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Replaceable
My photo narrative is about how even the most cherished things can be replaced. The colored egg is prized but is also slowly breaking and cracking. Soon all that is left is the colored shell, lying broken on the table. You then see that this egg is replaced by a plain white egg. The last frame shows rows and rows of plain white eggs, emphasizing the dispensable nature of things. One time I had these pair of jeans I bought while I was in Ireland. I loved those jeans and I wore them very often. So often in fact that they ended with a giant hole in them that kept me from wearing them (such was the position of the hole). I was devastated that I couldn’t wear these jeans anymore…until I realized that they were just a pair of jeans and any pair would be just as good.
Gloria and Stephanie
“There are a lot of things that fulfill my life. My racquetball team, my potted plants, my job… But the one thing that I loved most in this entire world was my pet turtle named Gloria. I had had Gloria for eleven years, three months and seventeen days. I had even taught Gloria how to roll over. But she could only do it just the one time because after she rolled onto her back, she could not roll over onto her feet again. Gloria was a good turtle but lately she had become very paranoid and afraid. Whenever a door slammed in the apartment building Gloria hid in her shell until I was able to coax her out. This was a big problem because I wanted to enter Gloria into a Pet Turtle Contest. The prize is one year’s supply of turtle food and a giant blue ribbon. (Which would leave a lot of extra dough for me to spend on racquetball lessons, because let’s face it, that turtle food is expensive!) If Gloria hid in her shell every time the audience applauded, there would be no way we could win!
“Gloria and I were as close as a human and turtle ever could be. She slept on my pillow and ate next to me on the table. I took very good care of her. I polished her shell every other day and waxed it every other week. Actually, when I first got her I loved her so much I shaved my head to appear more like her. I do not know what it is I was just crazy about this turtle! I treated her like a queen and had very high hopes for the contest.
“Well last week I woke up at seven in the morning. It was the day of the contest and I wanted to get an early start. Maybe practice rolling over a few times with Gloria. I packed the things we would need to compete and went to find Gloria. But when I looked in the bed, Gloria wasn’t there! I searched high and low in the apartment. Under the sink, the bed, in the bathtub, even in my potted jade plant! Then I realized the window out to the tenants’ communal terrace was open, I sunk down onto the floor underneath the sill. I just knew that Gloria had somehow gotten up on the sill and crawled out! I wept and I wept. The tears flowed out of my eyes all the while cursing myself for leaving the window open! I just sat there for three quarters of an hour in distress. Anguish flooded through my every joint spreading throughout my entire body, seeping into my very nails. I was so upset, how could Gloria leave? Horrible thoughts ran through my head like had someone stolen her? And then I remembered that one time at the airport where I saw turtle shell bowls and cutlery in the gift shop! Horror struck my every nerve! Finally I was able to get up from the floor. I staggered into the bedroom, my shirt stained from tears. I took a shower to try and relax. Then I could figure out what to do and make a plan where I could find Gloria.
“I made some posters that I could tack up around town. They said “Lost Turtle. Responds to ‘Gloria’. She Can Roll Over.” The posters also had a picture of Gloria and my phone number. Just in case anyone chanced upon seeing her. I went outside and the cold harsh wind sliced at my soft round face. I turned up my collar to shield myself from the cold, gosh I hate November. The idea that Gloria was all alone in this kind weather tormented my mind. I wanted to cry but whenever a tear brimmed at the rims of eyes they were stopped by the cruel wind and swept from my face. I had to clutch onto my fliers with both hands because it was so darn windy. As I hiked down the sidewalk, a ‘specials of the day’ sign outside a restaurant collapsed under the pressure of the storm. I stopped to look inside the restaurant. It was a Chinese restaurant and the people inside were warmly enjoying their food, laughing and smiling, without a care in the world. As I turned to continue tacking up my posters, my eyes caught a glimpse of the fallen sign. A twisted cry escaped my lips and I turned and ran down the sidewalk, my feet beating faster than my heart. (Which was beating pretty darn fast.) The special for the day was turtle soup. Could you believe my luck?
“I spent the whole day scouring the city for Gloria. I went to the pet store and the humane society to see if someone had found Gloria and dropped her off. I started talking to people asking them if they had seen Gloria. I was in the park in the middle of asking this woman when I dropped my fliers to the ground and ran away from her. Long story short, I thought I had seen Gloria by the pond but it was only a rock with a round top and some moss growing on it. When I turned around, my fliers were dancing in the wind cutting and slicing through the air. Afterwards I went to the police station with my problem. But the fat policemen laughed me out of the warm station and onto the cold streets of the city. What did they know sitting there with their stupid donuts anyway? Everything seemed to be mocking me. The wind in the trees whispered “wheee heee heee!” The cars on the street screeched “vrah ha ha!” And with every passing person, I felt further and further away from Gloria.
“Well I ended up walking straight into the next town. But I soon became lost in the unfamiliar streets. Every which way I turned I was faced with a strange dark street or alleyway. I was really scared and I thought I would go into the nearest store because it was getting kind of dark. I was going to call a cab and then go home. The next five shop doors I tried were locked. I ran down the street looking for an open shop. Finally a door swung open and I went inside. I realized with horror that I had walked into a pet shop! Well I tentatively walked around the store and I stopped at one of the crates and looked down lovingly. Inside were about eight baby turtles. I watched the turtles for about a quarter hour. Finally I picked the smallest one up. I’ve always had a soft spot for the runts. You know, I was the youngest of five brothers? I nestled her in the crook of my right elbow, covering her shell with my left hand. The turtle’s shell had one black hexagon and the rest were a warm olive green. Right away I knew I could love this turtle like nobody ever would. In truth, I had forgotten all about Gloria, though I’m ashamed to say it. I bought her instantly and named her Stephanie. I walked back home with a skip in my step and I was so happy.