A personal photo session

“Three weeks. Three weeks of the shittiest photos I have seen. Sales plummeted because we missed the most important pictures on our newspaper!” The lanky mustached man on a suit was furious, rising his voice with each statement. “Taking photos is your only damn job. Do. Your. Damn. Job.” He spat every word at the poor young man in front of his luxury desk.

“Yes, Boss.” Marcos instinctively answered, he knew this meeting was inevitably due. It was visibly clear that boy hasn’t been properly eating or sleeping the last weeks. “Don’t worry, I will take more ph-“.

“Of course, you will, and it better be the best shots of your pathetic career! But don’t even bother coming back empty handed, there’s a lot of dumb guys willing to take your place. Now get out. and you better bring a decent photo of that beast this time!” concluded the boss without missing a beat and fulminating the young man with his eyes. He was dead serious.

“Okay, Boss. I will.” Marcos turned around and left the office, holding his coiled fist in rage.

“This dumb lazy trainee- Claire! Are you there?!” Marcos could still hear his boss swearing to himself though the door he just closed. The bastard was probably calling his assistant to look for someone else to replace him already.

He couldn’t refute his boss because it was true. He wasn’t able to take any good photo for the editorial the past few weeks. Everyone in there know that any news or article talking about the ‘giant Builder’ would be the best-selling material their small journal, but no one ever wanted to do the leg work of actually getting there and taking photos of the giant. It was a dangerous job after all, you never know what could happen around such a massive being.

But Marcos couldn’t help it, he was exhausted. His father had been missing for weeks and no more than a week ago he was finally reported dead. He worked on the border assisting refugees and wounded soldiers but his outpost was found in ruins overnight. When his mother heard the news her old body couldn’t bear it. She fainted instantly and hurt herself when she fell to the ground, since then she has been bedridden and heavily depressed in Marco’s hometown, quite a few kilometers away.

The last weeks for Marcos were a mix of stress and anguish. He had to take another parttime job at the cafeteria downstairs to pay his mother medical bills. Constantly traveling by train to his birth city to take care of her, barely sleeping and taking photos in the few spaces of downtime left in between.

He told the situation to his coworkers, most felt sorry for him but not his boss and the executive team. They only wanted to sell more and the sad life of a trainee would not stop them. “That’s life” they repeated to him, followed by their family experiences in silver cradles.

“Fuck them” Marcos muttered to himself. He had no choice at the moment, he was running out of money. Moving to the big city proved to be more challenging than he expected.

A notification from his phone interrupted his thoughts, it was his lifetime friend Ivan.

“Hey dude, how are you feeling today?” The message read, Marcos sighed and relaxed a bit. He took a seat in the lobby and started to vent with his friend. Ivan catches up with Marcos’s health status and his Boss’s ultimatum.

“What a douchebag! He only cares about making money, he makes me so mad I want to punch that old rag.” Marcos knew his friend well, he wasn’t a person who would easily be pissed off, but ever since the incidents with his parents he became overly protective and caring over him. Marcos was glad to had someone who would lend him an ear in his situation.

“But if what you need is something fresh about the Great Builder” Ivan texts continued. “You should totally snap a picture of him tomorrow. I read BIG will be giving him new summer clothes later today, that could totally make it into a good article.”

Marcos knew he could trust Ivan about anything related to the Great Builder, he was a fan of the giant since he was a child.

“Thanks dude, I’m glad I can always count on you” Marcos finally felt a slight moment of relief.

“You are welcome, I’m sure you will take great photos out of him. Oh! And make sure to take some extra for me!”

“Of course, don’t you worry”. The two friends continued talking while they resume their daily activities.

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Marcos was awaiting alone on the roof of his apartment building trying his best to keep his composure intact. He finally had a strike of good luck, that morning in the daily report of the city’s Giants Impact Contingency Team (GICT) he heard that the Great Builder would be working near his place, demolishing an old abandoned warehouse to start working on a new building of his invention.

The GICT report ended with their usual recommendations: be careful and aware of the giant and his path, avoid circulating in the area and do not interrupt him while he works on the construction site. But Marcos fully knew that he was going to need another approach if he hoped to get the necessary photos to keep his job.

Then the so common trembles began, increasing in magnitude by each passing minute. The giant was near, he was about to pass by his roof. Each single step the giant took shake the entire building Marcos was on.

Marcos closed his eyes and sighed, he knew he was about to do the foolish thing a human can do around a giant, most would normally take cover and avoid any contact with them. But he had to take the best photos he could, he really needed the money.

“He—Hey! Great Builder! Over here!” Marcos shouted out with all his might, trying his best not to lose his voice.

The giant stopped just in front of him casting his shadow over the entire building. He was looking around for the voice calling to him. Marco’s entire building barely made it up to the giant’s knees.

A brief moment passed before the giant finally located the human in the roof. Once the deep blue eyes locked on him, he froze, he couldn’t believe what he was doing. The people of Guardia were well accustomed to having the Giant roaming the city, but it was nearly impossible to ever get used to be in his presence. He is so massive in size he could easily step on any human and not even notice it. That was in fact a common situation the GICT had to deal with.

Marcos felt miniscule, but it was now or never. He already got the Great Builder’s attention; it would be dumb of him to waste any more of the Giant’s time.

“I- I don’t want to bother you. but May—May I take a photo of your new look? If it’s not a problem of course—”

The massive behemoth stared at him for a while, then he smiled and squatted down. Marcos felt dizzy at the sudden movement of the beast above him, he even felt the instinctive urge to run away.

“and... maybe flex a little… too…” Marcos run out of words. He had used all the courage he had in him already.

Marcos flinched when the giant finally moved, he placed his open hand next to the roof for Marcos to jump in.

“Sure, little guy. Jump in.” He finally spoke in the deepest and most calming voice Marcos ever heard.

Marcos gulped and hesitated for a second until he finally jumped into the meaty palm, to whatever fate waited for him now.

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Omar would not miss a chance to show off his bulging muscles. 

Testing new waters here 🤞.  (some names and things are still WIP)