One Audio Guide, Two Visitors

Isla walks into the city museum at ten o'clock. It is her last day in the country. Tomorrow she flies home. Today she wants to see everything.

At the front desk, a young man smiles at her. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, please. One audio guide," says Isla.

"I am sorry," he says. "We have only one left." He holds up a grey box with headphones.

"Oh, good. I take it."

"Wait," says a voice behind her. A tall man stands there. He has a backpack and a tired smile. "I want it too. I stood in the line first."

"Did you?" says Isla. "I did not see you."

"I was at the door. I looked for my ticket."

The young man at the desk looks at them both. Then he opens a drawer. "I have a small cable," he says. "It has two plugs. You can share."

Isla looks at the man. The man looks at Isla. They both laugh.

"My name is Jamal," he says.

"I am Isla."

"Do you mind sharing, Isla?"

"I do not mind," she says. "But I walk very slowly."

"Good," says Jamal. "I look at every picture for five minutes."

They put on the headphones. The cable is short, so they must stand close. Isla gets the left one. Jamal gets the right one. A deep voice starts to speak. "Welcome to the museum," it says. "Please follow the blue line."

They follow it to the first room. It is full of old paintings of ships. The voice talks about a storm and a captain. Isla loves the pictures. She stands in front of one for a long time. Jamal stands next to her and does not move.

"This one has a little dog," he says.

"Where?"

"There. Behind the box."

Isla looks closer. She sees the dog and smiles. "I did not see it before," she says.

In the next room, there are old maps. The voice says, "Number nineteen is an old map." Isla presses the button. Jamal presses it too. Their fingers touch. Neither of them moves away.

"Sorry," says Isla.

"No, it is fine," says Jamal.

The voice tells them what old sailors feared. It sounds so serious that Isla starts to laugh. Jamal laughs too. A woman near them says, "Shh!" They put their hands over their mouths.

After an hour, they sit on a bench. The cable lies between them.

"What is your favourite room?" asks Isla.

"I like the clocks," says Jamal. "There are two hundred of them. Some are older than this city."

"Clocks?" says Isla. "I do not know any clocks. Is it far?"

"It is on the top floor. Do you want to come?"

"Yes. But first I want the horse."

"Of course. We go slowly."

They walk past the horse. Isla looks at it for ten minutes. Jamal does not mind. He reads the words next to it. He tells her what they say.

At one o'clock, they eat lunch in the museum cafe. They talk about jobs, cities and food. Isla learns that Jamal leaves tomorrow too. His plane goes in the evening. Hers goes in the morning.

"What a pity," says Isla.

"Yes," says Jamal. Then he holds up a card. "This is my email address. Write to me when you get home. Tell me about the ships."

Isla takes the card and puts it in her bag. She takes out a pen. She writes her address on a napkin. She gives it to him.

"Now," she says, "show me your two hundred clocks."