Luke and the Photo

My hands are shaking as I hold the photo. I don't need to be reminded of this. I sit with it every day, its toad-like presence: dark, watching, ready to leap, blinking stoically day-in day-out. I can feel it getting twitchy now. I want to squash it.

Who? Who has sent this? How? How did they get it? Why? Why now?

My palms are sweating. Calm, Luke. Calm.

I look at the envelope. It is blank which means that someone came and put it through the door. I wish I had one of those doorbells now, one of those "Ring"s. Mystery solved in an instant.

I look at the photo. Printed on quality photographic paper, not plain. No mark to say where, just plain white on the reverse.

I sit. Put the photo on the table. Think.

It's inevitable that my thoughts are going to take me back to that day. That's pretty much how it always goes.

I take deep breaths, pick up the photo again. I see the back of my head as I run carefree. Carefree! I wasn't to know that hours later my life would change irrevocably. God, to be that boy again. I'd turn and run home.

Reluctantly, I pan through my head, reliving, starting where the day began. I didn't want to go. Laney persuaded me. I remember a camera. She had it on a strap round her wrist. She said she wanted to be a photographer when she grew up; was fascinated by pictures of war zones and other lands. She'd have made it too, I reckon.

Oh God, Laney! I'm sorry! I wish we'd never gone there that day! Fuck! Why did you have to fall?

I breathe deeply as I've been taught when panic threatens me and the wave subsides.

She took her camera off, I'm sure of it, because she didn't want to damage it. Irony not lost.

I don't remember where she put it. Did Mark or Matt pick it up? I don't know. But why the photos? They wouldn't send them, would they?

Matt. I need to talk to him.

I go to pick up my phone and it "dings" with a new message.

***

366 words

A continuation of an idea spawned by two stories I decided to link below:

Yesterday's story was Bethan. Vocal won't let me put the link. Sorry.

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