The Wicked Witch of the East
This German girl, whom I found sitting in the lobby of my Bangkok hostel one afternoon, had been taken to a classical Thai dance performance a few nights earlier. She had been so fascinated by the whole thing that her parents had bought her these finger extensions, with which she sat playing for hours on end, just moving her hands in front of her as if she were a Thai dancer and looking absolutely mesmerised by how long and elegant her fingers were. I watched her for quite some time, mesmerised by her near-hypnotic absorption in her cheap souvenir, and then asked if I could take her picture. She didn't mind.
I can still see her move those hands in front of her face whenever I look at this photo. I'd never seen a child so enthralled by a toy. It was marvellous.
(Yeah, I know. The flash glare. Aaargh.)
Bangkok, Thailand, 1998