Sometimes even the most mundane, ill-composed snaps can offer story opportunities. I took this one Christmas while my Dad, Ed Tuttle, was still alive. I don’t remember what he and my cousin Dennis Sullivan were looking at, but my imagination has been supplying all sorts of suggestions.

I think it’s the expressions on the faces that intrigue me so much here. Dad (Ed) looks a bit puzzled and quite sobered by what he is holding. Dennis, on the other hand, has a slight smirk on his face, as though he is privy to a joke only he knows. What could it be? What is Ed holding? Why is it important to either of them?

If you look closer, you can see that Dennis’ expression really is quite enigmatic. Is he really trying to hold back a smirk, or is he on the verge of weeping? Has Dennis given the object to Ed, or is Ed holding it up for Dennis to see? To whom does or did it belong? What is its purpose?

What could evoke such rich emotion in both Ed and Dennis? Does it hold danger for them, or for someone they love? Or is it a mememto from someone they have lost? Or simply a leftover part from a you-built-it Christmas purchase?

Where will this picture take you?

Susan Tuttle

Comments? Your ideas from this snapshot…

I RECOMMEND:

“Academic Body” by Shirley S. Allen, available on Kindle.

This delightful, classic cozy mystery is well written and superbly plotted. An engrossing read that will keep you guessing right up to the end. One of the best mysteries I’ve read in a long time, with wonderful lead characters that I hope will reappear again and again. Kudos to Anne R. Allen’s 91-year-old mother, Shirley S. Allen, for doing it right.