Maria Grazia Gullo - Massimo Longo

The guardians of desires

The demon of oblivion

Translated by Laura Jurinich

Copyright © 2019 M.G. Gullo – M. Longo

The cover image and the graphics were created and edited by Massimo Longo

All rights reserved

ISBN

ISBN-13:

Table of Contents

First Chapter He's so elusive when I try hugging him... |
Second Chapter A cold whisper was obsessing him |
Third Chapter He realized that the boy was in terror, and burst into laughter |
Fourth Chapter A voice was whispering into his ears words in an unknown language |
Fifth Chapter Facing something monstrous |
Sixth Chapter He could not get those lullabies out of his head |
Seventh Chapter Unintelligible characters were ignited by the sound of the lullaby |
Eight Chapter A Reflection of that terrible image |
Ninth Chapter A spiral staircase to the infinite |
Tenth Chapter He felt like he could pierce the sky with his bare hands |
Eleventh Chapter This thought kept tormenting his soul |
Twelfth Chapter It reminded him of a sulphurous garlic infusion |
Thirteenth Chapter She came down from the sky and dragged along with her black clouds |
Fourteenth Chapter She climbed down of a cloud |
Fifteenth Chapter As if it was swallowed up by the Earth |
Sixteenth Chapter Suddenly a strange noise resounded like a deep gurgling |
Seventeenth Chapter She was moving smoothly when s he crossed the threshold |
Eighteenth Chapter The claws plunged deeply into her skin |
Nineteenth Chapter Like icing sugar on a Victoria Sponge cake |
Twentieth Chapter Everytime a child calls me by a certain name, that's how I shall be named |

Prologue

"Everything will be alright, you're a big boy now...Go back and play with the other kids. We'll meet each other again, I promise!"

The kid watched him with teary eyes as he was walking away; him, the one person who had been playing with him since forever.

The kid ran back towards the rides in the sunny park, where he went back playing with the other children of the neighbourhood, as the memory of his imaginary friend was already fading away slowly.

After making his way among the other kids, he could finally get on the slide finally. He didn't waste any second and he started slipping down the slide, pushing as hard as he could. He didn't even get to slide until the end, when he saw a little blonde girl run sneak away from her mother and run towards his feet. He did not manage to slow down and hit her violently.

The little girl lost her balance and hit her head on the concrete edge of the slide.

He tried to reach the little girl and make sure that she was okay, but he got unkindly pulled away by her mother, who came at her aid. All of a sudden, a crow of grandparents and mothers gathered around the poor little girl.

As he was trying to crawl his away from the adults' legs, he only could only hear

that she had fainted. "Somebody call an ambulance!"

With that voice fiercely echoing in his ears, fears began assailing him. He ran towards the woods at the rear of the park.

Suddenly, everything around him became dark. A cold wind was carrying strange noises. Unknown verses started echoing together with the chattering of the parents in the park. They were coming from behind a group of trees, from which a long shadow was revealing itself. Then, that voice that was propagating from different directions became more and more insistent. He was reaching out to him more and more, until he had the feeling it was whispering in his ears:

"Damnabilis ies iom, mirdo cavus mirdo, cessa verunt ies iom, mirdo oblivio ement, mors damnabils ies iom, ospes araneus ies iom…"

He put his head in his hands to muffle the sound, but it was useless. He dropped to his knees and he closed his eyes...

"Damnabilis ies iom, mirdo cavus mirdo, cessa verunt ies iom, mirdo oblivio ement, mors damnabils ies iom, ospes araneus ies iom…"

First Chapter

He's so elusive when I try hugging him...

"Elio, Elio, come over! Help me with the groceries before the storm comes, please."

Elio was staying still in his brand new shoes and was staring at his mother, who was relentlessly juggling all her errands.

"Elio! Don't just stand there! Take this!" She shook him up and put a big bag full of vegetables in his arms.

Elio was not willing to do anything else. He climbed up the outer steps of the building, turned around and pushed the door open. He began staring at that unbearable red flicking light of the lift. Then, he gave up on waiting, and walked up the stairs to his flat. He placed the groceries on the kitchen table and walked straight into his bedroom to listen to some music on his bed.

Just long enough to go upstairs and his mother tiredly went look for him.

She stood at the door yelling: "What are you doing? We aren't finished yet, come and help me!".

"Yeah, on my way..." replied Elio without moving. He actually just wanted to get rid of her.

Giulia walked away, hoping that this time it would be different. She was hopeless. She was struggling to encourage her own son, who was becoming more and more indifferent.

From the entrance, he could hear the clear steps of his sister that was calling his name with cheerful voice. "Elio! Elio! Move your butt away from the bed and help mum. She's waiting for you downstairs." she yelled knowing that it was going to be in vain.

Elio did not move a single inch. Instead, he turned up the volume of the music and kept staring at the ceiling, as if nothing was happening

Giulia, who was more exhausted from the argument with her son than from the fatigue, ended up unloading the groceries with her daughter, Gaia. As she was walking up the stairs of their five-story building, where the lift seemed to be out of order every other day (and ironically, it always seemed to be not working every time she had to take groceries upstairs), she kept thinking about Elio. The building was painted white and orange, just like every other council estate of Gialingua, the neighbourhood where they were living. Twenty families lived in that estate, distributed in twenty flats facing on the opposite sides of the building itself.

"This is the last time you are doing this!" she yelled at him from the kitchen. "We'll fix this as soon as your father gets home!"

Elio was not even listening to her as he was immersed in that monotonous music. Nothing and no one would shake the feelings of boredom and paranoia that were surrounding him. His dull world was like a shelter to him. That was his personality and the world had to get over it.

Gaia was totally different: she was fifteen years old, with bright eyes and short black hair. Twenty-four hours were not enough for her to keep up with all her interests.

Giulia was a dynamic woman too. But, as opposed to her daughter, she had blonde curly hair, was a bit overweight but was quick and determined. She was the classic forty-two-year-old mother: always on a tight schedule trying to maintain a balance between work and family.

It was dinner time. However, no noises could be heard from Elio's bedroom. In fact, he had not moved since he ran towards his bed and put his headphones on.

He heard the sound of a key in the front door lock. At the same moment, with the door still semi-closed, Giulia's angry voice was already raging on her husband:

"We cannot keep doing this!"

"Honey, let me get into the house first..."

Giulia kissed her husband and went back to complaining.

"It's about Elio, isn't it?" he sounded rather resigned when asking.

"Yes, it is him." replied Giulia.

In the meantime, Carlo took out of his bag a food container that he was going to leave in the kitchen. Then, he was going to put his briefcase into the wardrobe. Inside the briefcase, he would always keep a spare t-shirt because of the heatwave that was striking the region that May.

He was a kind, forty-two-year-old, tall and thin man. His hair had completely gone grey, but once it was like his daughter's. His tapered face was hollowed; on his aquiline nose he was always wearing his round metal glasses.

"Can we talk about it later?" he kindly asked his wife, hoping that she would distress.

"Yeah, you're right honey." she replied, but she kept on complaining until dinner was served.

Luckily, Gaia could not stop talking about her day, looking at her little disappointments in a positive light.

Giulia had just finished setting the table when she said:

"Call in Elio."

"It's pointless and you know it." she replied. "You know that he's not gonna move an inch unless dad calls him..."

Giulia, then turned to her husband:

"He's been in that room since I drove him back home from school. He's getting worse."

"Didn't we say that he was going to come back on his own from this moment on?"

"I was in that area...I was doing groceries..."

"You always make up excuses to protect him, but then you complain about his behaviour!"

Carlo was shaking his head as a sign of disapproval. Then, he got off the couch and went to the kid's room.

He entered the bedroom without knocking and found Elio exactly in the same spot where Giulia had left him. His was staring with dead eyes to the ceiling, was still wearing his white Wi-Fi headphones, and had not even taken his shoes off.

Carlo could not believe that he was the same boy he would always go for a bike ride with. Now he was sixteen years old, was as tall as him, and his green eyes were still beautiful, but they seemed as if they were dead. In the last couple of years, he had been suffering from depression. Carlo had not heard his laughter in such a long time that he had forgotten how it sounded like. He was feeling sorry that he could not spend as much time as before with him. However, he doubted that, as of now, his attention would be appreciated.

Unfortunately, many years prior to that, Carlo had lost his job following the financial crisis. Following an increase in earnings, the company was relocated abroad, like many others.

Carlo struggled to find a new job. At the end, he was offered a position in a different city. Every day he had to cover a great distance and change several means of transportation, which caused him to be away from his family for most of the day. He would come back home so tired that he would be absent-minded. After dinner, he would lie down on couch and inevitably fall asleep despite his attempts to keep his eyes open.

Carlo hinted that Elio should take his headphones off. Elio agreed with him just to avoid being scolded.

"It's dinner time. Come and eat." He ordered. "Your mother said you've been stuck in here since 4 pm!"

Elio got up from the bed, and with his eyes on the ground, walked past his father. Then he walked towards the kitchen, without even making an effort with his father.

Gaia was already sitting at the table that she had just prepared, and was texting her friends and making plans with them.

Elio sat in front of his sister. Yet, he did not speak a single word to her throughout the whole dinner.

The dinner turned out to be uneventful. Everybody was chatting about their daily occurrences, except for Elio, who only ate two bites of a sandwich and went back to his room as soon as possible. His mother was disappointed by this gesture, and so was his father, who looked very grim faced.

When only Giulia and Carlo were left in the room, whilst they were clearing the table, they started addressing the same old topic: their son's bad behaviour.

"What are we doing wrong? I just cannot understand! Gaia is so dynamic, happy and full of life!" said Giulia

"I neglect him way too much!" blamed himself Carlo, as always.

"You're not the only father in the world that has to spend many hours away from home. I, on the other hand, am at home every afternoon" she repeated again as she did not want her husband to feel the burden on his shoulder.

"It's not a matter of character, Giulia, because Elio was not like this before, and you know it!"

"I also wish it were not, Carlo, but kids change when they grow up. And then, they get worse and worse, don't they? At school it's a disaster. Hopefully he won't need to resist, otherwise we won't be able to send him to summer camp...we can't let him go to the summer school...he'll get bored!"

"Giulia, the other kids usually have fun at summer school. Francesca and Giuseppe's children are enjoying it very much. You know very well that he's not gonna do anything at summer camp! We need to find another option, something that makes him fight back. He doesn't even look alive. Do you remember how vital when we were his age?"

"Of course, I do!" My mother would yell on our doorstep that dinner was ready. But, most of the time, I would not even hear her because I was busy running in the fields and rolling over the grass. We were free and happy. We certainly cannot offer him this kind of life in the city. Yet, he does not know how to make the most of summer camp. He doesn't have any friends, no one to invite over and help him cure this monotony he's been living in. He doesn't let anyone get attached to him. Sometimes I ask myself how he feels about us. He's so elusive when I try hugging him..."

"Giulia, teens do not want to be cuddled by their mothers. I am sure he still loves us, but we're not communicating with him in the right way. We need to find a new one. We need to find a way to wake him up. Maybe he could talk to Ida? She's got two young boys. Maybe she can give us some useful advice. "

"Are you afraid he's gonna turn out like Libero? That he's suffering from a hereditary psychological disorder?"

"No, with Libero it was different. His problems were due to his father's death. But there is a common ground, and Ida's experience might be useful. She really worked miracles with that boy after they moved to the countryside. And she did that all on her own! With the farm too."

"Yeah, do mention it to her. I trust your sister. She has her own way of seeing things, and I like it."

"When are we getting the school report?" asked Carlo to his wife.

"June 19th..."

"It'll be too late to decide what to do. You should ask his Italian teacher to have a one-on-one discussion with you. We have to decide where we are sending off our kids. Applications to both summer camp and summer school close before the 19th." suggested Carlo.

"Yes, you are right. We need to be sure of the situation, although he doesn't do that badly at school. It's just that he doesn't put his soul in anything he does. Do you know that the new tenants from the second floor have moved in? They seem to be good people. Mrs Giovanna told me they moved here from Potenza. That's far! It certainly won't be easy for them at the beginning. They have a son who's the same age as Elio. I could invite him over some afternoon..."

Giulia then noticed that Carlo, who was lying on the couch, had already fallen asleep.

"Come on, honey, let's go to bed." She gently whispered to him to wake him up.

Second Chapter

A cold whisper was obsessing him

Elio was standing on the wide pavement in front of his school. All the other kids around him were speeding up, quickly getting in their parents' cars or chasing each other around on the way home. He, on the other hand, was dizzily looking everywhere for his mother's car as if it were his lifeline, hoping that she had not left yet after the one-on-one session with his Italian teacher.

After the school yard emptied out completely in a short amount of time, Elio gave up on waiting and started walking home. He hated walking. And he hated even more walking down that unbearable lime tree-lined road that connected school to his house.

He waited a few more minutes and then he decided to head home on his own. Then, he ordered his foot to move forward. For anybody else it might seem an easy task, but for Elio, who had been communicating very little with his legs, was a struggle.

He turned left on Via del Corso; and at the corner he found himself in front of that stretch of road he despised. A grove of lime trees ran along the main road. To anyone else it was only a grove of beautiful lime trees in bloom whose perfume was carried along by the wind, and made the whole neighborhood smell good. As he was starting down along the line of trees with difficulty, he got the feeling of being followed.

He turned around sharply and thought he had seen a black beast hide behind a tree.

"It can't be" he kept repeating to himself "Have I just seen a clothespin glasses on that strange dog's nose?"

He frighteningly went back to walking as he was seeing shadows behind the trees. As if that was not enough, the wind was blowing through the branches. A cold whisper was obsessing him; it was tickling his ears and then getting stuck in his brain.

He could not understand the meaning of those sounds. Caught up in that nasty feeling, he ordered his body to try and run away. He was sweating, and the more he ran, the more those sounds seemed to be chasing him and the closer the shadows seemed to be getting to him.

He started running as fast as he could. Then, he heard a brutal voice order him to stop running. He turned around sharply and once again noticed a black figure hide behind a tree nearby. He had already reached the intersection with the main road, which could have marked the end of that nightmare.

However, he felt a cold breeze behind his neck. He turned around again, this time without stopping, but something hit him hard and threw him onto the ground.

Elio was startled and curled up in a ball with his head in his arms.

In that very same moment, he heard a familiar voice call him:

"Elio! Elio! What the heck are you doing?"

It was his sister who was scolding him. She was upset because he had run into her. Afterwards, she realized that Elio was in an awful state.

She calmed down and asked:

"How are you feeling?"

Elio, after hearing her voice, raised his head.

Gaia noticed that he was freaked out, all sweaty and his face was paler than usual. For a second, she tried to figure out why he was running. It was very unusual for him. It seemed to her that he was running away from something or someone. In the meanwhile, she helped him up.

"Why were you running like that?" she asked. "Did something scare you?"

Gaia could not remember the last time Elio had run. Elio did not answer. The only thing he wanted was getting away from the road as soon as possible. He turned the corner without saying anything.

Gaia went worriedly after him.

"Elio!" she called him again.

"It's nothing!" replied Elio rudely. "It's really nothing!"

Elio's behaviour was causing Gaia to get angry again.

"It's nothing, uh? You literally just ran into me. Yet, you say it's nothing!"

Elio apologised to her only to avoid further discussions, which would only wear out his body even more.

"I'm sorry." he said.

Those superficial apologies ended up upsetting Gaia even more. However, she kept walking behind her brother, worried about him.

By Sunday morning, Carlo and Giulia finally had made a decision. As they were making breakfast, they were discussing their idea whilst waiting for their children to wake up.

"She was very kind to make that offer. Hopefully, the kids will behave." said Giulia with a big smile on her face.

It was a hard decision to make, but Carlo and she were feeling weirdly enthusiast about it, now that they had come to terms with it.

"Gaia will be glad." said Carlo. "Elio, on the other hand, will remain indifferent as usual."

"I'm not sure...Gaia made friends with a lot of kids in summer camp. She'll be upset. And about Elio, he’s gonna hate it anyway." commented Giulia.

"I can't wait anymore. I'm gonna wake them up." suggested Carlo firmly, and walked towards their rooms calling them by their name.

He did not even let me rinse their face.

"Your mother and I decided what you're going to do in the summer. School ends on Friday and on Sunday Morning you'll be all packed and off to the train station!"

"But summer camp doesn't start for another two weeks!" Gaia pointed out worriedly, who looking at her mother. From the kitchen door, she was watching what was going on in the corridor.

"As a matter of fact, you won't be going to summer camp this year" replied Giulia and by doing so, she confirmed Gaia's fears. "We thought we'd give you the opportunity of spending the summer in an old-fashioned way; the way we used to spend our summers when we were your age".

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Gaia, whilst Elio was silent and grim-faced.

"You will be outdoors, run until you lose your breath, swim in the pond and spend the summer nights at local fairs" replied Carlo to his daughter.

Gaia could see her parents look at each other and laugh, and immediately thought they were pranking them.

"Stop pranking us. What's wrong with you this morning?"

"This isn't a prank. Aunt Ida offered to host you for the summer." Carlo finally revealed to his kids, who were staring at him incredulously.

"This is a nightmare. I'm going back to sleep!" said Gaia, who was visibly upset.

"I thought you would be happy" said her father.

"Happy? I had already reached my friends! I've waited all winter!"

"Gaia, you will make friends at auntie's too." Giulia encouraged her.

"But why would I want to? I like it there at summer camp. I can stay outdoors and dive into the lake. I don't need to be anywhere else."

"Yeah, you don't. But Elio does. He needs to change air." added Carlo.

"I knew it!" she blurted out. "It's because of Elio! Then why can't he go to Aunt Ida on his own?"

"We don't want him to go all alone." insisted Giulia.

"I am not his nanny!"

"But you are his big sister. Why aren't you saying anything, Elio?" asked Carlo.

Elio didn't say a word. He only shrugged his shoulders, which blew up Gaia's mind.

"So? Nothing? Nothing matters to you. Come on, tell mum and dad that you won't be doing anything in the country-side either."

Elio nodded and agreed with her.

"Stop it, Gaia! Stop doing this! We have already made up our minds. Your cousin Libero will pick you up from the station" Carlo shut down the conversation.

Gaia ran away, visibly disappointed and upset.

"She'll get over it." said Giulia, knowing her daughter's joie de vivre.

Elio went back to his room unnoticed.

Carlo was surprised. However, he was sure that their decision had been the best in years.

Friday came by quickly. Carlo picked up his nephew from the station and was overjoyed at the thought of hugging him again.

Libero was a joyous, easy going and unconventional boy. He was tall and slim, yet he wasn't boney. His face was tanned by the sun, his hands were big and used to working in the family's farm. His green eyes stood out on his skin, and his short brown hair were side parted like a man from the 50's. He hugged his uncle tightly and since then he never stopped talking.

Carlo was staring at him amazed. He perfectly remembered the time Libero had been sick, indifferent and easily ill-tempered. Although Libero was not particularly brilliant, the humble life he was leading made him happy. And Carlo would have wanted Elio to embrace his cousin's positivity. In the meantime, Libero was pushing his nose up against the car window and was asking questions about everything he was seeing along the way.

Everyone at home was waiting for him.

Giulia was nervous whilst she was packing up the last things. The time had come and she was asking herself if things would turn out for the best. After all she was their mother and couldn't help but worry.

Gaia, on the other hand, had already come to terms with the idea. She was chasing her mother around the house with thousands of questions: what could she see? what could she do around the farm?

Elio and she had not been to the farm since they were kids and their grandparents were still alive. They did not have any memory of that place, except for some vague memories: the fields, or the perfume of the trees behind which they would play hide and seek.

After her husband passed away, Aunt Ida struggled to get her life back together. Thus, she decided to move with her kids to her parents abandoned old farm.

As soon as she heard the sound of the keys turning inside the lock, Gaia ran towards her cousin, who lifted her up and spun her around like in a carousel. Gaia smiled as she did not expect such display of affection.

"Hi, Libero. How have you been?" she warmly asked her cousin, whom she had not seen in a very long time.

"Well, honey." replied Libero.

At the same moment, Giulia joined them and Libero greeted her like a gentleman, giving her two quick kisses on both cheeks.

"How was the journey?" thoughtfully asked Giulia.

“Very well, the "steel cow" is very fast and comfortable when you need to travel; and the city is full of interesting things to see. I'm happy to be here!"

"Please, sit down. You must be tired. Would you like some ice-cream?" asked Giulia.

"Yes, thank you, Auntie." Libero accepted gladly. "Where's Elio?"

"Elio is in his room. He'll be here in a minute." replied Carlo. He was mad because his son would not even bother to come and greet his cousin, who had travelled a long way just to pick him up. As he started walking towards Elio's room,

Libero began to speak:"Don't worry, uncle Carlo. I'll go. I want to surprise him. Just tell me which one is his room."

As soon as Carlo pointed out Elio's room, Libero threw himself towards the door. Libero’s cry of happiness could be heard from the corridor whilst he was greeting his cousin.

Not even Elio, despite his usual coldness, could avoid Libero's spinning hug.

Gaia looked at her mother and whispered:

"I did not remember that he was that gullible!"

"Don't say that." promptly scolded her Giulia. "He's a good boy. And he's very kind too."

"Yeah, but... Are you sure he'll drive us safely to the farm." Gaia uncertainly asked.

"Of course, that he will!" Carlo reassured her. "Do not underestimate him. He and his mother keep the farm going. He's strong and smart."

Dinner time came by and was spent cheerfully. In fact, Libero had brought with him all the festivity and liveliness of the countryside, which was very much appreciated by everyone but Elio.

"I'm really looking forward to showing you around." finished up Libero after he had described the farm to his cousin.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for a couple of days before you leave again?" asked Giulia.

"I can't leave mum on her own this time of the year. There's a lot to take care of."

"You are right, Libero. You really are a good boy." Carlo praised him, gently patting him on the shoulder.

"You know, uncle Carlo, I was asking myself something. Before coming here to the city, I thought you were supposed to honk the horn only in an emergency..."

"Yeah, that's right." replied Carlo. "Why?"

"Because it seems like everyone uses it as if they were playing music at a party! They never stop honking!"

Everyone burst out laughing, except for Elio, who was wondering whether Libero was joking or not...

Third Chapter

He realized that the boy was in terror, and burst into laughter

The following morning Libero got Giulia out of her bed, after he had tripped over the corridor's carpet. So, Giulia and he found themselves having breakfast before everyone else had even opened their eyes. When the smell of fresh coffee had invaded Carlo's bedroom, he also made his way to the kitchen and started explaining what had been wrong with Elio lately.

"Do not worry." Libero assured them. "This out-door experience will help him. And mum already has a strategy!"

Once they had reached the train station, Giulia could not stop giving recommendations and making sure that the kids would behave.

Gaia could not wait; she was excited and curious. On the other hand, it was clear that Elio was only being dragged into this. On top of that, he was also carrying along Gaia's heavy luggage only because Libero made him : "Ladies should not carry weights!" he said, which caused Elio to roll his eyes. He could not bear his cousin already.

Libero was wearing a pair of jeans, t-shirt and a civil protection yellow ocher baseball cap, which seemed completely out of place to his cousins. Moreover, he was carrying the remaining luggage with such easiness that they might as well have been empty.

The train departed perfectly on time. There was no one else in the car they had been allocated to. After Libero had arranged all baggage onto the overhead compartment, he suggested:

"Gaia, come with me. Let's go to the restaurant car and let's get some more breakfast. It's going to be a long journey and you'll need all your strength. Elio can watch the luggage. No one will even come close to them. If someone does, bark!" said Libero to his cousin. "And if you stop pulling such a long face, we might even bring you something to eat..."

Gaia and Libero exited the car, which turned out to be a great comfort for Elio who wanted to be alone.

He was staring at the repetitive landscapes outside his window. They had just travelled past the industrial area of the city and they had begun to be surrounded by fields and hills that were alternating again and again.

All of a sudden, on the window pane he noticed the reflection of an old man sitting in the aisle seat next to his.

When did he get into the car? He did not hear the doors open.

The old man was dressed in black and was wearing some odd glasses on his nose. He was reading a black leather book that looked about a century old, whose pages were made out of tissue paper. On his head he had a wide-brimmed hat that was covering up his face. The whole scene was rather unsettling.

Elio did not turn around, yet was keeping an eye on him through the reflection on the window pane. He felt frightened of being on his own with that man. At that moment he surely did want his big and strong cousin to be by his side. However, neither he nor Gaia were approaching.

In the meantime, the old man was still reading his book. Every once in a while, he would look at an old watch that he was keeping inside the breast pocket of his waistcoat, elegantly worn underneath his old-fashioned suit.

This would annoy Elio even more, who kept wondering what or whom that man was waiting for. It certainly must have been something of extraordinary importance given that he was constantly looking at his watch.

Suddenly, after checking the time once more, the old man closed his book and bowed down to get something inside a black bag that he was keeping between his legs. As he was bowing down, his trousers slightly went up and revealed his black ankles and some odd black thin socks that looked like black fur.

Elio was not able to contain his apprehension and started shaking. As he was going through his own bag, the old man burst out laughing as if he had perceived Elio's terror. It was a long, deep and gloomy laughter that resounded into his ears. Elio coved up his ears with his hands to try and stop hearing that noise. He closed his eyes to avoid looking at the man's reflection on the window pane and started praying to himself: "Libero, come back. Libero, come back."

Then, the automatic door of the car was abruptly opened.

"Elio, what are you doing? Did you catch an ear infection in the city? Do not infect us countrymen with these urban viruses!"

Elio startled. Then, after he had recognized Libero's playful voice, turned around and saw his cousin laugh; he was holding a shopping bag and a soft drink in his hands. Gaia was standing right behind him and was biting into a huge croissant.

There was no trace of the old man. He disappeared just like he had previously appeared. Everything belonging to him was gone: his book, his watch and his bag.

Libero sat down next to Elio and after having passed him a croissant, he noticed that he was shaking.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

"I think it's just some motion sickness." lied Elio.

Gaia understood that her brother was having one of his crises and promised herself she would address the problem to Libero.

The rest of the trip was quiet. Libero described the harvest festival that was going to take place soon and was going to involve all neighbouring villages. It was going to be held outdoors and the evening was going to be livened up by traditional dances like the taranta, and more modern ones.

Elio was looking at his sister and cousin, and asked himself how those two had managed to get along so quickly. Despite that, he was glad to be travelling with them. All those events were worrying him. Was he being victim of some sort of plot against his persona, or was he going insane?

Libero got nervous as it was time to get off the train. He saw from the window Mrs Gina's house, which was taken as a reference point. As soon the train stopped, he took the bags. Then, after Gaia had opened the door, he nervously rushed out of the train like those who are not used to travelling very often.

The locals would consider that a station, but actually it was nothing but a stop in the middle of nowhere. The only comforts were given by a pierced platform roof and a broken ticket machine that would transmit a pre-recorded message saying "Be careful, this station is not under surveillance. Beware of pickpockets".

Libero took a deep breath and said:

"Finally, fresh air. Welcome to Campoverde."

"I can already smell the fields." noticed Gaia. "Can you, Elio?"

Elio could not feel any difference compared to the city, and he just shrugged his shoulders.

"Elio, take Gaia's luggage. I will carry the other ones." ordered Libero.

Gaia unexpectedly enjoyed Libero's gentlemanly behaviour, which usually would have annoyed her. But Libero was so genuine that she was amused by it and played along with him. Maybe she had been too hasty in judging him as a fool...

Gaia and Libero walked right in front of the speaking ticket machine, which was repeating the same sentences all over again, and then they headed towards the underpass smiling.

Elio had to grab Gaia's big luggage by its handle in order to climb down and up the stairs of the underpass. He was completely worn out.

On the last few steps he made the last efforts hoping that aunt Ida would be waiting in the parking lot to drive them home.

But when he got into the parking lot, he noticed that no one was waiting for them. Libero, with Gaia by his side, headed west along a narrow road that was poorly paved. Two canals were flowing alongside the road and were separating it from the corn fields on one side and wheat fields on the other.

Elio, who was desperately trying to catch his breath, yelled at them stop for a second. His sister turned around confused. She could not remember the last time her brother had spoken with such a tone, let alone had yelled in that way.

"Where's Aunt Ida's car?" asked Elio.

"Oh, sorry I forgot to tell you. She called me saying that she could not come. Camilla, our cow, is in labour and mum cannot leave her alone at the moment."

"Camilla? In labour? What are we going to do?" asked Elio panting.

"Don't worry. It's only four miles and then we'll be at the farm." Libero soothingly replied.

"Four miles?" were Elio's last words.

"Come on! Your sister's luggage is a carry-on!" Libero teased him, and then he got back to walking.

In the distance the first couple of houses can be seen.

"Here it is! The house behind the cherry tree is ours. It's the farm."

Libero pointed at a venetian red farm with green blinds. A luxuriant and well looked after garden stretched from the front door to the clotheslines that was marking the beginning of the stable. Only fields beyond it.

"Mum, we're here!" yelled Libero, dropping off the baggage on the driveway and running towards the stable.

Aunt Ida came out of the frontdoor.

"My niece and nephew!" she screamed out of joy.

Gaia threw her arms around her neck. Elio, who was exhausted, moved close to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. just to be polite.

Ida was in her 50's, but her natural beauty had not faded yet. She was a thin, average-heighted woman... Her body was well proportioned even though, her arms and legs were more muscly and stronger that a runner's. The hard life of the farm was her daily work out. She had her blonde hair in a ponytail, and her fair skin would make her beautiful green eyes stand out, just like her nephew's.

Meanwhile, Libero was coming back from the stable, all smiling.

"Camilla had a female baby cow! More milk for us!"

Aunt Ida invited them indoors. The table was set and the smell of a delicious lunch was floating in the air. The kids were hungry and ate everything. Gaia could not stop telling her aunt her emotions that she had felt throughout the journey.

After lunch, Gaia helped Ida cleaning up. Libero, on the other hand, dragged Elio around the farm asking him, or rather ordering to help him out.

In the evening, aunt Ida explained that the attic was going to be their summer bedroom. However, for now they were going to sleep on the sofa bed in the living room up until the attic was going to be ready.

Gaia rushed upstairs and followed her aunt to see the attic. Elio, on the other hand, was shocked by the additional bad news.

They walked up to the first floor, where Ida and Libero would be sleeping. On the same floor, there was also Ercole's bedroom, the youngest cousin who was off to summer camp. Ida pointed at the wooden ladder that was leading up to the attic. She was not going to climb up there as she was already tired of going up and down the stairs. In fact, she had already been during the day in order to air the room.

In the meantime, aunt Ida went into her bedroom and secretly called up Giulia, her sister-in-law, to update her.

The phone did not even ring twice. Giulia picked up straight away.

"Hello dear, how is it going?" asked Ida.

"Everything is going well, thanks. But tell me. How did he go?"

"He managed to walk here from the station without passing out. He thought I was going to drive them home. Libero lied and told him that our cow, Camilla, was in labour." Ida was laughing.

"I would have liked to see him sweat!"

"After we had lunch..." Ida began to say, but Giulia interrupted her.

"Did he eat anything?"

"Yes, he ate both the first and the second course."

"Wow! At home he doesn't even have a bite of a sandwich."

"It's hard though." said Ida. "But I'm sure he will get better."

In the background she could hear Carlo ask questions and laugh.

"TV and video games are gone. In extremis, extremity."

Elio, was lying on the bed. He could not move his body. It had been years since he moved that much.

At school he would always make up excuses to skip gym class.

"Elio call your sister here. I need some help with dinner."

Elio could not believe what he had just heard. She could not be for real.

But Aunt Ida spoke with such a tone that would not allow any negative answer.

"Elio, did you hear what I say?"

"Okay." he replied and proceeded towards the stairs all grim faced.

He stopped right beneath the wooden ladder and began yelling her name.

Despite her brother's yells, Gaia was not answering.

Then Elio, even more upset, decided to climb up the stairs. In the semi-dark room of the attic he was feeling anxious. Step after step, the journey to the attic seemed never-ending. As soon as he arrived with his head underneath the hatch, he began yelling his sister's name. But again, no one replied. He forced himself to walk the last steps. And then something from above grabbed his arm.

Elio stayed still, with his eyes shut and the terrorised look on his face.

"Got ya!" yelled Gaia, who had noticed that Elio was in awe.

"Get away from me. You scared me. You should've answered."

Gaia did not take the bait as she was intrigued by what she had found, and said:

"This attic is packed with odd things. Come over here. Look at this..."

Elio finished walking up the stairs and followed his sister, who was browsing through old pictures.

"This is so funny." she said, passing the pictures to Elio.

"What is funny?" asked Elio.

"What?" asked Gaia. "Do you not recognise him?"

"Who?!" asked again Elio.

"It's dad!" exclaimed Gaia.

"Dad? You're right. I didn't recognise him dressed up like this. He looks a little bit like Libero. They're basically wearing the same clothes!"

Finally, after a very long time, he smiled. Gaia, in the meantime, kept looking at the other pictures.

"Have you seen this one? I think it's a very young Libero. He seems so serious and sullen that it doesn't even look like him."

The picture portrayed a pale and frail child with a blank stare in his eyes.

"He looks so alienated" commented Gaia.

In the picture, he was standing in the garden and was holding in his hands his toy cars. The photograph had been taken at dusk with the sun setting behind him. Libero was alone in the picture, however there was a second shadow running along his.

Elio spotted it and worriedly said:

"Can you see this shadow?"

"Which one?"

Elio began feeling nervous.

"This one here. Do you not see it? This shadow does not correspond to anything" he said, pointing his finger at the picture.

"This? It's the shadow of the tree."

Gaia was not really convinced either, but she tried to reassure her brother.

Elio did not want his sister to think he had gone crazy, and decided to switch topic of discussion.

"We have to go downstairs. Aunt Ida made me come here and call you. She needs your help."

"Are you staying in here?" asked Gaia as she was jumping towards the stairs.

Elio thought that there was not a chance that he was going to stay there on this own.

"No, I'm coming with you" he replied.

Gaia found her aunt busy making dinner and began helping her out.

Elio was about to lay down on the couch when he heard Ida's voice.

"What are you doing? Come and help us. It's not time to rest. Set the table, please.

"Where's Libero?" asked Gaia.

"Surely he's closing up the stables." replied Ida. "Elio, if you are finished, could you go and call him over here?"

"I'll go." offered Gaia smiling.

"No, I need you here. Let your brother go."

"Yes." Elio tiredly replied, who was unusually hungry.

He stepped out of the front door and looked around for his cousin, who was sitting on the tractor in the field and watching the sky.

Elio walked towards him and had the impression that everyone in the family had gone deaf: he called him several times, but Libero did not answer.

"I really hope it's contagious. At least I'll be able to lay down and I won't need to listen to anyone's orders. " meditated Elio.

He had to walk right under the tractor to have an answer.

"Why are you yelling?" asked Libero.

"You should come inside. Dinner's ready" replied Elio.

"Come on up." said Libero, as if he did not hear any of the words Elio was saying.

"Up there?"

"Yeah, up here. I'll show you something."

Elio climbed up the tractor and sat down next to him.

"Look how beautiful it is." exclaimed Libero, pointing at the sky. "A few years ago I could not see it."

"What?" asked Elio as he tried to spot what he was referring to.

"The sky." repeated Libero.

"The sky?"

"Yeah, the sky. It's a beautiful thing. But most of the times in our lives we don't raise our heads up. And I don't mean just to check the weather, but to contemplate it, in silence, in the same way we contemplate the sea. It's just that it is easier to admire the latter; that's why it's appreciated more often. Have you ever stopped and admired the sky?"

"No."

"You should. It lifts you up and makes you look at things in the right perspective."

Elio, amazed at his cousin's profundity, stayed in silence with him and looked at the sky for a while.

From blinding white to smokey grey, the clouds were floating between two strips of sky. The strip beneath them was lead grey, the strip above them was deep blue, illuminated by the last glares of the sun that was setting. The edge of the clouds looked golden, as if they were brightened by light of another world, as if they were there to illuminate a past life. The white ones were thick like firm peaks, the grey ones were squiggled like a child's scribble.

Amongst all of them, one can be easily distinguished. It was unicorn shaped and was standing against the white background as if the grey animal were running in the white celestial meadows. Just like a fresco painted by Tiepolo¹, that natural infinite roof was stretched over what is visible, over the mystery of the existence of our souls: so small, yet eternal.

All of a sudden, Libero jumped down.

"I'm starving now" he said, laughing out loud.

"Aren't you, Elio?"

"Yeah."

"Come on, let's go and eat. Maybe another time I’ll drive you around on the tractor."

He said, heading towards his house.

Elio did not waste any time and began following him. He was starving too.

¹ Tiepolo was a famous Venetian painter in the 18th century.

Fourth Chapter

A voice was whispering into his ears words in an unknown language.

Elio woke up early. It was impossible not to give into aunt Ida, who was insistently screaming his name. It was nearly dawn outside. He looked at the sky get pink and for a second, he pictured the image of the previous night's sunset and relived that feeling of peacefulness. But it did not last for a long time as he began to hear a sharp ringing in his ears that was cutting his soul and made him go back to reality.

Elio dragged himself to the kitchen still wearing his pyjamas and hoping breakfast would wake him up.

His aunt, cousin and sister were already dressed up with their hair perfectly combed as if it were 8 am rather than 5.30. There was a festive atmosphere in the house; Ercole was coming back home from summer camp and Ida was excited at the thought of having her son back home. He had been away for five days and she had been very apprehensive. She was always worried when their kids were out of the house after what had happened to Libero when he was younger. She would never have wanted to take her eyes off them.

As soon as she spotted Elio being unruly, Sergeant Ida sent him away to make him freshen up.

Ida was a strong woman who had been strengthened by the hardship of life. Following her husband's death and the issues with her son, she had to get accustomed to a totally different life from the one she was leading in the city with her husband.

Tough and determined as she was, she tackled that new challenge. Sometimes she would let herself cry in secret, but despite everything she would not lose her strength.

Her authoritative tone was her shield. However, on the inside she was as sweet and soft as a cupcake.

After a while, Elio came back fully dressed and almost freshened up despite his bad mood and his hunger.

He could smell milk and chocolate, and the fresh pastries that aunt Ida had made the day before.

They were milk, braid-shaped brioches in different flavours: cinnamon, anise, and sesame, his favourite.

His sister and Libero were already dipping them in the milk.

Libero asked him:

"Do you know who's coming today?"

Elio startled at his question.

"Who?" he replied.

"Ercole, my little brother!"

Elio did not say anything, but he had completely forgotten of his peer.

"From where?" he asked as if they had not talked about it.

"What?" replied Gaia. "Aunt Ida told us yesterday."

"He's coming back from summer camp." said Libero smiling.

"The attic is waiting for you two." hinted their aunt with a tone that brooked no argument. "Come on, Elio, finish up your breakfast and get to work." "Gaia will come and help you in a bit. I need her to run an errand for me."

Elio drank his milk in a sip, being relieved at the idea of spending some time alone in the attic. He was happy that he could go back to listening to his music on his mp3 player.

He looked for it all over the house but could not find it anywhere. He went back into kitchen and asked:

"Has anyone seen my mp3 player?"

"Unfortunately, something happened to it yesterday. You had left it on the sofa. When I opened the sofa bed, it got stuck in between the frame mechanism...There's not much left, but I’ve managed to save the memory card." said his aunt, who took the memory card from a saucer and gave it to him.

"The day has begun in the worst way" kept thinking Elio. He climbed up the stairs that lead to the attic with his usual pace and switched on the light.

Things were piled up everywhere. He would have had to tidy everything up and find a spot where to place two beds. The thought of it was too much for him. Therefore, he decided to open up the big central window to let some fresh air and some daylight in, and intended to sit down somewhere and wait for Gaia.

But then, something caught his eyes. It was a book placed on an old wooden box that looked weirdly similar to that book the old man was reading on the train.

It was a very odd coincidence. It certainly was not a very common book, which made his nervous. All of a sudden, the light went out and Elio began to hear that odd voice that, like a bad omen, was whispering into his ears words in an unknown language.

Although he knew it was impossible, Elio was scared that the old man could be standing right there with him, in the dark. He searched for the light switch, but could not turn it on. The light bulb must have burst. A deep-rooted fear took over him. The voice was getting stronger and stronger and kept echoing in his head. He was fumbling around in the dark to get to the window, dragging along with him all the objects he was running into.

When he got to the handle, he realized that the window was locked and started punching on the glass hoping it would unlock.

He was shaking and was covered in cold sweat.

Suddenly, the light came on. Elio turned around, he wanted to scream, but his throat got all choked up.

Then he saw Gaia.

"Elio, are you okay? What's with all this noise? Are you hurt?"

The boy, who was white as a sheet and was shivering, looked distressed.

Gaia hugged him tightly and worriedly whispered to him:

"Is everything alright? It happened again, didn't it? That thing that flusters you..."

Elio neither answered nor hugged her back. He was still far, far away, deep in his thoughts. He could not feel on his skin the warmth of her embrace. It was as if he were made of stone.

Gaia slightly let him go as Elio came to his senses.

The first thing that he did was check if that odd manuscript were still there where he had seen it, or if he had only imagined it.

Unfortunately, it was still there. And his stare turned cold once again.

Gaia noticed what had just happened and walked towards the old volume. She wanted to see if it was the cause of her brother's distress. She analyzed the trajectory of Elio's stare.

He was precisely staring at that old book. She turned around and grabbed it. And with the book in her hands, she addressed him:

"Is this the reason why you are so creeped out?"

Elio did not mutter a single word.

"Elio, talk to me. I can't help you if you insist on shutting me out."

"The train." whispered Elio.

"The train? What do you mean?"

"I saw exactly the same book on the train."

"What's weird about that?"

"This weird old man was reading it when you were off to the restaurant car. He was sitting in the row beside mine.

"A lot of people read books when they're travelling."

"But it's not an usual book, can you not see it?" replied Elio, who was getting upset.

Actually, Gaia had not noticed how particular the cover of the book was, and she looked even more astonished when she opened it.

It was written in a foreign language. The black and white pictures were portraying odd figures standing against some woods and full moons. Most of those figures were distressing,

but she pretended not see them. She immediately closed the book and threw it in the corner.

"Come on, it's just a coincidence. It's just an old book."

Elio remained silent; his ears were ringing again.

The young girl tried distracting him, although those spectral images were not leaving her mind.

"Come on, help me move these boxes towards the light. And let's make some space under the skylight. That's where I want our bed to be. Unfortunately, we'll have to sleep in the same bed, and I want to fall asleep under the starlight."

They worked all morning at a good pace. Gaia managed to distract Elio with her gab and he seemed to be reacting with more energy after what had happened.

They spent most of the afternoon tidying everything up until aunt Ida encouraged them to freshen up a little bit. That night Ercole was coming back home and they wanted to celebrate.

Libero had promised that he would take them dancing at the harvest festival that was going to be held in town.

They heard the sound of a car's horn honking. It was the old local bus that would pass by twice a week. After going through different neighbourhoods of the city, it would eventually reach their town. Usually, kids would use it to go back from the summer camp in Tresentieri, a wood not too far from the main town.

Libero jumped out of the house, and, as usual, he lifted up his brother, who did not even manage to his massive backpack, and spun him around up to the front door. After Ercole had managed to move out from the "squeeze" position, he had to deal with his mother.

He was happy about that expression of affection, but it seemed to him they were slightly overreacting considering that he had been away only for five days.

He affectionately kissed Gaia on her cheeks, whom he found very pretty, and coldly said hello to Elio, because of whom the TV and his beloved video-games were gone.

Ercole was the same age as Gaia, and just like a greek hero, he was tall, muscly and athletic, and he was in the local wrestling team.

His black hair was combed in a crew cut. His dark eyes and olive skin made him look more rugged that he actually was. In fact, he was a good-natured boy, incapable of holding grudges.

Dinner was served earlier than usual so that they had plenty of time to get ready for the festival. They had hours before the actual festival, but Ida had prepared a real feast for the occasion, and they needed all that time only to pass on to everyone all the dishes.

After that, they would be set to go.

All the men in the house had to wait longer than expected, of course. Both Ida and Gaia were taking ages. Elio was not in the mood. Plus he thought that the outfit he had showed off all day was more than appropriate. Ercole put on a pair of jeans and an exorbitant amount of hair gel.

Among the boys, Libero took the longer. He did not get out of his bedroom until he was fully ready. He looked lively with his blue capri pants and his multi-colored shirt that would have looked excessive on anyone, but was great on him.

His eyes were sparkling. It was one of the festivals he enjoyed the most.

As soon as everyone got ready, Elio tried escaping that torture, but was caught up in his auntie’s enthusiasm, who looked unrecognisable. She was wearing a black flowery dress, high-heeled shoes and her hair was loose on her shoulder. Moreover, she had put make up on her face. She took him under her arm and escorted him outside.

Along the way, they could admire the lights, the little flags and the decorations that were set up by the organizers of that year's festival.

On the edge of the road, bales of hay in all shapes were decorating the town.

In the city centre, the war memorial was surrounded by enormous wheels made out of straw.

The main square was hosting the stage where the marching band would be performing.

All around the dance floor, all the chairs were occupied by the elderly, who were chatting and waiting to admire all the young things dance. The younger kids were already running around the dance floor, imitating the adults that would have to avoid them during the dances.

That night everybody in town was talking about the arrival of Gaia and Elio. The elderly and the adults were recalling the old times when the two siblings would come into town.

People had different views: Some of them would recall them as two hotheads, some others as good kids. Their old friends, on the other hand, were remembering the old the times they would skip school and get lost in the fields.

Someone would say that Elio looked like his father, some others would say that Gaia did. Others would try and solve the mystery by saying that they looked like their grandparents.

In the meantime, the marching band was rehearsing. Everything was almost ready. The host, or stated more correctly, the man that every year was responsible for speaking from the stage, invited to the stage by the local authorities.

He finished up his speech by thanking the sponsors, whilst all the town dwellers were utterly uninterested in what he was saying and began yawning. Shortly after that, the audience broke into an applause hoping that the host had finished his speech for good and he would finally leave space for the band.

When it was announced that the host would be stepping down, the wilder applauses broke out. The orchestra's conductor jumped onto the stage and began waiving the baton around. At that precise moment, the trombone kicked in, followed by the drums, then by the saxophones and lastly by the clarinets.

Libero was the first to throw himself on the dance floor, accompanied by his favourite partner with whom he would always start the dance. Surprisingly, Libero was a graceful dancer and all the local women were used to enjoy at least one dance with him. He would give attention both to the younger girls and the older women. He loved to dance and was able to transmit his disinterested passion to his partners.

The dance floor filled up with people dancing. Gaia was receiving many invitations to dance and she was not backing down.

For a second, Elio felt an odd sensation. Without even realising it, his feet had begun bopping along.

As soon as the dance became more spontaneous, his aunt grabbed him by his dangling hand and made him dance and spin around.

He strangely did not oppose that decision. For an instant, he felt the rhythm kicking into his body. He was having so much fun that his cheeks started aching because of that odd contortion of the facial muscles that he had not experienced in years.

He went from dancing in his auntie's arms into several other girls's that were intrigued and were amusingly staring at him.

After he had finished dancing with the last girl, Elio returned to his seat. He could feel his blood flow through his limbs. Suddenly, he began hearing that odd ringing his ears, which forced him to move away from the main square. That same music he had been dancing to up until a few moments ago became deafening.

He walked towards the lawn beside the church, where some old tractors were displayed. A group of children kept looking at them and running around them.

Elio sat down in a dark corner and started observing them.

All those laughs were resounding in this mind and were reminding him of an old happiness buried for a long a time.

He was jealous of a child who was happily running towards his father and grabbing his hand. When he saw that, an old memory came flooding back: the warmth and the perfume of his father's hand.

A sharp pain shot up his temple. He could not think. He grabbed his head in his hands. He was cold.

"Elio, what are you doing here all alone? Are you in pain?"

Aunt Ida, who had not lost sight of him during the entire night, sat down beside him. Elio did not reply.

Ida put her arm around his shoulders and gently held him in between her arms. But Elio could not feel the warmth of that embrace. It was cold in his world.

On the way back to the farm, Gaia could not stop talking about her amusing night and her new acquaintances.

For the first time they spent the night in the attic. They had set the bed right below the skylight so that Gaia could fall asleep watching the stars, and so did she.

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