Tales From Sin City (Completed)

Story (01): The Righteous Angle -Ch 03-

"You should've seen the article's editors and the rest of their team's faces as soon as they saw the picture, pure priceless " as I spoke, we were heading back towards the agency. Afternoons aren't much different from the early mornings only that the streets looked to be less crowded. Somehow as well the rest of the passing bodies mostly belonged to young highschoolers heading god knows where.

"I Still can't believe that you ran" thought my intern, out loud " And were you sure that you'd snap the picture? what if you haven't? "

A sudden spark lit within my brain due to his strange yet somehow true hypothesis, it surprised me that I never thought of it back then.

The background white noise of car breaks and the teenager's loud giggles crept to my hearing, someone was yelling on the phone for questionable reasons, we passed by a series of distinct shops and restaurants and many cafes, therefore, the strong aroma of freshly made coffee followed our shadows as we moved. Consequently, my body, mind, and soul craved a hot cup of dark coffee. However, my feet dragged us forward pushing my childish desires away "act like a mentor! " they cried in the background. Soon my mind re-engaged in the conversation thinking but to answer truthfully.

"With all honesty, I did not think of this possibility" my eyes fell on a medium rock laying on the sidewalk hence, I couldn't resist but to kick it away with my left foot soon my hands hid within my pants pockets again.

"All that I was willing to do was simply to seize one picture, and I think my confidence was enough to make me believe that one right picture was all that it takes "

"one picture ... " repeated my intern heavily breathing, and by then I took a mental note of his affection of repeating my words, and not many words but only those that make him ...think.

"Indeed, " as the word escaped my mouth I noticed that he's taken quite seconds to process what I've just said. Almost instantly as we turned the last block, a cold harsh whiff of wind pushed against us causing a battle between our direction and its current. Observing the silence surrounding us I quickly took note of my intern's desire of remaining silent therefore I didn't dare to break it. Sometimes all that it takes for an explanation is simply silence. Instantly as we arrived I pushed the thick entrance glass door open which cost me quite the effort, quickly my eyes searched the lobby for Anna, the receptionist, I flashed her a smile which she returned happily with another warm of hers. My intern shyly waved to her.

Hurriedly we headed downstairs to my favorite spot of the entire building, the Darkroom.

The hallway downstairs was deserted. Apparently, the other two photographers were long gone haunting new pictures since the place isn't usually as empty, yet shortly after swinging the door open the silence surrounding us weighed a thousand pounds as if creating this thick guilty atmosphere resembling the vibes you sense when you accidentally step on an ant or cause the death of a butterfly. Snatching the camera from my neck and all the necessary materials I turned to my intern.

"Here, you take the lead I will explain each step of the process" I pointed towards the enlarger as I backed away turning the lights off seconds later, the red led lamps automatically sparked into life.

Developing a picture is such an artistic delicate procedure that never ceases to bring back the glinting passion that photography has planted deep down my soul, and with every spoken word, I cautiously explained the steps to my intern, from opening the cassette to loading the film and cutting it off with scissors and to ensure I stood right behind him allowing him therefore to do all the necessary work. His skin beamed as the hypnotizing red lights covered each object placed in the room, he was sweating intensely, which seemed to be just another reaction of the way his body responded to concentration, captivating.