ASH

I frowned as I scanned the pictures on my desk. I have already arranged them in the order I wanted but still, there's something missing. I looked closely at the photographs. They were all finely taken. I frowned harder. I cannot fathom what's wrong.

"There's no story." The door opened and closed harshly behind me. Donald, my Irish, weird, geeky, not-so-funny, always-hungry roommate went in. He peeked at my work.

"What do you mean there's no story, eh? I documented these photos everyday to build a sto-rey." That accent of his just gets stronger everyday. I defended my work. He walked past me and dropped his bag on the couch. He headed to the fridge and raided it for whatever edible he could find inside.

"When I say story, I mean the real story, man. The story that is implied, that is not visible. The story behind every image." He emphasized that last sentence with his eyes dimmed a little and his hands making up these "images" in the air. He opened a can of soda and lunged into it. He keeps this chill atmosphere and walks towards the TV. He turned it on. I just sat there, looking at him, watching his every move. He sat on the couch.

"It's the emotions you have to watch out for. In each of your subjects, there's a story behind them. It's hidden in their emotions." He said that without looking at me. He kept on drinking his soda while his eyes were fixed on the football game.

I kept staring at him. He felt my stare and looked at me, confused. "What?"

"But, I've already made up a story using all of the photos." I reasoned like a child, hoping for the consideration he would give. But he's a filmmaker, an independent filmmaker. And he knows far better than I do when it comes to "stories" and "frames".

"A masterpiece is just a single piece of art, Ash. Not a compilation. A single image must tell the story itself." I frowned and gazed back at my work. He seems annoyed now. Well, I think I must repeat all these work. But I have to submit these tomorrow. I'll just work on these then and make it up next time.

I kept all the pictures inside my portfolio in the same arrangement. I am beyond determined to be fancied upon by Ms. Johnson. They say that this woman gives massive job opportunities for freelance photographers like me once she really fancied your work. I desperately need that job at Eagle, which definitely will give me the opportunity to land a permanent job with the states' largest publishing company.

I went to bed and prepared myself for the next day. Tomorrow, I'll no longer be a freelance photographer with no name. Tomorrow, I will be Ash Clayton, one of the greatest photographers this world will ever know.