I had purchased the baroque period table from E-bay, at only a fifth of the price it should have been. Someone's loss is usually my gain. I was licking my lips and reaching out for my camera even before the delivery men had left.
"Keen to get a few pictures of your new purchase, ey?" said the larger of the two.
"Something like that," I mumbled in reply.
"Ah, you hope that better pictures 'll get you a better price when you try and flip it - I know your game," said the other with a chuckle. "Well," he continued, "You're going to need a better a camera. Polaroid pictures don't do well online. The two men laughed together as they left. I was glad that they did. People were a distraction.
They left soon after and for the first time that day, I raised the camera to one eye, and peered through the viewfinder of the wondrous device. The table barely glowed; perhaps only the level of the moon during the day. I stared at the table for few more moments until I was satisfied that I had indeed, been ripped off. "Charlatans!" I shouted in annoyance.
"Who?" asked a thin, melodic voice coming from behind me. I turned, failing to lower the device from my eye in time.
The moment I saw the figure - a figure shining brighter than a thousand stars - through the viewfinder, there was was a click, a scream and the sound of the camera hitting the floor.
"I don't know what you did," said the doctor, "But I've never seen anything like this. And... I have some bad news. Your retina has been completely burned. You've lost complete vision in your right eye."
I raised my hand to touch my eye, but I felt something akin to cotton-wool and then a pain that screamed through my body. How could this have happened? I had seen people through the camera before - when I had first found it. But the brightness, the pain - it had been more like staring at the sun for a little too long. Tiny dots and patches would blur my vision for a short time, but I always recovered. How could someone have such value? How could they be so bright?
"Easy there, you need to let it heal." said the doctor, reaching out and lowering my arms.
"Will... will it come back? My sight?" I asked desperately.
"I'm afraid, as of now, there is very little chance of that happening." His serious look morphed into a grin, "Hey, cheer up! There are options... biopic implants are being tested and-"
"Where's my camera?" I asked desperately.
"Your camera?" he repeated dumbly.
"A... a Polaroid. It was with me when this happened. I need it. It has great sentimental value to me."
"Right, sure. I'll ask around and see what I can find. It's probably still in your house though. Perhaps you could call a friend, have them bring it over."
"That's... not an option. I don't..." my voice trailed off. "Who called you? Who called the ambulance?"
"A neighbour, maybe. I don't really know. I'm sorry." He walked off, no doubt busy with other patiens.
"You have a visitor," said the nurse. It had been three lonely days since I had been admitted. There had been no news on my camera. There had been no grapes or flowers brought to me. All I had had was time to reflect on my emptiness.
"I do?"
"Yes, shall I'll send her through?"
"Her? Sure, I guess..."
She wasn't beautiful, not really. But her smile was. And there was something about her that made my lips raise into a smile.
"Hey," she said as she tossed the camera onto my bed. "I heard you were after this."
"Thanks," I said as I let out a long breath. "You don't know desperate I've been to get this back. Look, I don't mean to be rude, but er, who are you?"
"Oh, oh, first I've got something else for you!" She said excitedly. She reached into her purse and pulled out a Polaroid photo. She handed it to me.
"I don't think you captured my best angle," she said, "But... you were a bit distracted, so I'll let you off."
I stared at the photo, trying to comprehend its meaning until a few moments later she interrupted me with an exaggerated cough.
"You were the one in my house..." I said.
"Yes! That was me! I should introduce myself - I'm your new neighbour, Susan. Pleased to meet you." She held out a hand and we shook. "I'm the one that found you when you were having your attack.
"Oh. Well, thank you, Susan. I owe you."
"You're welcome! I had just been coming over to your place to introduce myself. I'm new in the area and could do with a friend. It was just good timing, I guess. Oh, I'm sorry about your camera though."
"My camera?"
"Yeah, I tried to take a picture with it -- hope you don't mind -- but when I looked through it, all I saw was... black. I think it's bust. Why you got such an old thing anyway?"
I turned away from her and slowly moved it up to my good eye. Darkness. For a moment I felt a horrible gut wrenching feeling. But then, it was gone.
"It's broken," I said stupidly.
"Well, yeah."
I was silent for a moment. "I think, maybe I don't need it any more anyway," I said.