Say Cheese

• Sarah Knight, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2015

“Wanna take a picture?” she asked, slinging her arm around the timid girl’s shoulders, pulling out her camera. The smaller girl smiled slightly, while the older girl bore a wide grin on her face. “Say cheese!” She grinned, snapping a picture. Dropping her camera in her jacket pocket, she grabbed her friend’s arm and dragged her towards one of the many colourful festival stalls. “Ooh, What are these?”
~
The photo was gently pinned back into place, fingertips trailing along the wall, brushing against another glossy rectangular card.
~
“It’s so pretty!” she smiled, blonde curls tumbling over her shoulders as she stared at the sky. She gripped her friend’s hand tighter as another firework burst, the loud gunshot like sound startling her. She let out a laugh, leaning into his shoulder. “We should take a picture!” She grinned, pulling a camera out of her jacket pocket. She spun around, slinging her arm around his shoulder, her face lit up by a bright grin. “Say cheese!” she called, snapping a photo. She grinned at him, before diverting her gaze to the sky as a loud boom signalled another flare of light. “Oh look at that, I didn’t know they came in rainbow!”
~
A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth at the memory, reaching for a photo higher on the wall.
~
She screeched and ducked under the waves as her friends ganged up on her and sent a miniature tidal wave of water at her. Surfacing, she spluttered, shaking her head, her soaked locks hitting her back with a ‘slap!’ A devious grin lit up her face and she let out a battle cry, launching herself at the nearest girl and pushing her under the water in a fit of giggles. It was a gorgeous day, the sun hot on their faces, the water cool and refreshing. “Wait a second, lemme grab my camera!” she called, avoiding another splash, wading back into the shallows. She shrieked as she almost tripped, earning a laugh from the figures behind. “Meanies!” she called childishly over her shoulder, racing up the hot sand to grab her camera. Digging around in her bag, she pulled it out and raced back into the water, her feet making large splashes. She slung her arm around the closest shoulder and grinned, “Say Cheese!”
~
She gently pushed her blonde curls out of her face, smiling at the photographs, stepping back to admire her collection. Hundreds of photographs covered almost every square inch of the wall, all collected memories of all the friends she had made, all the friends she had outlived. While she had been sad for their passing, and at times she wished she wasn’t immortal, she was glad to have met each and every one of them. She started at the ringing of her phone, grabbing it with a grin and shrugged on her jumper, checking that her camera was in her pocket. “Say cheese…” she whispered with a small smile.