Smoke Rings

"I see you everyday boy..." Akhila gazed at the gondolier, as a mother to a child.

"Where are your parents?" she asks.

The boy turns, squinting while he drags his smoking pipe. He blows a stout ring of smoke towards Akhila, sending it across the gondola, dissipating upon arrival. The gondolier then turns back, reaching to his side for another serving of Sugar Gnats.

Her collection of wisdom translates the message wisely, and she asks no further questions.