A Moment In Time

• Emily Alder, Grade 8, Canberra Girls Grammar School
• Short Story
• 2012

Finalist in the 'Legendary 2012' competition

I slip the camera strap over my shoulder, take a deep breath to suppress my excitement and step outside.
My senses alert, I listen to the whisperings of the gum-leaves, high above me, the crackle of the gravel underneath my feet; my eyes are as sharp as an eagles, sweeping from side to side, seeing everything.
I drift over towards a lavender bush, its sweet sent caressing my nose. My ears attune to the hum that is the beating of many tiny wings, doing what science thought impossible and keeping the portly bodies of their owners afloat. I crouch down, placing my hand on the still-warm road to steady myself. With quick darting glances I take in all that is around me. The silvery green stems laden with both royal purple flower heads and black and yellow striped bees capture my attention. I lean in closer, carefully, to avoid frightening the bees into flight. The light is perfect, the afternoon sun illuminating some flowers, casting others into shadows. The bees continue their daily work, seemingly unperturbed by my presence, while I examine the bush from every possible angle. My batteries are charged, my memory is empty; I am ready to capture the beauty of nature, through the lens of my well-loved and used camera.
I bring the camera up to my eye and peer through the viewfinder. Line up the picture; senses heighten, breathing slows, fingers tighten. Taking a deep breath I press the shutter button, holding completely still as the camera whirls into life. In less than a second it is done; I have frozen a moment in time. I remove the camera from my eye and flick the switch to ‘Playback’. There is my picture. The diligent worker bee is hovering just centimetres above the many-tiered lavender flower. The rest of the voluminous bush is blurred and out of focus, providing the perfect contrast to the foreground. I am quite delighted with the way the picture has turned out, and shift my attention back to the bush to once again capture the beauty of a honey bee at work.