you had just arrived on a 7 day royal carribean cruise throughout europe. you got on in barcelona, the ports being various places such as mallorca, marseille, florence, rome, and naples.

about an hour or two after the cruise had embarked, you were on one of the top decks eating the iconic cruise soft serve ice cream, while walking around and scoping out the pools, activities, restaurants, etc.

everything was peaceful as you walked alone through the dock, the loud sound of splashing water, chatter, and laughter making you even more excited for this cruise. you thought about how amazing it would be to be seeing europe, being on the water, having no wifi, staying up until 3am, and going for late night ice cream runs. then, someone tapped on your shoulder, interrupting your thoughts. you turned around to meet their eyes.

“hi. im sorry to bother you, but could you tell me where you got that soft serve from?”

it was a boy. he looked about your age, and he had a nervous smile on his face, as if he was embarrassed to not know where the ice cream was.