Photographs By Me

I have tried another pic fic, this time with extra emphasis on the fic, and less on the quality of the pic. If I emphasize too much on the fic, I might start writing short stories for a sister site of mine, allowing “Photographs By Me” to keep a focus on photography, and improving my photograph taking. That said, the story beings.

For the photographs in this part of the story, I used the setting of “night-time along the street” to work together with the yellow lighting I was stuck working with.

Hearing sounds, Clara told Jennifer to follow her through the dark of night. The two went into an alley, only to find themselves cornered. Their pursuer made himself known: their distant uncle who runs the sweatshop they hoped to flee.

“You two have been naughty,” the short man said, illuminated by yellow street lights. “You know you’re not allowed to leave the shop.”

“Jen, stand behind me,” Clara said, holding an arm out in front of her older sister.

Clara looked back for a moment to ensure Jennifer would be safe. At this time, the man grabbed Clara by the leg, swinging her around, and throwing her to the ground.

As Jennifer watched helplessly, another man set a hat on her head. He asked her to “please model as a coat rack for a moment”, and handed her his coat and jacket. “The first piece of information to reveal is that this man is no distant uncle of yours.” The man rolled up his sleeves. “His real name is Wally Michaels, and he runs a company in the States called ‘Clown Noses International’, which acts as one part of an international operation for finding orphans to take in and put to work.”

Clara sat up a little. “That explains the big, pink nose he always wears.” Jennifer added, “With a fake mustache, too!”

“It’s all lies!” the short man, Michaels, shouted out.

“A piece of hair found its way into the envelope with the letter sent to me. It’s made with a unique synthesis method, a method patented by the Clown Noses International company for use in clown wigs. I’ve been in contact with a few of Noses’s recent customers–not an easy task with as closed as the company keeps information–and learned the wigs are used to give a uniform look to all of Michaels’s workers, as if they’re all distant relatives of his.”

“Lies!” Michaels repeated.

“I’ve had Interpol collect a few of your friends, Michaels. I sparked up a conversion with with your pal Velmont. I talked a bit about raising children in a work environment with your good friend Baby Face.”

“I don’t know anybody by those names!” Michaels said, continuing to shout.

“Does the name Jonsylinskivenchykz mean nothing to you? He’s good at dodging the heat after kidnapping a victim, and even gave Interpol a hard time chasing him down. I wouldn’t even have suspected him if it wasn’t for your company hosting his 52nd birthday party. Yes, Michaels, Interpol even has photographs from that affair in its GUGL suspected-criminal database. After Interpol takes you in, ask ‘em to GUGL ‘Jonsylinskivenchykz’ for you.”

“That’s illegal!” The short Michaels gritted his teeth as the detective stepped up to him, towering overhead.

“No one will care.”

“Why are you saying this?” Michaels asked, his breathing heavy, and sweat forming along his brow.

“I mimed a nice conversation with Porter, your silent man working in both government and media. I’ve dined with McKinney, and learned about his company providing all the green outfits your ‘young relatives’ wear to help give the look of relation.”

The short man stepped back.

“If you expect Sven to get you out of here, and Tee to get you into the States, you’re gravely mistaken, Mr. Michaels.”

Michaels tried to run, but the detective grabbed him by the overalls.

“Who are you?” Michaels asked.

“How rude of me,” the detective responded. “My name is Daniel MacGuinness, and I am a detective.”

“Oh!” Jennifer cried out with excitement. “That’s the letter you meant! It’s the one I sent to you!”

A group of Interpol agents appeared in the alley, took Michaels into custody, and vanished into an armored van. The van disappeared into the night.

Daniel kneeled beside Clara. “Forgive me, lass, for taking so long to arrive.” He reached out a hand to her. Her placed her hand in his. “Had I been her sooner, you would not have suffered like this.”

“Are you really detective Daniel MacGuinness?” Jennifer asked him as he helped her sister to her feet.

“The one and only,” Daniel replied. “Room has been made for the two of you and any other US-born citizens to be placed in an orphanage near where I work. Others will be sent to their home countries, and placed in proper homes there.”

“If you had all that planned,” Clara asked, “Then why did you invite the two of us out here?”

“Simple,” Daniel said. “We needed a way to lure Michaels out of the shop, so Interpol and I could go in and investigate.”

“You mean you were taking your time looking around the shop while that man was attacking us?” Clara demanded.

“I assure you, no physical harm was meant to come of this.”

“Well, that makes it all better,” Clara responded, her words twisted with sarcasm.

“Further,” Daniel added, “you two alone are granted a special transportation to America in a friend’s personal plane. Counting the pilot and the co-pilot–myself–the plane seats four. If the two of you are ready, we shall leave at once.”

~fin~

A bit of commentary…

When I first planned out this chapter, I had Daniel arrive to take Jennifer and Clara back to America with him. Here is how some of the original dialogue went:

Clara: “What about everyone else in the shop? Are you just going to leave them?”

Daniel: “I can’t save everyone, Miss Clara.”

Clara: “You didn’t even try!”

Daniel: “There are shops like that all over Asia, and in other countries, too. What would you have me do? Shut them all down?”

Clara: “I don’t see why not.”

Daniel: “I am only one person. I do what I can do, but there is no way I can save everybody. I don’t have any super-human powers to be a world hero.”

Clara: “Well, maybe you should! Have you even tried saving more than one or two people?”

Daniel (looking away): “Not everyone can be saved. I look for those asking for my help. This is all I can do. I can’t be everywhere and do everything.”

Upon realizing I had already hinted at “Uncle” following the sisters, I realized he’d have to be taken in by the law, and the above idea came crashing down.

Without Clara getting mad at Daniel for not “saving the world”, I needed something in its place, and decided to go local. It’s because of Jennifer’s trust in Daniel that the girls were in danger in the first place. If it wasn’t Clara who was attacked, it would have been Jennifer, and if Daniel didn’t show up when he did, it would have been both of the two. This also fits in better with ideas I have for future stories with these two.