Masterpiece

by  Shiela A. Medrano

The sight of people coming in and out of the cathedral like swarming ants added with the continuous ringing of the church bell make Jack shiver right then and there. The time has finally come. At last, he will be able to finish his masterpiece. 

Despite the chilly weather in the middle of January, Jack has been standing in front of the façade of Lipa Cathedral for quite some time now. As a photographer, he should be able to appreciate the surroundings, made even more scenic by the sun setting down which produces this beautiful orange tinge in the sky but Jack has something different in his mind. He is thinking of his devised plan repeatedly in his head wondering of possible scenarios that would prevent it from working. 

Jack grabs a picture from his bag and stares at it. He received this picture along with 20 other pictures seven months ago from an anonymous sender. Shown in the pictures are different children. At the back of each picture is a name and an address. Being a photographer himself, Jack did not understand the purpose of sending the pictures to him. Is he supposed to deliver the photos to the owners? However, another mail was sent to him and the only content was this:

          “Bring all the children to this address and you will be rewarded.”

Then an address was indicated at the end of the letter.

As soon as Jack read the word “reward,” his mind started thinking of wonderful things. A reward is what Jack definitely wants. He wondered what kind of reward he would get. He has been a struggling photographer ever since he started working in the photography industry. There is not much money that could be earned in his type of job unless you are absolutely famous so Jack is quite desperate. He did not think of the illegitimacy and consequences of what he will do and just decided to go with it.

Jack still remembered the feeling of fear and uneasiness he had when he met his first victim six months ago. The kid was lively despite her hopeless situation living in the cemetery in which

her playground are tombs of dead people. Despite that, Jack had to do his job. Although it was hard for the first time, he managed to finish it successfully. 

Now, he is on his last victim. Jack cut off his musings because he finally spotted his target near the entrance of the cathedral. A 7-year-old boy named Harry. Jack has been coming to the cathedral for a few days now to observe this child. Just as what he expected, the boy is alone and busy asking for alms from people passing by. Those who notice the boy stop a little to stare at his slightly large head. A symptom of his hydrocephalus condition. You would think that with his condition, his parents would not let him go out of the house but no, they even made him ask for money from strangers. A desperate attempt just so they can have food on their plates.

The boy is about to go to the west side of the cathedral so Jack decided to approach him finally. He readies his camera and hangs its strap over his shoulder. Jack made quick steps to get to the boy.

“Hey kid, want me to take a picture of you?” Jack asked while holding his camera.

“Really sir? You will take a photograph of me? But I don’t have money sir.” Harry responded.

“Yes boy. I want to take a picture of you. Do not worry. I am not asking for payment. It’s free,” Jack assured the kid.

“But I am shy of my appearance sir. I have a large head. My picture will surely look bad.”

“Of course not! Do not think of your appearance. Since I am a good photographer your photos will turn out good,” Jack explained to the child. 

Jack wants to earn Harry’s trust so that he will be able to get his job done without any interruptions. He does not want to repeat his small mistake when he did his job with his fourth victim. The child got a chance to run away before Jack can even bring him to the designated address. It was definitely a poorly planned execution if Jack would be honest. Thankfully, he managed to follow the child and grab him. It was a lot of struggle to take the child into the vehicle due to Jack’s short height being only 4 feet and 9 inches but he eventually did it and finished the job. Now, Jack wants to make sure that everything is according to plan. It is the last kid after all.

“Ok sir. If it is really free then I am glad that you want me as your model,” Harry said while smiling.

The boy suddenly starts making poses so Jack adjusts his camera and begins taking photos of the boy. Jack is delighted deep inside because he can finally add these pictures to his collection. A collection of pictures featuring smiling children. What a large contrast to what these children looked when Jack took them away. Harry’s smile will soon be replaced with fear and tears and Jack cannot wait for it. He will finally finish his whole job and get his full reward.

Jack is about to ask the boy to come with him to a nearby fast food chain when he notices a man approaching them.

‘Damn it! This is the father of the boy,’ Jack thinks to himself. 

 The father never arrives at this time as what Jack had observed during these past days. Jack wonders what suddenly changed in their routine. He quickly adjusts his cap to cover much of his face and thanks the boy. He needs to get away as fast as he could so that the father cannot recognize Jack’s face.

 Jack hides behind a car parked nearby the cathedral and observes the father and son. They are about to leave together. Jack can only shake his head due to disappointment. His plan might not have worked today but he will be back tomorrow. He had put so much effort to this work so he cannot let it go to waste. There is no way he would not finish his masterpiece.