50% of the beneficiary rewards to this post go in support of #hive-179017!!
so i was walking down the backstreets of malpura with my camera, it is a great town for taking a wide variety of photos- not just shadows this time. everywhere i looked there was subject matter begging for my attention so i was glad i had a spare battery. but i was getting hungry and started looking for something i could eat. if i was really lucky i was hoping i could even find some judges for the contest. there were some excellent sharp shadows which i may soon post in the shadow hunters contest but what i really want to show you here is this
now i had never seen an apple so perfectly cut into a spring before but when i found one here i immediately purchased it. while i was rinsing it with some bottled water a group of curious children gathered around me. i am used to this because i prefer to wander in places foreigners have seldom if ever been. i tend to attract attention when i take a lot of photos and far more often than not children in the street love to be photographed. the friendly smiling children kept asking
"photo, photo"
"sahib, photo"
i almost always happily oblige their request and cherish the wonderful images but i really enjoy talking with them first. so i broke the sliced apple in pieces to share with them...
"apple, apple" they all called out as they instinctively gathered together to pose for me to remove their snap. (that is indian english for 'take their picture')
"yes yes apple, but how to shape it so nicely into a coil?"
the charming children laughed and smiled but it seemed they didn't understand my norwegianized english. so i showed them their photo on the camera screen. each was more delighted than the previous as i zoomed in and showed them their images one by one. then the tall girl on the right spoke up in a sweet and cheery but strong proud voice
"my father has a machine to peel and cut the apple"
she called to the man who sold me the coil
"बाबा इस आदमी को दिखाओ कि सेब कैसे काटा जाता है"
i recognized she spoke hindi to her father instead of rajasthani and wondered why. both the daughter and the fruit vendor had that typical warm affable rajasthani demeanor. maybe she thought i would understand hindi better.
anyway he placed a very curious looking contraption in front of me and said in broken english
"this from scandanavia. machine peel, cut and take away seeds"
he proceeded to show me how to use it while at the same time carefully studying my face to see if i was impressed by how fast and precise the peculiar machine was
i had to laugh. i know these sales tricks.
"very good scandinavia design machine. i am from scandinavia"
the man's astounded face lit up with a big smile
"you buy machine. very good price"
and he took out what seemed to be a new machine and put it on the table
"500 rupees. special price for you. book show how to use"
the friendly inclusive rajasthani manner is undoubtedly genuine but it does make it difficult to decline to do business or to bargain profusely. when i saw the unique mysterious shadow it cast we both knew i was trapped. so i told the girl
"i will buy the machine for 400 rupees if you and your friends help me with something..."
the girl looked at her father and without another word the deal was made. i counted out the money somewhat reluctantly in an attempt to conceal my zeal regarding the very astute young judges. we all shared the newly peeled, sliced and cored apple from the acme of scandanavian design and blithely went to work on the contest prizes.
the keenly observant children seemed somewhat confounded that such a familiar and easily recognizable shadow could be difficult for grown-up folks around the world to guess, even those highly educated. not a single reply was close to correct, not even in the same ballpark but that didn't hinder anyone from laughing heartily at the more imaginative answers. they were all fired up to reward most generously so when i explained that the POINTS prize fund was limited they were openly disappointed. they responded by being all the more eager to award the venwood and HIVE prizes
so here is their decision:
3 HIVE venwood prize to 
What it looks like to me is a robotic, futuristic canine animal laying down and biting on a ring in which it has its front leg trapped. The three nails on the animal's trapped paw are saying to "read between the lines" with a big middle toe nail salute🖕message to whoever set the inhumane trap!
And how was your day?! 🤒
0.5 HIVE each to:
deepL translation Hello what a nice contest I needed to shake my neurons a little and laugh. As soon as I saw the shadow I thought of the Egyptian pharaohs, especially the jackal who led the dead to the underworld. God awoke Anubis and came to take some people...guilloooo!
30 POINTS each to:
20 POINTS each to:
i think it's poseidon's trident
Well my imagination takes me to the star wars, as a kind of staff hahahaha.
the fruit (and quirky apple machine) vendor's daughter told me all the judges were very impressed how
now how do you like them apples??
remember to join in the new contest which has already begun here:
@eolianpariah/announcing-the-14th-guess-the
it wouldn't be right to close without mentioning our generous sponsors:
