"Even with her mighty engines in reverse, the ocean liner was pulled further and further into the canal."

 

Venice is never quiet. There is always the sound of lapping water, the resonating notes of street performers fleeing into the blue sky, and the clanking of gondolas rocking into each other. This was different.

 

Venice seemed to stop in time as it prepared for the worst. There were a few seconds of silence before the sound of scraping scattered through the city. Old architecture was crushed by new technology as the water that gave us life soon gave us death.

 

We were used to seeing gondolas dotting the canals, but an ocean liner? Venice would never tolerate it. Now, the bridge that couples kissed under was crumbling in the ship's wake. The ship struggled as it scraped by decades of history, the engine sputtering as it tried to stop the carnage.

 

The buildings came crashing down, splashing into the water and dousing the tiny streets. Bridges were breaking, history was cracking, and the ocean liner continued to squeeze itself further into the wedge of buildings. It didn’t stop there.

 

Chunks of stone apartment blocks disintegrated into dust as glass broke from shutters and twisted wrought iron balconies gave way to the weight of those who were viewing the macabre spectacle.

 

Pompeii ended in scorching lava and Venice was set to end in crumbles. The city was at its end.

 

There was a ship-man on the deck who was shouting something above the grind of the engine.  I only caught a snippet of the words that were soon to be his last, but with his final breath and my final moment, everything seemed to connect.

 

I glanced down to the cafe table I was sitting at knowing that it wouldn’t be long until Death came for me, but I couldn’t tear my eyes off of the book that lay open next to my gelato. The last words of the ship-man were famous alright because he was reciting the very poem I had been torn from when the city came crashing down like dominos.

I guess sometimes taking the road less travelled is not always so great after all.