Lu Cia asked for just one thing: today, nobody would interfere with her choices. Colombine nodded solemnly, although her mouth was already opening. Mea slipped her arm through hers. “We can manage,” she said, unsure whether she was reassuring her friend or herself.
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 Amsterdam, Lu Cia pointed along the canal. She had chosen the direction for an old boat she wanted to see more closely, rather than anything on a map. Colombine began, “But that way…” and laughed at herself before finishing. Mea gave her arm a gentle squeeze. A few steps later, both were watching reflections beneath the bridge. Sometimes all it took was a third person noticing something ordinary.
At the waterfront, Lu Cia stopped to study the great green building. She lifted her hands as though she could straighten its pointed outline. Mea tilted her head the same way. Colombine thought the whole structure looked ready to sail out to sea. They spent a while deciding where its rudder ought to go. Lu Cia let them. This conversation fitted her programme without the slightest adjustment.
“Please do not board until we know whether it floats.”
In Middelburg, Mea noticed the bricks first and Colombine noticed a window. Lu Cia looked above the wall. Only then did the others follow. A tower rose behind the roof, something they might almost have missed while simply walking past. Soon all three stood with their heads tipped back like an audience at an unexpected performance. Mea smiled. Her own outing might have been quicker. This one had wonderfully different pauses.
On the sand at Zandvoort, Lu Cia announced the final item: nothing for a while. She sat between her friends and let the wind choose their hairstyles. Small kite shapes moved above the distant waves. Colombine wanted to know how long this nothing would take. “As long as we like it,” Lu Cia replied. Mea settled her hands more comfortably in her lap. That was a timetable she could follow exactly.
“We should put this on the programme more often.”
From notebook to book
The Map with No Last Page
Travel2City journeys continue between the covers of a book. Discover our illustrated travel world.
