She checked the contributor activity log. IP address: her own. Timestamp: 3:17 AM, November 13.
She checked the upload date: The day after she stopped logging in.
A cold ripple ran through her. She checked the metadata. The original filename: DSC_4921.NEF. That was her camera’s naming convention. She pulled up her hard drive backup from that month. Scrolled to DSC_4921. shutterstock sign in
But three years ago, she stopped. The royalties dried up. The sign-in became too painful.
She clicked the image.
The cursor blinked again. This time, it felt less like a judgment. More like a pulse.
She scrolled to the bottom of the lightbox. A new notification blinked: “Your image ‘Lily’s Hands (detail)’ has been downloaded 47 times in the last month.” She checked the contributor activity log
She frowned. She hadn’t submitted that one. Not that she remembered.