Atgal

Bradford Isabelle


Tourists

Tourists Outside an Attraction

A disorderly queue, constructed by all eager, yet hungry tourists holding their place with confidence, snaked its way around the viewpoint of the magnificent landscape. Amidst the smell of suncream and distant cries by seagulls, a dated ice cream van emitting the solemn and continuous hum of an aging motor becomes the norm, not a soul giving a second thought to the inappropriate ambiance of such an incredible site. 

The van, painted with obnoxious yellow and pink colors, in an attempt to catch the attention of wandering families, contrasts with the serene green rolling hills. Sporadically, an off-pitch and extremely irritating music theme is blasted through the worn speakers, practically deafening the unfortunate victims who happen to be too close to the van. Uneven letters spelling out ‘Best Ice Cream in Town’ are sprawled across the sides of the vehicle, which is most likely a false statement. 

 

The tourists who construct the line each possess an individual expression, some filled with anticipation and others with tedium. Mothers of soon-to-be hyperactive children take advantage of the soon-passing calm, gazing into the sky while also clasping onto the hand of their child. Occasionally, they check their phone in hopes of a new notification, a message from someone reaching out to start a conversation. Anything for a break from the broken language of their child. 

A more relaxed and at ease cluster of people creates anomalies in the queue. Fathers in a slouched stance stand slightly to the side, making small talk and conversation with one another, endlessly repeating the same remark about whatnot.

Frequently, cliché and undeniably overused phrases such as "the weather is lovely," "it is too hot," "a breeze would be nice," "Isn't the view great," and "How did you drive down?" are restated and answered to keep the discussion alive.

Yet, they never seem to get bored of such a tedious conversation. 

One father has been assigned the role of carrying the backpacks and pushchairs of his kids and wife. His posture is slightly warped as he focuses on balancing the weight of the flimsy backpack on his back, while simultaneously reassuring the unnerved baby in the pushchair. The back-and-forth motion as he pulls and pushes the handle gives the baby comfort, as it eases off the crying.

Some would argue that the beauty of this once scenic and serene site has been destroyed by the capitalization of the viewpoint. However, there is another form of beauty present that is often valued as much more treasured than the site itself. So many different people gathered in one space, all with the same desire to see this significant attraction. All unique individuals are compliant with each other, standing in line endlessly, for the taste of a vibrantly colored scoop of deliciously cold ice cream. 


 




Pateikta: 09:01 Fri, 22 March 2024 by : Bradford Isabelle age : 15