I'm sure its all a bunch of hoo-doo, make believe sort, but just be careful, love." She adds one of her signature smiles as I thank her and tip. Her trademarked smile turned into a genuine smile as she thanks me profusely and took her leave.

Of the Supernatural kind? What was that supposed to mean? Surely she couldn't be serious I reassure myself as I grab my coffee and head out. I follow her directions until I come across the shop. It was a cottage-styled place, kind of like the houses of fairytales. It kind of looked like someone had put a red door in a hole in the wall. It was no great feat, but if anything, it was underwhelming. I open the door and walk right into this little house under a hill. I walk around, taking inventory of all the items. To the right, there was a section on antique instruments- phonographs, grand pianos, record players- those kinds of things. To the left, there was furniture of all sorts- sofas, dressers, and desks. Dead center, there were small trinkets- jewelry boxes, alarm clocks, and compasses. What use would someone have with an antique compass? Then again, most of the items in here don't really serve a purpose for modern-day use. Now, we have technology to do the work for us. I browse the sheleves for about 15 minutes until I came across a section called "Et Thesauros Antiquorum". I assume that it meant vintage items, maybe even a camera. I head over to the section and analyze all its items. Finally, I come across it. An antique Polaroid camera.

The strange thing was is that it didn't have a place to put in the film. On a modern-day Polaroid camera, the back opens up and you can buy more film to take more pictures. It was a normal black box with a handle on the top. The lens was on one end and a button on the opposite. Weirdly enough, though, there were words inscribed on it, but it wasn't in English. I look closer and it looked like Latin. It stated 'Ad X dominus. Sapienter uti perierit" I brush that aside, after all, it was what I was looking for. An antique camera. The camera. My camera. I look around for a price tag or something that can tell me how much it was, but I couldn't find one. Come to think of it, none of the other items in that section had a price tag. Why?