Chapter 8 Chapter 8 The Pictorial Man

Maybe he has appeared many times before this, like many people around me, those many meetings were ignored by me.I didn't really notice him until I was five years old.At that time, I was just obsessed with UFOs, and I read all related materials crazily, especially studying pictures, because I was not able to read large paragraphs of text directly, and I could only be relayed by adults, so pictures are more important to me. reality. In that issue of "UFO Exploration", there was a color illustration.Right above the illustration is a round halo, and below is a huge square. There are many people standing by the fountain in twos and threes. Everyone is looking up at the halo in the sky, showing a surprised expression.After staring greedily at the halo for a long time, I turned my gaze to the crowd below - I envied them that they could see the UFO for themselves.

In this way, I saw him at a glance. It's hard not to notice him.Although his position is very remote, half of his body is out of the picture, and the parts below the neck are blocked by the fountain, but his expression is different from all the people. Among a group of surprised people, he is the only one making faces at the camera. , as if completely dismissing the UFOs that appeared in the sky.I was amused by his grimace, and I couldn't help but take a second look.The more I looked at it, the more I felt an indescribable feeling welling up in my heart. I tried my best to figure out what it was like, but instead I became more confused.For some unknown purpose, I cut out his face and pasted it in my sticker book.The first half of the sticker book was filled with pictures of various UFOs.

Time flies, and when a book of stickers is almost full, I am almost six years old.Surrounded by pictures of all kinds of UFOs, I have almost forgotten the one and only portrait of a person.Just when he was about to fade out of memory, I accidentally opened a fashion magazine of my mother, and I saw him again in a photo of a Valentine’s Day carnival party—the first thing I saw was not him, but him The mole on the chin.It was an olive-shaped mole, half the size of a fingernail, with white hairs on it.This time he didn't make a funny face, perhaps to match the atmosphere of the party, among a group of handsome men and women, he wore a tight suit, parted his hair in a 30-70 split, and put shiny pomade on his head. A pair of eyes squinted at the camera, and two security guards stood beside him.He is not the protagonist of the camera, he is still in the corner of the screen, but I happen to be at an age where I am not interested in beautiful women, but instead salivate over all kinds of delicacies on the screen, next to where he is standing is the place where the delicacies are placed A corner of the long table.My eyes naturally slid to his face, and quickly fixed, I recognized him.

This time I cut out his head portrait again, for which I slapped my mother several times on the buttocks. Likewise, stuffing his face in a scrapbook puts him in the back of your head. In the years since then, at the age of seven, eight, nine, ten... I can meet him once or twice a year in the pictures I occasionally see, and he grows with me.Every time I cut out his photo and put it in a scrapbook. By the time I was twelve, he had grown to be thirty.I'm starting to think this is very unusual.If all this is a coincidence, the chance of a coincidence is too high.In all the pictures of him, it can be seen that he is neither the subject of the photographer, nor is he a famous person, but just a lucky passerby, or even a part of the background.A person may occasionally have one or two opportunities to serve as this kind of background in his life, but it seems that he can no longer be described as "lucky" or "coincidence" when he enters the picture with such a high frequency.What's more, he happened to be seen by me every time - the pictures I saw with him were not from the same publication, and many even came from things that I would never touch: A magazine that adults like to read, a scene glimpsed on TV, a photo in a photo exhibition... so it becomes a double coincidence: he happened to be photographed, and I happened to see him in the photo. Pictures... This thing was interesting from the beginning, and gradually became a bit magical.I can't help but wonder, have I left out many pictures?Maybe he's on top of every picture, I just never noticed it.If so, this is his own problem, and this coincidence has nothing to do with me.With such a mentality, I began to take the initiative to pay attention to all the pictures I could come into contact with - the frequency of his appearance has increased significantly, indeed there are many pictures of him, and often he only shows a small head, or is far away. If I hadn't looked for it so carefully, I would have overlooked it like I did in the past.However, he does not appear in every picture, and most of the time he cannot be seen.This makes me feel more serious: If he only appears in certain pictures, why do these pictures happen to be visible to me?What kind of connection exists between these?I thought about it uneasily as I pasted pictures of him in my scrapbook.Is it just me, or is it everyone?For some reason, I suddenly thought of this.I carefully selected a picture of his prominent face from the scrapbook, and confirmed to my parents and sister that no one had discovered his existence.I pointed out his face, and they still didn't see anything special about him.

Is it just me?I've never felt so alone, yet faintly excited.Certain images come to mind: Does this mean I'm unique?On the other hand, I also have fear. I don’t know whether this uniqueness will bring me the special ability described in the comics, or the terrible encounter in the folklore.This kind of thinking was already a bit complicated for me, and I couldn't bear it alone, so I told my best friend about it. My best friend is Shi Lei.He didn't believe what I was saying at first, and it wasn't until I opened the scrapbook that he let out a gasp.The pictures in the scrapbook were obviously cut or photographed from various places, and he could tell they weren't fakes.After turning it over from beginning to end, he clicked his tongue a few times and said thoughtfully, "This is so strange."

"Have you ever noticed that?" I asked. He shook his head. At this point, I suddenly thought of a question. This scrapbook has grown from small to large. At first, it was filled with pictures of various flying saucers, and later it only posted pictures about him.While the images come from a wide range of sources, most of them were clipped from magazines I read regularly.Shi Lei and I have the same interests, he must have read the magazines I have read, which means that he has seen the pictures I have seen, and he must have been in contact with the pictures of this person just like me.This discovery cheered me up, and the feeling of loneliness lessened a little.There are quite a few people with the same interests as Shi Lei and I in our class, not to mention the whole school, and even the whole city.In other words, the people who have been in contact with the picture where this person is located are quite a large group.

Shi Lei's expression became more dignified after he heard me tell my findings.He flicked back and forth through my scrapbook, bit his lip and said nothing.I forced him to speak, and he shook his head: "I don't know what to say... I'm just wondering, if everyone has access to this kind of picture, why is it only you who discovered it?" I was stunned , before he could speak, he went on to say: "If it is really like what you said, everyone with the same interests as us can have access to this kind of pictures, so what's so strange? Isn't it the same for movie stars? Could it be something? Something weird?"

He was right. The problem is, this person is not a movie star. "Maybe, he is a professional advertising model?" Shi Lei asked thinking. No, of course absolutely not.It can be seen from his position on the picture that he is only part of the crowd.I've heard that extras are needed for making movies, but I haven't heard that extras are needed for taking photos. Am I ignorant?I'm starting to be unsure about that too. Shi Lei has put this matter aside, he thinks the situation is just like what he said, this person is a professional model.However, I cannot accept this explanation so easily.

I started looking for photographers who took the pictures to get an answer on the matter.I have an uncle who studies photography, and his teacher is a director of the Photography Association.I took that scrapbook with me, and during the summer vacation when I was thirteen, I took a long-distance bus to another city alone to visit my uncle’s teacher. The teacher's hair is already gray, but his face is still as soft as a baby.He did not show any perfunctory attitude because of my young age, but when I arrived, he showed great interest in the matter.I think maybe it's because my uncle told him about my problem before I came.My uncle has never read my scrapbook, and when he listened to my description on the phone, he also thought that it would be too strange if that person was not a model, but there is no such strange thing in this world, so that person Must be a model.What he said blew me away.

"Where's your scrapbook?" The teacher cut to the chase without any nonsense.Uncle also stretched out his head with great interest.I took the scrapbook out of my bag and showed them the pages.After turning a few pages, the teacher snatched the scrapbook from me with a very eager look on his face.Uncle's eyes also became strange.The lighthearted look on their faces disappeared and became more serious.They turned a scrapbook from cover to cover and back to cover.After a long time, the teacher raised his head and let out a long breath: "This is not a model." "Then..." I waited suspiciously for the next step.

"If it's not a model, then it's a coincidence." Uncle said, his expression was probably more puzzled than mine, "This is too coincidental..." "I've never encountered such a thing..." The teacher pondered for a long time and asked, "Can I make a copy?" I nod. I got the answer I wanted and things were back to square one.No, maybe it's more complicated.After collecting the copy of the scrapbook, the teacher handed me the original, hesitated and said, "You mean you discovered this when you were five years old?" I nod. "Which picture did you start with?" he asked again. I rummaged in the middle of the scrapbook, found the original photo and pointed it out to him. "I didn't find him in the previous pictures?" The teacher asked again.This sentence is very strange to ask, I can't help but glance at him-is there still a need to ask?Can't you see it with your own eyes?I turned forward while thinking, and when I looked at it, I couldn't help being surprised. He was actually in the previous picture! He can be seen in some way in every picture, from the first to the last in the scrapbook, without exception.Long before I even found him, he had graciously lingered on all the pictures in my scrapbook.This matter has gone beyond the scope of common sense, revealing a bit of unspeakable weirdness.I can't describe the mood I was in when I walked out of the teacher's house. When I looked back, the expressions of surprise on the faces of the teacher and uncle seemed to freeze, and they seemed to be very puzzled.That kind of surprise and doubt moved my heart. I walked a few steps and turned back, wanting to ask them if they wanted to find out more about this matter.However, the teacher scratched his white hair and said: "I'm very busy..." My eyes turned to my uncle, who bit his lip and hesitated for a long time before speaking: "It's quite strange...but strange things in this world Too much...I'm going to evaluate my title recently..." Such a strange thing was let go by them so lightly.Adults are really unreliable, curiosity is so worn out, is it more important to evaluate job titles than this?I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a huge secret, and the treacherous wind sweeps over me, making me extremely afraid and want to escape, but I can't help but want to find out. What was the connection between that man and me?Had he already had some kind of mysterious relationship with me since I was born?I had almost anticipated the results of the next investigation, but I still looked through the photo album at home with great fear and anticipation. Unsurprisingly, he can always be found in the background of the photos taken from my birth to the present-he is not reflected in the real existence in the background, in those photos of me when I was a baby or a toddler, he is in the background. The background also appears in the form of pictures, or appear in a certain magazine, or appear on a certain photo.By such a coincidence, every photo of me has something in the background that can contain the picture, either an advertisement, or a woman walking by with a magazine in her hand, or It's just a TV screen... It seems that someone in the dark is deliberately arranging for me to get in touch with him in this way.All the previous speculations can be dispelled. He is not aimed at groups with the same interests as me, but only at me personally. The weird person in this picture only had contact with me alone. That's why Shi Lei and others No one can discover the reason for his existence.For the convenience of addressing, I named him——Pictureman. When I was studying the photos, Shi Lei called. "I found out!" Shi Lei's voice had never been so excited, as if someone was chasing him behind him, panting, nervous and frantic. "What did you find?" I was already in a state of high tension, and I was easily infected by him. My heartstrings tensed all of a sudden, and I even wondered if he saw a living cartoon in my life. "Come quickly! You'll know when you come! More than one! More than one!" Shi Lei shouted. more than one? What's the meaning? Are there many painters? The thought made me break out in a cold sweat.I didn't rush to find Shi Lei, but carefully studied all the photos and pictures to make sure that there was no other person who took pictures.But this does not reassure me, but adds to my doubts and fears - more than one, what does this mean? He rushed to Shi Lei's house full of doubts, and when he was still downstairs, he poked his head out of the window to tell me to hurry up.When I ran upstairs, I saw the door of his house was wide open. When I got to the door, Shi Lei dragged me in and closed the door. I stood at the door for a long time without moving.The reason why I didn't move was that I was stunned by what I saw in front of me, and the second was that there was really no place for me to move.The floor of his living room was completely covered by various pictorials, magazines, pictures, and photos. Shi Lei stepped on it with bare feet, his face glowing with excitement: "Look, look!" The picture was stuffed in front of me, and I stepped back a little, carefully examining the picture he handed over with the same excitement.I originally thought that I could see the picture-maker I was familiar with on it, but after seeing all the pictures in his hand, there was no sign of the picture-maker. "No." I said. "You really didn't notice?" He continued to be excited. "Find what?" I asked. "He!" He pointed at someone in the picture. It was a man in his thirties, with dark and shiny skin, his eyes were half-closed in the sun, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were crowded together.This picture was taken in a seaside resort abroad. The protagonists of the picture are two international superstars. They occupy the center of the picture. Behind them are endless beaches and colorful crowds. That person is one of them. "What happened to him?" I wondered.Of course, this person is not the person I am familiar with. The person in the picture is pale and serious, especially the obvious olive-shaped mole. I will never make a mistake. Shi Lei didn't speak, just flipped through the pictures in my hand one by one, clicked on a certain position of the picture with his index finger, and then flipped through the next one. As soon as he turned to the second one, I already felt struck by lightning.Looking at it again, there is no suspense. This seems to be the growth history of a man.Just like the cartoonist, he appears in different pictures. In all the photos of Shi Lei’s life, his shadow can always be found in the background. From youth to middle age, he grows up slowly like us.He is another artist, Shi Lei's artist.Like my pictorial man, he appears in magazines I read regularly, but never notices. "How did you find out?" I asked. "I want to see if I have the one you mentioned at home..." He didn't know what word to use to refer to the painter, I told him my new name, so he continued, "...that painter, Turns out this is it." He looked at me expectantly.I swallowed my saliva.The two of us looked at each other, and many thoughts flew through our minds. "Isn't it... everyone has their own picture maker?" Shi Lei asked in a low voice. This is exactly what I want to ask. Maybe everyone is destined to have a picture person, and only the person who has contact with him can notice him in many pictures—maybe even the person who has contact with him may not be able to notice him, otherwise why until now Haven't heard anyone mention this so far?Why do I even notice?This baffles me.What I want to know more is, what does the existence of the painter mean?He grew up with me slowly, what will happen in the end?Is he real?Many questions piled up in my mind, Shi Lei asked me what to do, but I couldn't answer at all. As time went by so quickly, cartoonists appeared more and more frequently in the lives of Shi Lei and me.From appearing several times a year, to appearing several times a month, and then appearing several times a week, until we were 17 years old, we could find traces of our respective cartoonists in the pictures almost every day.They also grow to the appearance of almost 40 years old.We've made all kinds of guesses about their existence, and we've disproved every one of them.The initial bout of fear has dissipated, and we gradually come to accept the presence—they just exist, without affecting our lives in the slightest.We've tried asking others if they've discovered the picture man, but no one was interested in our words.We still insist that everyone has a pictorial person, but they are invisible to anyone but that particular person.Shi Lei and I were good friends originally, but after having this common secret, we became even closer. The 17-year-old years have also come to an end, and in a hurry, it is almost 18 years old.If we hadn't discovered that incident, maybe we would still live in such a carefree way without fear of the future.