The transformation was certianly well rendered and I do especially like "Without the shiver-inducing numbness, she imagined those horns would have been quite painful, but as she was the most she felt was a hard pressure as they grew." I like the sensory feeling of that bit . . . .

As for the lens idea . . it did certianly seem interesting. My curiosity would like to know what would happen if she did snap a pic of one of those other folk . . . . illustrate the difference between her and them . . . of course, curiosity is not always good for cats like me *grin*

To be totally honest, the reason she didn't take any of those pictures was because I couldn't decide what would happen. The obvious thing would be to have nothing happen, but the picture comes out with a fuzzy spot where the person should be. Then I thought it might push the "Who am I?" question in the minds of the picture's subjects, but have no other effects. The final thought was that it could frazzle them physically, making them an amorphous mass of light and color and energy that would slowly resolve as they learned who they really are.

Then I decided that the possibilities were distracting me from the story I was trying to tell so I added the bit about her not snapping any shots :p

Every once in a while some story I've written looks like it might have the depth to develop into something much longer . . . and I run away screaming *grin*

understand about distractions . . . perhaps it's better this way. Sort of like the monkeys paw in the wrong hands . . . the other options could be quite a mess

I know what it would look like. I think it would look a bit like this:
http://www.raccoonphotography.com/a.....hers/2-65.html

*giggles*

Ooh, now there's a possibility I hadn't considered :)

Durn. I don't have a Nikon, I got a Minolta.
I'm really taken ('scuse pun) by the 'lens showing what is not' idea and that in itself could be expanded hugely.
You certainly create hugely detailed and thoughtful transfigurations that are a pleasure to read, even for a self-proclaimed curmudgeon like me, who wouldn't consider it as one of his major interests.
:)

I actually have a Canon Rebel XTI, but I have a spot in my heart for Nikon (the dracoon and the camera) if only because of the Paul Simon song.

After considering it a bit, I think I lifted the idea from a movie where one character in the scene went out of focus while the rest of the world remained in focus. I don't recall the name of the movie, but if I did see it (and the movie is not just in my imagination) the character went out of focus because he had lost mental focus in his life. In the story, people appear out of focus because they don't really know who they are, since nothing has ever really challenged them to do that kind of soul searching.

I'm very glad to hear my stuff might appeal to a wider audience, since my goal is to eventually be a crossover author, writing for the mainstream and the fringes.

Camera obscure a twilit zone episode.
Also a move by the same name but in the move the camera shrank people.

I guess it's true that there are no new ideas then. :p

True but oh the retelling for each new audeance. There in lies the challenge and the wonder.