Good day to you all. I have come forward to fully elucidate the manner and aim of recording the photograph seen on this page, as prompted by the Overseers of this photographic forum. I am indeed the author of the image upon which you gaze. It is of stock found in a little magical curio shoppe that can only be found if you really have the need and know the address. The stock of which I spoke manifests a ball and chain, a method of slowing the escape of prisoners of the societal incarceration facilities in the days of your, namely the early part of the 20th Century wending back to the Iron Age. The items I photographed, however, consist, in my opinion, of a solid iron cannonball (or other solid iron spherical appurtenance) joined with by a welded (“smithed” if you will) coupling ring to a set of mid-20th Century handcuffs to approximate the qualities of an original ball, chain, and hasp conjoined via a locking mechanism all to foil the potential escape of the aforementioned prisoner from the confines of the guardianship of duly-authorized overseers.

For my part, I confess to simply having happened upon this latter-day recalling of the device whilst perusing the little shoppe in search of items of decor. It was under those circumstances, as I beheld the objects that prompted my photograph. I had, at the time, a certain amusement that I felt the need to communicate, through said photograph to its prospective viewers – one of amusement, as I have mentioned, based on the objects being mismatched and sorely out of place in the small, if magical, curio shoppe. “Out of place” I must aver, because they sat upon a lowly flapjack skillet, equally iron, but otherwise unacquainted. The frolicsome atmosphere was exemplified by the attachment of a price-ticket reading “ball and chain.”

At that juncture, I paused in deep thought, concluding in moments that a photograph was called for. The colors, the textures all contributed to the visage before me, and lacking a bonafide camera, so identifiable as such by any reasonable person, I instead, as a matter of necessity, withdrew my telephone from my waistcoat. Of course, it hardly need be said, said telephone was of the wireless variety, it’s marque, that of iPhone produced by the Apple Company. It was, as best my poor memory can recall, a #4 model. So, throwing all caution to the wind, then and there I depressed the figurative shutter button, with naught but existing light to illuminate the scene. I took but one shot, though carefully positioned, to achieve the visual geometrics I sought. I will tell you, dear viewer, with hopes you will see your way to believe me, I did not in any way arrange the objects of my recording beyond what fate had theretofore laid out before me.

Having taken the shot, I proceeded to operate the iPhone once more so to send the image to my Dropbox link back in my garret on the estate grounds. And there it would sit until I returned from my journey to file the depiction away into my photographic file under the category “not yet categorized.” And there it sat until, several years later, when it occurred to me that habitués of Reddit might share in the amusing incident as a tale told by the picture now in your view.

I hope and trust I have fulfilled my obligation to educate and enlighten in regards to my efforts. No response, feedback, or critique is solicited; I will allow the image to “speak” in its own accord – wishing no more from you, Dear Reader, than your utter delight.

Ever Thine,

MaxSoloDPGiver, esq.