Jack Frost and the Ice Machine

Thinking back over his younger days, Matt had always loved taking pictures of people, and he spent most of his free time looking through the viewing lenses of his small Kodak camera. The camera was one that he had bought himself, and had become the love of his life. Actually his number one love was his mother, and the brownies she made for him. Another thought came to mind in his thinking back, as he remembered the reaction big Jim Davis had shown the day when his stepson began talking about the picture he had been taking. Big Jim had shouted that he wanted to see the damn camera, and then after seeing it, said that he didn’t think anyone should play with a thing like that. After putting the camera on the floor of the kitchen that night, he set one of his big feet on it and told Matt that he was going to smash it. Matt had begged and begged, and then began to cry not understanding why his stepfather could be so mean. Seeing the tears that came to Matt’s eyes, Big Jim just laughed and raising his big brogans he stomped on the camera. It took a few tries even with his big feet, but he finally had it in pieces. He was smiling when he looked up at Matt, and at first he told Matt to shut up and then shouted that he never wanted to see a camera in his house again. Matt in a state of shock went to his room that night, but unknown to Jim he did get another camera later. This one was never brought home, and none of the pictures were ever seen at the house while Jim was home, or expected any time soon. Matt kept it at the bus station in a twenty five-cent locker, and over the years Big Jim was never the wiser. It was in the seventh grade that Matt had signed up and taken a photography class, and right away knew this was what he wanted to do with his life. His teacher could see the enthusiasm and interest come alive in Matt during the instruction and lab classes, and did all he could to give him the knowledge he needed to pursue this field. He found that Matt had a good eye for composition and light, and over the year they would go on many field trips together. To the teacher, Matt was like a sponge soaking up everything he could about photography. Matt soon had learned to build a picture that was pleasing to the eye, but also how to develop his film. After he had graduated to high school, he made it a point to bring some of the pictures home on the sly and show them to his mother. Loving her only son she always thought his work was very good, and had told him that he should take as many pictures as he could. Especially after he said he thought he would do this for a living. During the last few years’ life at home never got any better, and the beatings and an occasional boot to the rear end never helped close the riff between his stepfather and himself. These days Matt spent most of his spare time away from the house, and it was one night during his junior year that found him strolling around town with his new camcorder. He had been shooting some film of the street people, since they always turned out to be his best subjects. In some of the faces he found the look of dejection and diminished hope. Others had accepted this station in life, and went day to day talking and spending time with a group of people that held the same feelings. With them he would see a smile now and again, and after talking with a few of them, he found that most of them liked the idea of having their pictures taken. Pushing a shopping cart or hauling huge backpacks, they would gathered at night in the same area for safety. Many had large cardboard boxes they slept in, and other tried to find a spot where a business was discharging steam. In these spots, you might find several sharing the heat. Most of the time he would carry a still camera along, and some of the still shots he was able to come back finding this person or that one, and would give out copies of the pictures to the subjects on the film. For many, this was the first time they had a picture of themselves, and told him they would always cherish the photo. One night after being on the streets for three hours, he was tired and decided to call it a night and headed for home. He had replaced on the lens cap, and was on his way to the bus station locker when he happen to pass an darkened alley, and noticed two men going in and out of the back door of a store part way down the block. It dark twenty feet in from the street, and from where he stood it looked like it could be a robbery going on even as he watched. Thinking along this line, he stood to one side of the ally entrance and watched as the two men went in and out. The camcorder in his hand, seemed to warm his fingers as if to tell him this was a chance to film something different. If it was a robbery he decided to shoot it just in case. This was his first chance to do something of this nature, and the blood began to surge through his veins just thinking about doing anything this dangerous. If they caught him it would probably cost him his life. Luckily the alley was very dark almost all the way to where the men worked, and from what he could see, it looked like he would be able to move down very close if he was careful. The only light that showed in the alley was the small amount of light coming from the doorway of the store, and that came out only far enough to cover the back of the truck. Stepping into the darkness of the alley, he pushed up against the walls back of the stores on the opposite side of the alley and walked quietly forward. Before long the decaying smells of garbage and old trash were assailing his nose, but he tried to push these things from his mind. He moved as close as he could to a dumpster not far from the store, and stopping there, he looked everything over then decided that this was a close as he should get. If this was in fact a robbery he was in a great spot to film it, but he also in great danger if one the men happened to look up and catch his outline back here.