Our three travellers could discuss very important matters at length. Which lane was lovelier. Where the shade felt best. Whether lemon ice cream counted as refreshment or an opinion. This time, their meeting acquired a rather definite time limit.
Illustrated fiction inspired by original Travel2City photographs. The places come from separate journeys, not a one-day itinerary. Characters, dialogue, props and some composition and lighting are artistic interpretations.
In Hvar’s square, Colombine counted the possibilities on her fingers. Mea had already decided but did not want to interrupt the seriousness of the discussion. Lu Cia pointed towards the umbrellas and suggested they present further arguments in the shade. For a while, a thorough decision seemed likely. Then Mea said “strawberry” so contentedly that both her friends laughed. Some opinions simply require neither a presentation nor a vote.
In Vrboska, the decision was visible: Mea held pink ice cream, Colombine cream-coloured and Lu Cia yellow. They walked beside the water as slowly as though they had accepted very delicate cargo. The little boats barely moved, and houses rested in their reflections. “So, which one wins?” Colombine asked. Mea looked at her own cone. So far, she could see no reason at all to declare a shared winner.
Beneath a stone arch in Stari Grad, Mea noticed the first pink drip. She warned the others with the urgency she might normally reserve for a departing ferry. Their long debate about the next lane ended halfway through a sentence. Each attended to her own cone, and laughter had to wait. Colombine eventually remarked that they had found the one guide they all obeyed immediately. Lu Cia agreed. Ice cream argued very convincingly.
Beside the water in Hvar, their hands were empty. Lu Cia folded a napkin, Colombine settled comfortably and Mea began laughing before she could retell their great discussion. A stone bell tower stood beyond the water. Now they could look at it without time running down their fingers. They still had not agreed on the winning flavour. That was rather convenient: they had an excellent reason to repeat the experiment someday.
“The result is inconclusive. Further tasting will be necessary.”
From notebook to book
The Map with No Last Page
Travel2City journeys continue between the covers of a book. Discover our illustrated travel world.
