The Camera

by Phil Strahl

“The old camera I bought one Sunday from the flea market was much more than I had hoped for. It came with a treasure, a record of disturbing events of the past that not even its former owner was aware of…”

19 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 4, 2013

About the author

Phil Strahl is the author of a number of short stories mainly situated in the gloomy field of weird fiction, with fragments of science fiction scattered towards the horizon. He publishes those few stories he deems worthy enough to share with prudent and open-minded readers and is grateful for each review or line of feedback.

Being a native Austrian he lives and writes in Salzburg where he enjoys to visit the preppy city and trips to the surrounding dark forests alike.

Reviews

[Ankit Saxena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why so much content?

Content was less but still seemed much. Mystery created in plot but wasn't much as expected for the title with cover print.

[Manali · Rating 3 out of 5]

A spooky read about on old camera which falls into the hands of the protagonist.

My Ratings: 3.5/5

The protagonist of this short story is a professional photographer who ends up buying an old camera from a flea market. The bag which holds this camera is old and tattered but eerily mysterious. Upon close inspection, the protagonist comes across some old undeveloped films and decides to unearth what those photos contain. What those photos reveal leads to something spooky.

What I liked about the story:
--> I don't read horror much, so this was very fear-inducing (this might also be because I read the story in the dead of the night!!)
--> The narrative is nicely built-up leading to the climax full of suspense and horror.
--> Makes you believe that such a thing could happen to you or anyone else because so many of us do end up buying such things at a flea market.
--> The notes that the protagonist finds in the camera bag and how they help build up the curiosity.
--> Upon realizing what the photos revealed, the protagonist focuses on the present and the positivities around him, to remind himself that what happened in those photos, was in the past and he does not need to be scared.

What I did not like about the story:
--> There's too much jargon around photography which bounces right off the head of someone who might not have much knowledge about the field and profession, and also makes the reading dull.
--> There's no actual revelation about what those photos contained or what it meant.

Quotable quotes:
-->I gazed into the big dark eye of the camera. It made me feel stranded in the solitude of my apartment, alone, but with the prospect of something just out of reach.
--> Yes, the camera looked worn, the edges dented and the cladding dull, yet below those imperfections, a hint of its heyday persisted. Somebody had once cared a great deal for this hunk of metal.

More here: https://wp.me/p6XQyB-2ks