Choose Your Own Photo - Art Projects

Art Projects

 They, plural, laughed all the way down the cracked sidewalk, dirty converse getting their rubber scuffed up even more by their skipping steps. Together they were rediscovering the spirit of adventure, lead by an art class standard, google maps, and fun. Hannah had a guitar case slung over a shoulder, and Oliver held a long-board under one arm. Neither prop would clue you in to their projects for which they were exploring, but did add to the element of fun. Oliver's board was his means of transport to meet Hannah, and her guitar was for later. She needed to collect flowers to press, and she'd decided the both of them would stay in the field outside the city for a while, because it was the only way she could get Oliver to sing with her. Oliver's project was a photo collage he would develop himself in the school's red room, and Hannah was going to be the subject of most of those pictures.

Currently, they were in a part of the city neither of them were familiar with, but according to Hannah's phone, the street held a store that could provide Oliver with film for his father's old camera. She looked at the lit screen, then up ahead of them at a red and yellow sign.

"We're almost there!" She declared brightly.

Oliver nodded, his eye being caught by the dull sign as well. He pulled his jean jacket closer around him against the early spring air. The snow had melted last month, but the chill hung around, as it always seemed to, even into summer. Glad to be arriving at the store, Oliver held the door open for Hannah, who ducked under his arm and entered the store wide eyed.

She felt like she was entering a dimension in which time hadn't passed since 1992. CD's hung from the ceiling, spinning on strings with polaroid pictures clipped to them. A counter in the back corner held the film Oliver was searching for, as well as cameras that were decades old. Hannah's attention was drawn across the room, and she separated from Oliver to inspect what she saw. As she moved, her thin fingers traced along the aisles she passed, filled with cases of old pins and patches, shelves of dog-eared books, handmade items she'd have to take a little longer look at, and most importantly, the wall of musical bits and bobs. First stop, stacks of milk crates filed with records, each labeled with a piece of cardstock handwritten to display the genre or artist within the dull bins. She walked down the wall, flicking through crates that caught her eye noting which ones she'd like to buy if they ever came back, until she came to the record player plugged in at the end of the shelf. It had a pricetag, but also held a vinyl disc that she couldn't help but put the needle to. The soft crackle lead into the B side of a Steppenwolf album, Hannah couldn't help but grin as the opening riff to "Magic Carpet Ride" caught Oliver's attention across the store.

Oliver had been pleasantly chatting with the man behind the counter, a manager of sorts, about the film he needed for the camera around his neck when he heard a familiar guitar riff, one that typically came from one of Hannah's fretboards or a playlist curated by that same little artist. He'd grown to love the... song, and it brought a smile to his face as he paid for the film and thanked the man behind the counter, turning around to rejoin his partner. He also was able to take note of the extensive collection of vintage items between the photography and musical sections as he crossed the aisles, fiddling with the roll of film in his sherpa-lined pocket. Hannah floated towards him, all bright smiles and graceful motions to the beat of the music coming from the record player. He took her hand and spun her in a circle, and smiled as if she were being silly, childish even, and started towards the front of the store. He grabbed her guitar case with his free hand, passing it off to her as she trotted beside him, and watched her sling it over her shoulder, noting how determined she looked to make it just as comfortable as it had been on the walk they'd been taking. The wrinkle in her freckled nose and the slight raise to her arched eyebrow while she fussed with the straps until, just before they reached the door, she was satisfied and smiled again.

Just like when they entered, he opened the door for her, and she scuttled out and onto the street, reaching a hand behind her for him to take, which he did. Together, they set off down the cracked sidewalk, now following the skyline of the trees just outside the city to find flowers for Hannah. Oliver thought about letting go of Hannah's hand to put the film in his camera, and capture the moment he felt, with a soundtrack of the Steppenwolf song he'd memorized and a costar of his favorite person, but he decided just to live it. There'd be time for pictures when she uncased the guitar and wasn't looking at him, and he'd have even more excuse to look at her.