«Great friends?».
«Brothers in blood. We even have a cut to prove it. My god, you flooded me, you almost bled out, and how you squealed! Your parents thought…».
«Did you love me?».
«Why do you talk about me in past tense?».
«Because you’re dead»:
«Oh, right. But I don’t feel so dead now; still, this is just a dream».
«Right, it’s a dream».
«You’re about to bite the dust to, so I’ve heard».
«Who told you?».
«You’ve made a great mistake, do you realize that?».
«Tell me about you. Tell my something else. Help me remember. How did you die?».
«Stop it please! It was terrible, don’t make me remember! I’ll wet my pants just thinking about it. Let’s go play instead; aren’t you tired of lying on this bed?».
«Play?».
«Yes, let’s play pirates, like we used to! You must still have the bandage you put in my eye somewhere, as long as that thin witch hasn’t thrown it away.
«I can’t play anymore. I’m old».
«How absurd! You don’t have limits; you can do whatever you want!».
«A long time ago, now I can’t do anything».
«But it’s depressing!».
«I know, but it’s like that».
«You don’t need me anymore then?».
«What are you saying? Of course I need you! I’m going crazy in here without you!».
«If you don’t want to play then you don’t need me. What could I do?».
«Playing is not the only thing in life»
«It is in ours, there was nothing else».
Silence.
«I’m leaving».
«No, Billy, don’t go! You can’t go!».
«I shouldn’t even have come, it’s been too sad»
«No! Stay!».
«I’m dead, damn it! I didn’t want this! The dead and the old, look how we withered. What a disgusting life!».
«It doesn’t matter!».
«Goodbye, old friend. Maybe we’ll meet again someday, in another life»
«No!».
«Did you have a bad night?».
It was very early, the children had not woken up yet. But when Mr. Orazio went down to the dining hall, he found Ms. Peggy waiting for him, impeccable as always, with a table full of cakes and pastries.
«Who was Billy?», Mr. Orazio started as soon as he sat down.
Before Ms. Peggy could start to speak, he added: «I’m remembering, I’m beginning to remember».
The housekeeper sighed, but did not try to seat. «Billy shouldn’t have existed, he was a mistake».
«Was he like you?».
«No, he wasn’t. That was precisely the problem, he wasn’t like us».
He frowned, but the housekeeper’s expression was impenetrable. «What does it mean?».
«It means Billy was another step in the evolution».
Mr. Orazio was flabbergasted. «Evolution?».
She nodded. «Your powers had evolved. Yes, they had evolved a lot. From the time you gave life to YoYo, from the time you created… me, they had evolved even more. And then you created Billy, but this was just the end of it all. If only you had never created him!».
«Don’t listen to her!», Lizzi shouted as she entered. She was dragging the red witch by her hand, who was yawning drowsily.
«Don’t pay attention to her just because she seems mature to you», she added. «Just like you shouldn’t think of us as little girls. We are the seam, she and I. Rather, we’re better than her».
She pointed at her. «Look at her, she was created to serve and that’s it! That’s her only task! She’s not so different from the cook in the kitchen! We were you friends and you created us to play, to have some company! And more, right? It’s more important!».
She kept telling him that, it was indispensable for her. But Mr. Orazio had noticed something strange in her sentence. «We’ve never been friends, you told me so. What do you mean?».
Lizzi was stricken dumb.
Ms. Peggy showed a malicious smile, which seemed almost satanic on her rigid face. «Tell him Lizzi. Come on; tell him how your great friendship ended».
Lizzi sat down at the table without saying a word.
«Tell him how long it lasted, above all. And what happened next».
«It lasted what it lasted!», Lizzi growled. «I don’t care».
«What do you mean?», Mr. Orazio asked her.
«That Lizzi was the last one. Her friend and her were there last of our species. We bored you; you had no interest in us anymore. We weren’t what you wanted. You were growing up; maybe you needed something different».
«Billy», Mr. Orazio murmured.
«Right, Billy», Ms. Peggy giggled. «You created Billy a week after you created these two. Because, it needs to be said, they had just disappointed you».
Lizzi seemed about to explode and the red witch was holding her hand, trying to calm her down.
Ms. Peggy’s voice became bitter. «From that day on we ceased to exist. All of us, whose only purpose was to care for you; we, who didn’t know what else to do, became useless, trash. There was only Billy in your life; Billy and no one else».
«When did this happen?», Mr. Orazio asked in a whisper. «How old was I?».
«When you created Billy? Lizzi asked him. «You were eight. But it didn’t last long, everything was destroyed almost instantly».
«What was?».
«Your life, ours, Billy’s».
«This isn’t working my friend. This house is a funeral».
Billy was by his side, on the balcony. They sat with their legs hanging in the void, clinging to the railing.
«What should I do?».
«You can do anything!».
«I promised my dad I wouldn’t use my powers. He doesn’t even know you exist. He’d get very angry if he found out; mom above all, you know what she’s like».
«And then? Don’t make them angry, don’t tell them anything. But something has to change in here. I’m getting bored».
«We can play pirates!».
«With what? With wooden pieces? Wake up! You’re able to create a real galleon; you just need to desire it, even a crocodile with a clock in its belly. You can create anything!».
«You’ve been to the attic, haven’t you? You’ve read the forbidden books. You know mom doesn’t want me to, she gets angry».
«I did it, and so did you! And then it’s stupid that she doesn’t let you read them, they’re fantastic. Full of adventures, there are some images in them too, beautiful images; you should come with me and see».
«I…».
«What is it? Are you afraid? You have me to protect you!».
«I don’t know how to read. They didn’t want to teach me how to».
«What does it take? I’ve learned very quickly. I’ll show you if you want».
«Would you really do that?».
«I’m your brother, aren’t I? Your blood brother, not like the wuss down there!».
«I don’t know what I’d do without you, Billy. Don’t you ever leave me».
«Are you joking? I don’t know how some ideas come to your mind».
«I don’t know; I’m scared Billy, I’ve been so scared sometimes».
«You scared? But you can do anything! Who are you afraid of?».
«Nothing, nothing; forget about it».
14
«Are they still there?».
They quickly understood he had remembered something and all their eyes pointed towards Mr. Orazio. He realized he asked something incomprehensible, but was still too dazed from those sudden flashes that knocked the wind out of him. «The books; the books my parents took away. Are they still in the attic?».
A slight wrinkle formed on Ms. Peggy’s forehead. «Even they were, I don’t see how they have anything to do with this. What do they matter?».
Mr. Orazio didn’t know either, but deep down
it was all that remained from his parents.
«You mustn’t go the attic», Lizzi added. «It’s too soon, you aren’t ready yet».
«Ready for what?».
She was explicit this time. «To accept what happened».
«Do you mean Billy’s death?».
She nodded.
«What does the attic have to do with it?».
«It had become your kingdom». Then she added: «Billy lived there».
«What does it mean?».
«You didn’t want your parents to see him, so you held him in the attic».
Doubt came to Mr. Orazio. «Was he… normal? Was he different in any way?».
Both Lizzi and Ms. Peggy turned their heads; only the red witch continued to look at him. For a moment Mr. Orazio felt an ally in her. That girl wanted him to remember, she had much more faith in him than her friend. Maybe she expected everything from him.
«You don’t remember anything about him, do you?», Lizzi asked him.
He had never seen him, in any of his memories, not even in that strange dream. He could only remember his voice, he could have never forgotten it.
«Why did I create him? Was I really tired of you?».
Ms Peggy and Lizzi shared fiery looks, and the girl answered: «No, it wasn’t true, you weren’t tired of us. You created him because you had the opportunity, because he was something different. Because you were tired of having to hold yourself back. Because… because he could be someone only for you. Maybe you created him… for love. It’s the only thing you never gave us; that we always lacked. Everything was different after that; we were nothing compared to Billy, we had become useless».
«You don’t hate him, you’ve never hated him. You liked him».
A strange smile appeared on Lizzi’s face, turning her into a little girl again. «How could you hate him? He was all we weren’t, he had what we didn’t. We only dreamt of being like him. Of course we liked him».
«Even if he had replaced you?».
«He didn’t replace us. He was capable of giving you what we couldn’t».
«What is that?».
«Life».
«Bobo, what…».
He took him by his arm and pulled him into his room. Mr. Orazio was surprised by his resourcefulness. The child was noticeably embarrassed.
«Don’t go to the attic».
«But Bobo…».
«I know I disappointed you, and that it’s too late now. I’m not what you would have wanted and Billy was better than me, but… Billy’s dead now, I don’t care that you’ve grown old, I can get used to it. Can’t I be enough for you?».
Mr. Orazio felt disturbed at the child’s pleading look. He caressed his sweet face. Bobo clung to his hand.
«You can’t bring him back to life!», he shouted. «You couldn’t do so before! It’s useless trying now. You can do so many things but not this; you aren’t capable of cheating death».
His disturb grew. «I’m not going there for that».
«You are going to Mr. Agenore’s, right? You want to speak to him. Then you’ll try again, I know. You’ll try to bring him back to life. You’ll destroy yourself to do so».
«I don’t have any powers anymore, Bobo».
The child burst in tears. «I hate this name! Why did you give me this name? I don’t want it!».
Mr. Orazio, who was increasingly embarrassed, started looking for excuses. «I was a child then. I can’t remember. I must have copied it from somewhere…».
«Give me another one».
«Another one?».
«Yes, another one!».
«What name would you like? You can choose whichever you want».
«No, I can’t choose! You must give it to me!».
«I… don’t know what to call you».
«Another, any other!».
But Mr. Orazio’s mind was empty. He could not remember any name. Or rather, he could only recall one.
«Bobo is a beautiful name».
The child looked at him in confusion. «Is it beautiful? Really?».
«I like it so much».
«Do you really like it? You aren’t saying this to console me, right? You prefer Billy, I know»:
«I could certainly not call him Bobo too, since I had already used it. But if you hadn’t existed I would have called him Bobo».
The child’s eyes gleamed. «Really? Is it true?».
He went next to him and hugged him. «You are my brother even if you are old!», he murmured. «I love you all the same».
Mr. Orazio hugged him too: «Me too».
Then he gently separated and left him alone.
15
He had postponed it for too long, and he was sure that was the only place where he would find the answers he was looking for. That attic attracted him like a magnet.
He had no idea how to access it but he was sure it would not be difficult.
He got to the last floor and started searching. He quickly found a stepladder going up and a small wooden trap door on the top.
«Don’t do it».
They had just arrived, Lizzi Bizzi and the red witch. He felt their presence behind him, but Mr. Orazio did not even turn.
«Why? Isn’t this what you want? Isn’t this the reason you brought me here?».
They went silent.
«It’s too soon, you say, but is it the truth? Maybe you’re afraid? You aren’t sure what will happen when I remember?».
«You’ll be annhilated».
«It’s useless to pretend, you may all be real, but I created you. You aren’t sure that you’ll continue to exist after my death».
«Do you think that matters? Our only prpose was caring for you. When you’re gone we’ll become useless. What does it matter whether we die or not?».
«What’s the truth then?».
«Nothing’s changed. Everything is as before. I lied».
Mr. Orazio slowly turned to look at her.
Lizzi was serious, and looked yet so fragile, like a little girl. «I disobeyed and I lied to you».
«What does it mean?».
«It’s not true that you called us, we came on our own initiative. It’s not true that you don’t want to die. Everything is just like it was at first».
Mr. Orazio frowned.
«When you remember everything will come back like then. And you won’t be able to accept it, everything will have been useless».
«I don’t want to die», Mr. Orazio said in firm belief.
«Just because you don’t remember; everything will be different later».
«What I did to Billy?».
«It’s not true that there’s nothing left from your parents. You haven’t touched the attic, it’s still untouched. You haven’t been able to, you haven’t succeeded in that. It’s another dimension, a place only for you; for Billy and you».
«What’s in there?».
«It attracted you, you couldn’t help it. Those books obsessed you. All the stories your mother used to tell you as a child, her stories; and you couldn’t read them, she had never taught you how to, you couldn’t even look at your father’s drawings. It was horrible for you; and so was the sacrifice they were doing…».
«What does it mean?».
«Your mother was a writer, and a great one. She wrote incredibly beautiful stories. And your father painted, he drew the images for your mother’s books. Their whole life was dedicated to fantasy, that’s why they weren’t scared of you. To them, it was natural that their son had the power to make dreams caome true, they were proud of it. But when things started to go wrong, when they became exaggerated, then even them gave up to their dreams. Fantasy was banned from this house because it was too dangerous. Your mother stopped writing and your father stopped drawing. They exiled their dreams there, in that attic». A long silence. «That’s where you found us».
«Me? What do you mean with find?».
«If you go into that attic it’ll be the end of everything; of us and this house».<
br />
She stretched her hand and grabbed his arm.
She stretched her hand and grabbed his arm.
«What? Oh, it’s you Lizzi, you want to kill me!».
Orazio was trying to keep his voice down, not to be heard by his parents. It was strange seeing Lizzi without the red witch, and immediately smelled trouble.
«He’s not good. He’s not good at all».
Orazio tried to giggle. «Who isn’t good?».
«Billy. Billy isn’t who you think he is. Billy is lying to you».
Orazio grimaced. «Oh, is that so? Are you jealous of him?».
«It’s true. He doesn’t do what you tell him to. He just makes you believe he does, he’s lying to you».
«Billy’s free to do what he wants!».
Lizzi shook her head. «He always comes down here, even if he tells you he doesn’t. I’ve seen him; your parents could too, and you don’t want that, right?».
«And you raced to spy him?».
«They won’t like it. There will be trouble if they see him».
«So? They’ll punish me, not you. What do you care?».
«I’m telling you so you don’t get in trouble. Because…».
Orazio freed himself from her grasp with rage. «No, you’re telling me this because you don’t like him! You’re jealous of him! It bothers you that he’s free to do what he wants! They’ll see him sooner or later! So be it! Billy says I mustn’t be afraid of anything, that I can do whatever I desire!».
«You don’t want to make your parents feel pain. You must speak to Billy, restrain him…».
«Billy doesn’t need orders! Billy can do whatever he wants! He’s my friend, he loves me!».
«He was my friend. He loved me!».
Lizzi lowered her head. «Yes».
«He stayed with me because he wanted to. He wasn’t forced to, like you».
Bizzi’s voice was a whisper. «Yes».
«He was real, the only real thing in my life!».
Lizzi had her eyes full of tears, and murmured for the third time: «Yes».
Then she turned, held the red witch’s hand and ran away.
Mr. Orazio turned to look at the steps that would take him to his destiny.
The attic was very big. When he turned the lights on, only four paltry lamps were lit, with a long distance between each other.
It was full of old books covered by large pieces of cloth and there were dust and spider webs everywhere. It would take hours to explore completely.
Lizzi Bizzi and the Red Witch Page 6