Weekly serial ALL THE PEOPLE YOU CAN EAT Chapter 20, Alfred Photographs in a Prison

Alfred was in his element. He had achieved the impossible. Here they were in the maximum security section of the toughest Texas jail on earth, shooting with nothing but the harsh available light of prison, and he had the most beautiful woman on earth in his lens, as well as the cold, hard eyes of serial killers, rapists, spree killers and child murderers, which bulged at Slave with undisguised longing, and whose engorged penises plumped cute tents between their legs. It was almost spiritual, like his hunger series. Only one thing could match this: to take Slave back to Ungungu and photograph her in the detritus of that war-stricken country’s devastation, which had now ratcheted itself up to another notch of terror, because Dr. Mabuta’s enemies had seized a border village, and vowed to hack their way to the capital forthwith. Alfred could see the images dance in front of him. Sleek Slave and broken Ungungu. A wonderfully uneasy combination of esthetics and social comment. For no apparent reason, an image of Mr. Ntsohluvubuhu popped into his mind. The man was laughing. What for? Alfred shook his head and looked at Slave, perfectly slouched in a brilliant pose.

The warden regarded the scene with a big smile. “Everything all right?” he shouted at Alfred.

“Everything’s great!” Alfred shouted back. Click, click. “It’s a privilege shooting here!”

“We’re mighty honored by the presence of you and the young lady!” the warden returned graciously.

“You’re very kind!” Alfred shouted back.

“You’re very welcome!” replied the warden with a bow.

The warden turned to the deputy beside him. “I never knew a black woman could be so beautiful,” he said.

“We should let the boys have her.”
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