Kodak Color

Max was cleaning out her junk drawer and found an old roll of film. Actual film in a cartridge! She wondered what is on this, who is on it? Little did Max think she would be surprised and curious from sorting junk. Searching a bit more Max found 2 slides. She wiped them off and looked at them. One was a young woman, early 20’s, and a real knockout lady. The other picture was an angry-looking man with dark hair and eyes.

Neither looked familiar so Max put them aside with the roll of film and continued her quest to empty a drawer. Having finished the job Max returned a now empty drawer to its slot, in the back of her mind she wondered who those people in the pictures were and how did she end up with them? At the age of 25 Max cannot tell you what her parents look like, their names, or any other info about them other than they have a child.

Max just brushed it off and decided to play guitar for a few hours. About an hour into her session (just when she’s getting down and sweaty) the phone rings. It’s Rachel and she wants to hang out, “Que Paso senora, buene?”

“Si” Max responded and they flipped back to English. “So what’s up Max?”

“Oh girl not much. Still trying to purge the house of useless crap so I can go get more crap (Max cracking up) to put into them.”

Rachel, trying to talk and laugh at the same time choked “No more buying junk.” 

“Ok, ok. You win. But check this out. I found an old roll of film. From the old Kodak Instamatic 110 cameras. Do you remember?”

“Sure I do. All of our family pics were done with that and Polaroid. Now Polaroids can get someone in trouble since they self-develop. Did you find any fun or gross Polaroids?” 

“No, but I am pretty curious as to what is on the film. Wonder if it has anything to do with my parents? Wouldn’t that be a trip if it did have something to do with them? You do realize that I am too old not to know where I came from, what am I made of, were they nice or mean. Why did they leave me? What if this answers my questions?” Max had many questions.

Rachel didn’t know what to say. She was exasperated with Max constantly wanting to find her parents and thinking any stranger out there is somehow related to her parents. She tried to understand Max but having grown up in a normal middle-class world with 2 and then 4 parents, she didn’t have much of a reference. As frustrated as she was, she hated to see her friend in pain.

 Rachel was hoping like hell the pictures were not of Max’s parents. If there is something bad on the film and it involves Max’s parents she will be crushed. How will I be able to help her if this happens?

“Well girl, let’s get off the phone and I’ll get ready to go,” Max said while she played with the film cartridge. She knew it was possible to get it processed if the film hasn’t disintegrated and all she had to do is a little research and it shall be done for the right price. Max had about 30 minutes before Rachel picked her up so she took the opportunity to research some film developers.

Aha! 10 minutes from home, yes! Max planned to go as soon as Rachel dropped her off. Rachel pulled up and Max went out, tucking the film into her coat pocket. They went to the barn and spent a couple of hours while Rachel rode Rosie. Max used to ride but was in a bad accident that sent her to the trauma unit for 5 days, and she was in a body cage for 3 months.  

After a year of the cage, rehab, getting off of the oxygen, and being able to walk without help the dr.’S released her. They deemed Max as well as she would ever be, BUT she could never ride again. Ever. After 20+ years of daily barn duty, wonderful rides, midnight emergency calls, etc. That was Max’s life.

Rachel was at the barn when it happened and she got Max into the ambulance with some help from the Medics. Max was in so much pain everyone heard exactly what she was feeling and it was not pretty. The ambulance headed to Community Hospital and pulled in. They took some Xrays and booted Max out to IU where they have a level 4 trauma center. 

Max and Rachel had been riding together for 7 years. Not only for the friendship, but it is also dangerous to ride alone. No matter how well behaved any animal is, they are still an animal. Unpredictable runs on instinct, anything could happen. Max’s accident presented the two with another challenge. Max had been going out with Rachel to see her horse before the final word came down so she could see her own horse.

The issue that arose is that Rachel now had nobody to ride with since everyone else had a different schedule and now Max had to sell Lyric and would not be riding. That would leave Rachel to ride alone or not ride at all. Max felt really bad about it and promised Rachel that she would go out to the barn anytime she needed Max and if Max was well enough problem solved. And Max kept her promise in the cold, snowy winters, the hot, broiling summer sun, and enough walking to blow your Fitbit to pieces.

But Max was a person of her word and she was so grateful for all that Rachel did for her. Rachel finished her ride and cleaned Rosie up. She dropped Max off and Max jumped in her truck and went to the pharmacy to develop pictures. “How long?” Max asked as she filled out the form. “One hour” yawned the clerk. “Not at this pace buddy,” Max thought laughingly.

She went to the grocery and picked up some groceries which took more than an hour, as usual. She jumped into the truck and hurried back to the drug store. On her way, she imagined finding pictures of her parents, some pictures of anyone in her past. Not knowing what she would find or how she would react she grabbed the pictures from the clerk, went to her truck, and jumped in. Sweat started to bead up on her head and her chest got tight. Max was afraid but knew she had to look.  

The first few pictures were of a home with the lady from the print in the pictures. The next 3 had the same gentleman on them. Max did not recognize either one of them. Then she saw the next picture and the next. The man and woman from the found pics were both laid out on a gurney and both were dead, with bullet wounds in the head. Their first and last names were on the placards at each head. Max's last name.

Things started getting black and Max could taste the bile in her throat. Was she spinning? What the hell is happening? She opened her eyes to see the same thing. “Oh God, it’s them.” The pictures were not taken in a morgue, they were in an old warehouse.

Max, a normally self-assured person lost her confidence and created so many scenes in her head. A lot of weird things happened everywhere she was sent as a child “Is someone after me too?” It was now 1` AM and Max was very scared. She called Rachel, “Go back to sleep and we’ll take care of it tomorrow.” Rachel moaned.

Max turned off the light and crawled into bed. A knock on the door, now loud banging, started at the front door, so ominous Max pulled the covers up. The banging got louder and then there was a crash. Max was never seen again.