Page 1 of A Moment In Time

Chapter one

"Go get 'em, sparky."

Gage patiently waited for the white fluffy cloud to move towards Scotsman Peak, which was the highest point of the Sugar Pine Mountain Range. It was a clear day, excluding the one cloud, which was unusual for early February. And Gage had been waiting for everything to fall into place to take this shot for two years now.

He looked through the viewfinder and checked his settings again. Then, as the cloud neared the perfect point, he started taking pictures. He took several before the prime shot. Then several more as the cloud obligingly formed a perfect shadow on the snowy north side of the peak. When the cloud was almostout of frame, an eagle flew into the shot. Gage took three more pictures until the bird was no longer visible through his lens.

He stood and watched the bald eagle land at the top of a tall pine tree. “Thank you, Mr. Eagle, for photo bombing my shot. I appreciate it. He removed the camera from the tripod, then zoomed in on the bird and took a few more shots. The eagle looked at him for a moment as though he was posing, then flew off.

Gage looked at his watch. “Dammit.” He hung the camera around his neck, folded up the tripod, and hiked back to his truck. He’d left it parked on the side of Highway Three, ten miles out of town. He put his things in the front of the truck, then drove for Calaway Crossing. He was late.

When he pulled into his reserved spot in front of the newspaper office, Sydney’s small SUV was in the space next to his. At least she was on time. He went through the front door and got a smile from her.

“Hey, Boss.”

“Sorry I’m late.”

“Did you oversleep?”

“I was in the foothills. The conditions were finally right for me to catch, a blue sky, the perfect cloud, and Scotsman Peak.”

“You got it?”

“I did. Or at least I hope I did. I won’t know until I get into the darkroom tonight.”

“Congratulations. I can’t believe how clear the sky is.”

“It’s a perfect day for the Winter Festival. Last year we had a foot of snow on the ground.” He headed for his office. “Just let me change my film and we can head out.”

Today was the first day of the yearly Calaway Crossing Winter Festival. It was held the first weekend in February, regardless of how much snow was on the ground. And so far in its fifty-year history, it had never been canceled due to bad weather. Gagechanged the film in his camera, then put it into the bag he’d packed yesterday with extra film and a second camera.

Sydney smiled at him. “What’s the theme this year?” He always waited until the morning of the festival to decide what his coverage would be about.

“People. The people of Calaway Crossing.”

“Okay. I like that.”

Since she’d almost quit a few months ago, Gage had been trying hard to show he recognized her contribution to the success of the Calaway Report. He’d managed so far not to upset her again. And making the offer he was about to make was a first.

“I thought you might like to take the second camera.”

She didn’t hide her surprise. “You want me to take pictures today?”

“Yeah. If you want to.”

“I do.” She cocked her head. “Will you actually use them in the paper?”

He hung the camera bag over his shoulder. “I will actually consider using them in the paper.” Generous offer or not, he still had his standards.

“Okay. I can’t ask for more than that, I guess.”

“But only candid shots. Nothing posed. No smiling for the camera.”

“Got it.”

“I want to capture emotion. Whether that’s seniors who have been married for fifty years looking at each other. Or a five-year-old crying because he dropped his caramel apple on the ground.”

Sydney nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

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