The old photograph

I realized it after I saw the old photograph. It was old, tattered and black and white but there was no mistaking that cowboy hat or the badge that was on the man’s coat, this was my grandfather twenty years ago.

I ran as swift as possible, carrying the photo with me. “If I run continuously at this pace”, I began to think, “maybe I could hear grandpa’s explanation and make it to school on time.” I quickly spotted his house, an old shack in the most rural of all rural places. Nobody knew why he wanted to stay there, my parents always offered him a room in our cozy house but he refused.

I opened the door as slowly as possible for if the door is opened too abruptly, the hole on the roof will enrage, I called out, “Grandpa, are you there?” A pause, “Davey? Is that you? Please come up,” called Grandpas voice. I went up the fragile stairs, they were fragile as they were actually a few cardboard boxes stacked to create a makeshift stairway. When I saw him, he was reading old 90’s comics, this time he was reading Spider-Man volume 3. His room and frankly shack was filled with things from his day. Today those relics would cost 400-700 dollars each. Grandpa cherished them as he could put no price tag over those items.

Grandpa grinned at me, putting his Spider-Man comic down. He then asked, “So I assume you are curious of the picture.” I was flabbergasted, how had he known? I tried to ask but he replied, “The picture stands out from the rest of your hands.” “Oh, yeah what happened?” He chuckled, “it seems like aeons when it happened and it happened right here,” he pointed around us. He got up and grabbed the same cowboy hat and badge from the photograph off a cabinet. “I was a sheriff around here when I saw an odd person. He said he would provide me house” “This one right?” I interrupted. “Yes but on terms, he only gave it to me when he asked if I was a collector and told me I had to keep the building and live in it for my lifetime which I as a poor sheriff accepted without turning a blind eye. I still live here even if he has gone ages ago because to me that promise is binding no matter what, to just abandon it now just proves how unloyal I am to promises.” “Wow grandpa I don’t know what to say.” I said. “Maybe ‘I have to go to school I am late.’” He smiled. “Wait,” I looked at my watch, “blinking knickers I have to go grandpa I am late.” I ran out of the door and to my school.

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