Eyes flashed
Noses grasped for oxygen
Mouths thrashed
Ears squashed
Mr and Mrs Saxena smashed the vulnerable brochure.

“Where now to go for our sweet honeymoon?” She crackled “Coconut Island in India” He tracked Europe section “Hey, Brussels” that’s it “Our destination” and no more mutual tirade “my dear!”

So here they departed
mingling with the tourist influx
chattering amid the humongous bunch
heading towards Brussels
Mrs and Mr Saxena arrived at dawn at Brussels Airport
Maritime breeze soothed the frozen faces
Mr and Mrs Saxena
Took off their huge coats
Pulled out their soft socks

Hey Brussels is warmer
We escaped from the cutting cold in Delhi this January”
Corpulent back-packs now was ambulatory no more.

He accelerated to the coast
She grabbed his hands for,well, a kizzzzzz
He felt like Lucky Luke, hailing the Atlantic breeze for some detective clues
She felt like Victor Hugo, quietening for the souls to communicate

The architect Mr Saxena‘
Got lost’ in Grand Place, Royal Palace
The ‘far-sighted’ Mrs Saxena
Stunned by the Manneken Pis
“Hey sweetie, how about our kids? Will they be in that Vrije Universiteit Brussel?”
“Sure, honey” Mr Saxena assured “And let’s bound them for some Dutch courses since their babie-hood
Let’s name them Tintin, Cubitus, Gaston Lagaffe and Marsupilami”

So what’s that?
What’s honeymoon by the way?
Is it necessarily sweet as if we can taste the moon?
Or as bitter as the dark chocolate?
Can the moon dance?
As when they got lost in the cafes, bistros or brasseries
Neuhaus,Leonidas and Godiva;
As when the Brussels sprout tinkled their throats
How is love shaped? Full or crescent?
Do we roll like the full moon on Brussels’ pure black carpet?
Are we unstably static in the crescent like a kindergarten see-saw?
Night timeLit by the moon, Rue de la Loi meandered
Scattering shadows beautified
unprecedently refulgent
bonhomienaturally rocking n’ rolling
Altogether, altogether rhyming for the silent kizzzzzzzzzzz.

Story written by Jenni Pho

**This short Travel Story was submitted as part of the Holiday Travel Writing Competition. All short-listed entries such as this one are published in our online Travel Guide**