n05fer4tu. Amber-sepia dye bath, 1922 nitrate still, black and white photo soaked in one dye. Soft lens, background lost. One hard light from the side, bright spots blown white. Heavy clumpy grain in the grays, thin in the blacks, random dust and thin scratches. Props and surfaces soft past the near edge, highlights melted to white. Flat studio cloth or a plain wall behind. Awkward cropped framing, not centered. Worn movie frame. A young woman in a traditional Japanese room at the end of a draw. Semi-profile, three-quarter view. Her right hand clamps a hollow saya against her hip, the saya an empty open tube. Her left hand holds the only sword, hilt black and yellow, the full blade already up and back, motion-blurred in the air. Medium straight brown hair whipping across her face. Fierce snarl, wide eyes, gritted teeth. Blue textured kimono, high collar, cloth flung out by the twist. Weight dropped, shoulders still turning.