Lizzi Bizzi and the Red Witch

by Stefano Pastor

  It’s dark, and the air is wet, moist, and yet it’s like being on a sunny meadow, caressed by the wind. You do not even have to close the eyes.

  This is the life she’s waiting for now. She and Toby, forever.

  «I always wanted you, you know?», he chuckles. «One like you. I never wanted more».

  Me too, Toby, think the princess.

  The gates are getting closer and the freedom. But when they are a few meters away, they are lit by a car’s headlights with a dry shot the automatic gates begin to open.

  They lock both.

  The princess recognizes the car. Yes, you can not forget it. Once, long ago, she too went up there many times. When her mom still loved her. Before she became just a burden for her.

  Mom is coming home. From some party, or some reception.

  The machine only takes a couple of feet before braking abruptly. The doors open.

  Two men stand tall, robust, dressed in black. One shout: «Alt! Boy, what are you doing?».

  The other: «Where do you come from? What’s in that backpack? Did you come to steal?».

  The princess does not know them. There are always strange men around mom. To protect her, they say. Because she is an important character and she needs to be protected.

  Toby is paralyzed, again. In the face of danger, he can not react.

  «Come here!», one of the men screams.

  «Do not try to run away!», screams at the other.

  Toby trembles.

  The princess looks at them with hatred.

  Then the back door opens, and she comes out. Mother.

  Strange, the princess looks at her but can not try anything against her. So many memories fill her mind, but they are just memories. Now it’s nothing, now there’s Toby.

  «Do you know it, ma’am? Have you ever seen him?».

  She just looks at him and shakes her head. How could her have noticed a little boy, the son of a housewife, just her? And then the villa does not come back almost anymore.

  «Hurry up your backpack and raise your hands!».

  One of the two men put a hand in his jacket and took a gun.

  All eyes are pointing to Toby. Nobody noticed the presence of the princess, with all that darkness.

  No, the princess is not silent. Screams, with all the voice that stays there. A raunchy, angry scream, which makes the two men jump.

  She sees Toby snapping behind her, running, and she is happy.

  Both men have guns and are pointing at them. First against Toby, but the princess again screams, even stronger.

  And then they both forget about the little boy who is running away and points to her.

  Mom screams.

  «No! What are you doing? Are you crazy? It’s the princess!».

  Men stop, undecided.

  Mom continues to shoot orders. «Do not be fooled! Follow that thief! Do not you want it to run away? And do not worry, I think about her».

  Chasing Toby? Do they hurt Toby? Because? They have already put the guns on, even if they are not convinced, because they are used to obey orders. They run after Toby, be careful not to get too close to him.

  The princess weeps, only a tear. Because the dream is over, because she can never run next to Toby, she can not hug or kiss him anymore.

  No, those men will not chase him because she will stop them. Toby will flee and be free. He will have that freedom that she has always dreamed of and for a moment she almost touched.

  I love you Toby, it’s her last thought.

  Then the woman in front of her extends her arms with a smile. «Come love. Come from mom. That bad guy wanted to kidnap you! But we’ll send him in jail, you’ll see. Come from mom, my princess!».

  And the princess launches.

  FAMOUS ACTRESS KILLED

  BY ITS DOBERMANN

  Chiara Falchi, 49, the unforgettable interpreter of Tormented Souls and The Bell of the Heart, found a horrible death between the jaws of her Dobermann, Princess. The actress’s bodyguards, promptly intervened, managed to break down the vanquished Dobermann. Unfortunately for Chiara Falchi, who was thrown into the throat, there was nothing left to do. She was sprained a few minutes later in the ambulance as she was being transported urgently to the hospital. The dog had previously attacked and killed the driver of the actress, Fernando Braschi, 42 years old. The tragedy took place in the Roman villa of the actress. The causes are still not fully established. The princess was twelve, a very unusual age for a Dobermann. This re-engages the controversy over the use of such dangerous animals, and their propensity to attack insanity. Agata Landi, housekeeper of Villa Falchi, stated that Princess had never given signs of imbalance. The dog, too old and ill, had been relegated to the house for years, and they can not explain how it has run away. Mrs. Landi keeps us in mind that Princess has never been a guard dog or has received any such training. «She was a family member», she said, «was treated just like a real princess. Mrs. Falchi had a passion for that dog, she was a daughter for her». The young Tobia Braschi, a 12-year-old son of the murdered driver, has disappeared at the moment. The police believe that the child has witnessed the death of her father and has been so upset about being leaked. The authorities are confident that he will be found shortly.

  August 2009

  CHICCO

  Translation by Cinzia Albanese

  «Chicco…».

  «Leave me alone, dad!».

  «Chicco, I beg you, you don’t realise what you are doing».

  «It’s about Jessica, isn’t it? They don’t want me to see her anymore! They say it’s your fault. What do they mean?».

  A long silence. Sat on the porch, father and son, one next to the other.

  «They say you are a bastard! What do they mean? They are scared that I would do the same to Jessica, what you did to mum».

  Total Silence.

  «What does Bastard mean? What did you do to mum?».

  «Jessica is not for you».

  Even coward, Chicco couldn’t handle it anymore. Coward and bastard.

  «Bullshit! Jessica and I love each other, and no matter what you say we will always love each other! You will not break us up!».

  «Chicco, you know how much I love you, but you have to forget her. For your wellbeing forget about her».

  «Why do they say that you are a bastard? It’s all your fault that they hate me! To them, I’m the son of a bastard!».

  «Chicco…».

  «What did you do to mum? What happened to her? They say she’s dead, that you killed her!».

  «No, no!». A Sigh. «I maybe I did, but I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear!».

  «What do you mean? How did mum die?».

  Silence.

  Chicco is fuming. «They are not allowing me to see Jessica because of you! Just because I’m your son!».

  «It’ s better like this, believe me».

  Chicco hisses: «Bastard!».

  His father doesn’t react. Always with the head down, ready to be beaten up by anyone. His disgusted.

  «If you keep wanting to search for her it will be worse, they will hurt you. They will do it to you too. I beg you, forget about her».

  «I want the truth! Tell me what you did to mum! Tell me why they call you a bastard!».

  «I don’t know, I swear».

  «How did mum die?».

  «It’s happened… when you were born».

  Chicco gets agitated. «What do you mean?».

  «Your mother died of childbirth, Chicco. But you’re not to blame».

  «And you are?».

  «They say I am, that it was me».

  «Why?».

  «I don’t know!».

  A long silence.

  «Dad, what does bastard mean?».

  They get interrupted before he can answer. «Chicco, sweetie, come here!».

  «Go Chicco, the master is calling you».

  Chicco wags, he can’t do less, masters voice always gives him that effect.

  His human
comes out to the porch and kneels in front of him. While sorting out the leash he talks to him.

  «Now, let’s go for a walk sweetie. You are in big trouble, you know? Next doors poodle you had to leave her alone. Don’t you realise how big you are? You could hurt her. Do you want her to end up like your mum? Then they get upset, and they take it on me. They have so many reasons, they spent so much money in buying her, she’s a purebred dog, a pedigree, not like a bastard like you two. I’m sorry, really, but I think the only way is to sterilize you, like I’ve done to your dad. But don’t be scared, it won’t be painful. You won’t know a thing and after it there won’t be any problems».

  Chicco was happy, even though he didn’t understand what he was told. He shakes his tail while the owner takes him away, forgetting that coward of dad, only dreaming about his Jessica and the happy life he has ahead.

  December 2010

  SENSES

  Translation by Cinzia Albanese

  I don’t exist.

  There’s nothing left of me, no thoughts, no memory, no desire. I’m blind and mute, every sense of mine has been mortified, cancelled.

  The only thing that remains is the touch, although sometimes I wish I would have lost that too. I can touch and be touched. I can perceive everything around me.

  There’s nothing else since he took me away.

  From what?

  What was there before this?

  Am I young or old? I’ve got a home, anyone who waits for me? A husband? Kids? Even maybe grandchildren? I don’t know, everything had been cancelled, dipped in pain.

  There’s only his hands on me. His body that adheres mine, that penetrates. Slaps, caresses, violence, I can’t recognize them anymore. The wishes are the same, the only things remaining from life itself.

  He cries, laughs, screams, talks in a language that I cannot longer understand. And mine? Did I forget it?

  He owns me, completely. He possesses every part of me, my master. For him I’m important, nearly as much as he is for me. He keeps me next to him, always. He moves me as if I was a doll, he puts sin me into positions that he feels comfortable.

  Sometimes he hurts me, the pain is so intense I just want to scream, if I remembered how to. Then he fills me with kisses and starts again. Sometimes his just happy keeping me straight, hugging me until he falls to sleep on me. Those are the most beautiful moments, when our skill touches. The moments without pain.

  I don’t know what he did to me. I don’t know why I can’t see, or talk. I don’t know why I can’t make our sounds or the smells that surround me. I don’t know why I forgot my existence.

  Maybe because there’s nothing outside this moment, because there’s no one outside us two. There’s no need to remember.

  He talks and talk, and maybe he doesn’t realise that I don’t understand him. Even though I think he was the one that made me the way I am.

  This is the eternity, the infinite.

  This time I will try, I cling to something, I try to grab it. To retell a memory. Like the time my fingers touched that ball. It was soft, round, a bit sticky. I tried to think what it could be, I forced myself to use my brain.

  I found a wall, a scary black wall. This wall protected me from knowledge. Because it was bad, if I knew what it was it would have been worse.

  I think I’m tied up, hands and feet, from always. And I’m naked, I’ve never managed to have a dress. He plays with my body, He licks me, he bites me, every now and again he grabs me so tight it feels like his suffocating me.

  And I grab to life. Whatever he does to me, I cling to life, to that semblance of existence that I still had. Why do I do it, if I don’t even know what I am?

  A toy?

  I can feel his breath on my neck, licking me, then he tightens my breasts with his hands. I feel him mounting me, crushing me down to the ground with his own weight. There, now he penetrates me and the pain will be terrible, I know already.

  «Argh! It’s here! It’s here, soon!».

  Who spoke? Whose voice is that? Why do I understand the words? What do they mean?

  «Oh my God! What are you doing?».

  «Knock it!».

  «But you can’t…».

  «Christ, that’s a woman, that one! Break down that disgusting beast and done!».

  It’s on you, it’s penetrating, the pain it’s so high I’m about to pass out. I force myself to resist and I open my mouth to shout a mute scream. Whose voices are those, why do I understand them?

  «Quick! Quick! Shoot!».

  The noise sluts me, I hear him scream, then his body falls on me, taking me breath away.

  «Wake up! Free her!».

  «But he could still be alive…».

  «His dead, can’t you see it? Move!».

  Other hands, different hands, hands that I don’t recognize. They pull me, they free me from his body.

  «Ahhh! It’s horrible! Look what he has done to her!».

  I know that sound, I’m sure of it. It’s throwing up. I also threw up, quite often, when he fed me.

  «Careful! Don’t’ crush them! Those are her eyes!».

  «He ripped them out! Bastard, ripped her eyes!».

  Another vomiting.

  «That’s a tongue!».

  I don’t want to listen, I don’t want to ear. I want to forget the words, forget everything.

  They are screaming, fighting between themselves.

  «How is it possible that you didn’t control here? You told me you looked everywhere!».

  «But it seemed impossible that…».

  «Twenty days! She’s been in here for twenty days, while we were looking for here everywhere! Have you got any idea what he has done to her in these twenty days?».

  Why don’t they free me, rather than shout? I can’t move! Do something?

  «It’s horrible, it’s horrible… I can’t imagine. From outside you can’t see it, we didn’t notice it».

  «And nobody came in to clean it?».

  «The guardian who looks after it his on holiday. Nobody else felt like coming behind here».

  «And how did she manage to get in?».

  «I don’t know! I don’t know! She must have got to close the cage and he must have grabbed her!».

  «And he managed to pull her through the bars?».

  «It wouldn’t have happened otherwise».

  A voice very close. «She full of bites, his severed the tendons. That’s why she can’t move!».

  I’m not tied up? Is this what his trying to say? I’ve lost the use of my arms and legs forever? He ripped my eyes and tongue?

  «It’s incredible that she’s still alive! Can you imagine, twenty days closed inside here, in the gorilla’s den. With that beast that vented on her all his animal instincts. It must have been terrible».

  «Who knows if she’s still conscious, if she knew where she is».

  Where are you? What have they done to you? You can’t be dead! I need you, help me! Make me deaf, please! Finish your task and make me deaf. Then we can be together forever, I promise, my love.

  July 2010

  PART 2:

  COLORS

  BLACK & WHITE

  Translation by Alfio Loreto

  I met Abraham when I was nine.

  There was something new in the air, because in the house the phone rang more than once. At that time it was a rare thing and when it happened it was bad news. That sound was related to unpleasant memories, like the day they told Mom that Dad had died in a railroad disaster.

  Mom didn’t tell me anything, however, so I knew of his existence only when I went to school the next day.

  I immediately noticed him – how could it be otherwise? – just as he noticed me. It is difficult to go unnoticed when you are stuck in a wheelchair.

  He was in a corner, his head low, and his mother was behind him. She tightened him, as if she wanted to protect him. He was small, he looked even younger than me.

  They both smiled, mom and teacher.


  «That’s Abraham», she said to me. «I hope you will become friends».

  The other students had not yet entered, it was just us in the classroom. At that moment I noticed that it was done on purpose.

  «He has black skin!», I realized.

  «Do you think that’s a problem?», she asked.

  I didn’t have the slightest idea. «Will he come to school with us?», I asked.

  The teacher spoke. «He just moved here. We thought you could help him to settle in».

  I was not convinced at all, I was amazed that they would give me that responsibility. After all, I was supposed to be helped, constantly.

  «Are they refugees?», I asked, because I knew it by now. «Do they come from America?».

  The teacher sighed. «Yes, Guglielmo, they come from America».

  I looked at them more carefully. Ours was just a small village, and so far we’ve never seen them. They talked a lot about it in the newspapers, and even on the radio, but until then they were abstract news, far from my world.

  «And are they going to stay here?».

  The woman sighed again. «It’s necessary, William, the government prefers to divide them, to decentralize them. This reduces the risk of disorder».

  I heard those rumors around actually. Nobody liked the refugees. They were ugly, dirty and bad, and they hurt people.

  «It’s just them», continued the teacher. «Fortunately no adult male has been sent to us».

  I wanted to be certain that I understood. «Are they slaves?».

  She was getting upset, though she tried to hide it. «They were slaves. In America. But they managed to escape. Here they are free men».

  I still couldn’t understand why they were asking me. «Why me? What do I have to do?».

  «You are our best student, Guglielmo, our top student. You are also the only one who speaks their language, because your father was English. You could help him with the school, teach him how to speak like us, help him to fit in. It would be a true Christian attitude».

  Finally I understood, there was the church behind all that. It was the church that wanted integration. From dad’s death, Mom had gone back to the church, becoming more and more assiduous. Even too much.

  There was hope in Mom’s eyes as she looked at me.

  I looked at the frightened black skin little boy and I was sure we could never become friends. I had no choice, anyway, so I nodded.