At work yesterday, the graphic designer (GD) and I were checking out a photo collage. We were trying to figure out who from a particular group was missing and if we had any photos in our archives we could use to fill in the blanks.
We found one photo for a guy that piqued our curiosity.
GD: Gah! Kevin, you have to come check this out.
Me: What?
GD: It looks like there is another person in this photo with him.
Me: Oh cool! Yeah, there's his eye and his nose.
GD: That's just creepy.
Me: I'm going to darken it and increase the contrast in Photoshop to see if that makes it any clearer.
By the time I finish, another coworker has joined our examination of the photo. I'll call him B&B.
B&B: That's pretty sweet. I wonder if he's being haunted? Maybe we should send the photo to CSI.
Me: I think Cold Case might be a better fit.
GD: Look at that spot on the ghost's head. Bullet wound?
Me: Totally.
B&B: Suicide.
Me: Nah, not fun enough.
GD: And there's even a mottled spot on the main guy's collar that you can see if you look closely.
Me: I think that's a blood stain from when he murdered this other guy by shooting him in the head and then tried to wash it out.
B&B: Oooh a duel!
Me: Yeah, like Hamilton and Burr. He's a rival or something. So he snuffed him out.
B&B: We need a third person in this story line.
Me: His wife. The ghost guy was sleeping with the main guy's wife so he murdered him in a vengeful fury. Assassination all the way!
GD: And now he's haunted by his spirit forever. I wonder if any other photos of him have this ghost behind him.
Me: Damn I wish we had more photos to look at. This is so cool.
B&B: You two have way too overactive an imagination. You're actually enjoying this.
Me: Yeah, this coming from you. You're having just as much fun as we are. So can you blame us?
B&B: No, not really.
To the family of the guy in the photo... this is just us having fun. No, we do not really think your ancestor murdered someone or that his wife was screwing around on him or that he was haunted by a spirit.
Unless you have evidence to the contrary, of course.
