Being an avid camera collector, I decided to go to the annual camera show just outside of Boston. As usual, I wasn't looking for anything special, just anything that caught my fancy.

While I was browsing through the show, I came across an elderly gentleman sitting behind a large table full of vintage Polaroid instant cameras. I picked up a Land 100 model, which was manufactured in 1963. After looking it over, I decided to buy it.

"Can I still get film for this?"

"Of course! I have some right here. It's made by a small company dedicated to film-camera enthusiasts like yourself. They're $25 per pack."

"Ouch!" I muttered. "Sorry, but I'm sure the price will be well worth the experience of reliving the good old days. I had a camera just like this back when I was nine."

I handed him three twenties and a ten for the camera and two packs of instant film. The camera alone was only $20. But it appeared to be in excellent condition. Even the bellows still looked good. I had opened the back and held it up to the light to look for any sign of pinholes. There were none. Just importantly, the lens was clear and brilliant. To a camera collector, it was as good as a flawless diamond.

I decided to stop in Boston on my way home. While I was there, I figured I'd take a few pictures of some of the sights with my new toy. I paused for a moment and snapped a photo of a busy street scene. I pulled the sheet of paper/film from the back of the camera and waited the obligatory two minutes to allow the picture to develop. As I carefully removed the film backing, a perplexing image began to unfold. All of the cars looked old, and not by only a few years. Every one of them had to be well over 50 years old. I noticed something else in the snapshot that was eerily peculiar. Although the clock on the street corner showed the correct time when I took the picture, a movie marquee read, "Boston's Premier Showing - It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World."

Mad indeed! I couldn't figure out what was going on. Was this an old film pack that had somehow already been exposed? But that couldn't possibly make any sense. The photo was obviously of downtown Boston. Yet how could everything be so old? I took another picture just to make sure. To be sure of what, I didn't know. I was testing my sanity at this point more than I was testing the camera. I took a picture looking down the street. Then I immediately took the same shot with the camera on my phone as a reference. The two pictures looked like a classic comparison of "then" vs "now."

When I thought again about the movie in the first photo, I remembered that my parents had seen it... way back in 1963!

Story and Cover Illustration Copyright © 2021 by Michael DeFrancesco