Page 37 of A Light in the Dark
“This model can wirelessly transfer files to phones and computers, but you can get a chip reader for about thirty dollars.”
“Hook me up with the chip reader, too.”
Within five minutes, Chuck had the backpack ready, handed it off to me, and escorted me to the counter, where he began the process of ringing me up, armed with my card. He paused long enough to get me to confirm the amount before finalizing the payment. Once I had my wallet back inmy purse where it belonged, I discovered my new backpack could carry everything I needed with some space to spare.
The entire time, Joel played with his camera, lost in an entirely different world. Chuck grinned at my neighbor, shook his head, and went off, returning with four different boxes. Two I recognized as disposable film cameras, which held twenty-five shots each. The other two boxes were also film cameras, and like the fancy ones, they did not come with lenses. “I hear you want to play with film, Joel.”
That caught my neighbor’s attention, and he removed the big lens from his camera, put the caps back on, and packed everything into his bag. “I do.”
“These are the best disposables I have, and if you’re wanting to play with film with your friend, you want these puppies. They’ll ding you seven hundred each, plus a hundred each for the lens you want with them. Each roll of film will cost you twenty dollars.”
“Twenty rolls of film, please.” Joel picked up the box for the new toy, flipped it over, and read the back. “You’ll treat me nicely when it’s time to develop this, right?”
“I’ll think about it,” Chuck replied with a grin. “You left your friend unattended, and she went on a bit of a spree.”
Joel shot me a look. “I was going to buy your camera!”
I pointed at the new film camera. “But you are buying my camera. This is a second camera, which I’m buying for me. It’s green. I picked it based on its color.” I turned and showed him my new backpack. “This is also green, and I love it. I think it’ll hold that camera, too.”
“It’ll hold it with no problems,” Chuck confirmed. “While you were playing, she phoned a friend and asked about the camera, if it would be good for her, and found outabout the bag. The bag is a steal, honestly. That puppy usually costs two hundred, but it was in the bundle for seventy-five.”
“Good buy, Valerie.” Joel dug out his wallet and handed over a card. “Did she get extra batteries and memory chips?”
“She did.”
“Get her two extra batteries and two extra chips on me since she stole my thunder.”
I laughed at my neighbor’s excess. “That’s not necessary, but thank you.”
“You’ll appreciate them. I’ve blown through ten batteries in a single photography session before.” Once Joel had his additions to my collection in hand, he gave them to me. “I should apologize. I’ve been waiting for that lens for weeks, and I wasn’t expecting it for another two or three at the earliest. I got excited.”
I took my new plunder, laughed, and put it in my backpack along with the new film camera, my share of the rolls, and the lens, all of which were still in their boxes. While it took a little work, I managed to fit everything along with my purse. “Don’t be sorry for being excited or happy about something. However, I am going to insist we leave the store, because we are engaging in an adventure, and we have acquired everything we need for said adventure.”
Joel grinned, waved to Chuck, and picked up his bag. “I’m sure I’ll be back soon enough.”
“I’m sure you will be, and maybe next time, you’ll show a little restraint.”
“Never!”
I laughed, headed for Joel’s SUV, and waited for him to unlock the door. My new bag fit at my feet with plenty ofroom to spare. Once he had the vehicle started, I said, “I may need more practice at being a kidnapping victim.”
“I definitely need more practice at being a kidnapper. Had I been doing my job, I would have caught you in the act and stolen the bill. Instead, I allowed a seductress of a lens to hold my complete attention.”
“You can show me how your new darling works later,” I promised. “At the same time, you can teach me how to use my new camera. Chuck put it together for me, but unless I get a lot of help, I will be carrying around four extra lenses without a clue in hell of how to use anything.”
“I think I am qualified to help you with that, and I’ll try my best to make you not regret it.”
THIRTEEN
We are spoiled and cannot live without the internet.
Two hours outside of Stonecreek,within thirty minutes of where I had grown up as a child, Joel drove me deep into the woods down an unpaved path. His SUV handled the journey with grace, and I discovered the man loved getting mud on his tires and all over the rest of his vehicle. After two miles of untamed terrain, we hit a gravel road, which wound its way through an ancient wood.
The first time Joel stopped and pointed at something, I had no idea what he wanted me to spot, but then a pair of wings rustled, and I realized I beheld hundreds upon hundreds of sleeping luna moths. I gasped, and once I had spotted the first cluster of them, they no longer were able to hide from me. “Are these mundane or shifter?”
“They are mundane. These ones came out two days ago, and they rest during the day. The garden store is a bit down the way, but this is where we’re going to do our photography. There’s a waterfall, a prime picnic spot, and an excellentplace to view luna moths. We’ll go to the store first, load up the SUV, and wait for the luna moths to start waking up. They become active two or three hours before sunset, so we have plenty of time to have lunch, and we can have dinner after it gets dark.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Did your garden store friend tell you they hatched?”
