I was just about to get ready for the day when I heard the knock. My mom said the kids from the neighborhood were looking for me. So, I walked to the door to meet them and they shyly handed me a lunch box wrapped in a plastic bag. Having to receive them, I suddenly felt immense pressure. The kids were there, to collect the promises I made for them.
A few days back, some of them were asking me if I could help them with their graduation photo shoot. Truthfully, that left me wondering for some days cause I didn’t even know what I should do. The kids only gave me some cryptic descriptions which were basically saying that they had the camera and all I needed to do was show up to the location.
Then, the following day, some more kids were knocking on my door asking me shyly " Can you take a video for us, how much would you charge"
" I'll do it for free" I replied and they were all brimming with excitement.
" Thank you, thank you" They all ran back and I was even more puzzled.
So then, when they first came to give me a lunch box, it was like a reminder that I should be meeting them fairly soon. And I brought my camera with me hoping there would be some intriguing object or parts of the neighborhood that I could explore after the shoot.
There were about eleven kids, all dressed in black in the scorching heat at 2 PM. They stacked chairs and tables that they would sit on. Some kids were looking quite enthusiastic about the whole ordeal. Some of the girls put on makeup and fuss about the missing lip gloss.
The location they chose was pretty odd. It was in the school yard in our neighborhood. They could have picked a better place but I get why they chose the place. The school yard in our neighborhood somehow serves as a communal space too.
There were some homeless onlookers a few feet away watching the kids fuss about who had to dance and how to follow the main dancer. They had that lifeless look to them and the kind that you would normally see on a mental ward. The thing is, these homeless people like to roam around in the mosque and then, sometimes the school. They left during the evening as they roamed around the market or someplace. But having to see those onlookers, I kept my guard and also kept an eye on the kids around me.
When I asked the kids if they wanted a particular thing, they showed me some tik tok videos. They wanted it exactly like that while handing me an iphone 11. So, I did a few test shoots and timed their practice.
“ Let’s be serious, stop wasting her time” One of them yelled as his friends were half heartedly dancing to the music.
We had to do 30 minutes of practice and I had to fix some of their choreography and help them find the best angle. They even brought a live pigeon!
During one of the practices, I heard something that made me laughed so hard.
“ Oh crap! The pigeon shit on me” Said the girl who was the main dancer in this whole video.
The pigeon was another funny props to me. The kids assured me that their parents have approved it and that it knows its home. So, when they release it, the pigeon will just go back to its place. It was something that I found so hilarious.
They even brought some colorful smoke flares that I didn’t expect they would do.
After handing them the phone, they told me that the results were pretty great and they all loved it. In the end, I gave them some advice on the fashion colors of choices and if they were to do something like this next, they should pick a better place as there are many better spots in the neighborhood.
I went home and was at a loss for words. The only thing that I felt was that it was pretty fun as I hadn’t left the house for days.
That day, just as you see above, the sky was like cotton candy. If I could fly, I would probably eat them, wouldn’t you do the same thing too?
| Mac covers technology, philosophy, books, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, coffee, and languages in no particular order. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things that would be too long to name in this tiny box. |