Lizzi Bizzi and the Red Witch

by Stefano Pastor

  «What did he do? What did you do?».

  «He wanted to go to the chalk garden».

  A long silence. Lucia Renda walked around the room holding her hands outstretched to recognize the feel of furniture and objects. «Oh, it’s him!».

  «Do you know him?», Lin asked, astonished.

  «He was always there».

  «Where, where?».

  «In the garden. Always there, sitting on a bench. I suppose it’s the same person».

  «How do you know?».

  «Thirty years it’s been going on, everyone knows him».

  Lin wrinkled her forehead. «What does that mean?».

  «Did he tell you the story of how he lost his eyes? He does it with everyone».

  Lin felt disturbed. She lied. «No, we did not talk about it. Did he tell you?».

  The woman laughed. «Me? I never talked to him, I do not know him. I just saw him on that bench while passing through. He seemed so sad».

  «Well, don’t feel bad for him», Lin said. «He’s just an asshole».

  3

  «Angelique, that was her name».

  «Who?».

  «The woman who ate my eyes, who else?».

  Lin sighed and prayed in her heart that he did not want to go back to the chalk garden. They were in a small square at that moment and he had convinced her to stop at a bar.

  «You should not think about it, Mr Brainc. It’s in the past».

  The old man chuckled. «You don’t believe it yet, do you?».

  «Mr. Brainc, even admitting that a madwoman has reduced you to these conditions, you must realize that more than fifty years have passed, she may have died, by now».

  «She was not mad. Angelique was many things, but not mad».

  «Why would she do it then?».

  «Because… she liked them». The old man smiled. «She said they were beautiful, very beautiful. And it was true, you know? She was not the first girl to tell me. There was gold in my eyes, she said, I want to take them out! And she did!».

  «Gold?», Lin repeated, troubled.

  «Oh yes, she said that my eyes reminded her of a spring storm, and when she saw them she saw lightning. Such melancholy, I found it absurd, but I let it go. She was so beautiful».

  «Who was she? What was she doing there?».

  «Her documents were fake, but they only found that out later. Moreover, we were at war, we needed all the help we could get, no questions asked».

  «So it can not be certain that Angelique was her real name. Was she French too?».

  «I thought so then. But now I’m not sure. I do not think she was human».

  Lin was forced to not comment and that seemed to amuse the old man.

  «I think she took advantage of the war. It was a unique opportunity for her».

  «An opportunity for what?».

  «To act undisturbed. To fit in, and get what she needed».

  «Eyes?».

  «I do not think she only needed eyes, but I had nothing else she wanted. She just wanted those from me».

  «Needed for what?».

  «Interesting question. I never found it, unfortunately.

  «Do you realize that what you are saying is absurd? She ate them, you told me that. What would she need them for then?».

  «I was not the only one».

  «What do you mean? Did she attack other people?».

  «As it happens, yes, it happened on other occasions. In field hospitals. There have been other accidents».

  «What kind of accidents?».

  «Like mine. Soldiers injured, missing pieces. Pieces that should not be missing».

  That choice of words almost diverted me, despite the tragic argument. «What pieces?».

  «I never inquired, to tell you the truth. At that time I was too upset. Pieces of all kinds. She was talked about a lot, she had become myth».

  «Just a myth. I suppose there was no evidence, you just wanted to believe what was more convenient».

  «You’re getting naughty, miss».

  «Excuse me, Mr. Brainc, but it’s not easy to believe the stories you tell».

  He snorted. «As if I care! Don’t believe it! This is of no importance».

  «Do others not believe it? Has you told this story to many people?».

  He stood up without waiting for any help. «Do not worry, stop wasting time! We have a long walk ahead!».

  Lin paid the bill, trying to hide the anger.

  «Take me to the chalk garden», he said.

  «It was a fantastic birthday, for little Daphne, and not just for Zephir. Franz Leibner did things grandly, organised a great dance, invited all the most influential people. At that time it was very different, this avenue was lively. All the villas you see around here were inhabited. Luxury was unbridled».

  Lin did not mind talking about Leibner, she was able to withstand it, it almost enjoyable. She had even prepared and had brought with her a transparent plastic folding raincoat that she had put on before entering the garden. She also had raised the coats hood hoping to save her hair.

  Mr. Brainc was imersed in the story, sitting on the bench. «At the height of the party, Daphne’s statue was unveiled».

  «So Zephir was already there?».

  «He had arrived that morning, had seen Daphne for only a few minutes, but they were enough. Within a few hours he had sculpted that statue, and everyone said it was phenomenal. It looks incredible, doesn’t it?».

  «I had already heard that he sculpted with incredible speed».

  «No one has ever seen him».

  «Why?».

  «He worked in the utmost solitude, no one could enter his studio until he said so. Nobody has ever seen him at work».

  «Oh».

  «That evening, Leibner introduced him to his guests, said that Zephir was the greatest living sculptor, and there was Daphne’s statue to confirm it. Whatever his name really was, no one ever knew, he wanted to be called Zephir, and that was all. Nor did anyone know where he came from. According to what I found out, he spoke six languages fluently, including Italian and French. He had Oriental traits, however, and was said to have Asian blood in his veins».

  «Why did he stay?».

  «They say he stayed for Sophie because he had fallen for her. Sophie had everything in life, she was beautiful and twenty years younger than her husband. Certainly she was impressed by Zephir’s art, but I doubt it was the reason that caused him to stay. I think he did it for his art. Leibner set up a gazebo for him and turned it into a perfect studio. He gave him everything he wanted. I’m sure he was left alone, he had found the ideal place to work. In peace, in solitude».

  «How old was he?».

  «About thirty, they said, but they also said he looked thirty when he disappeared. With these mixed bloods you can never say, they also lie about age».

  «What happened in that house?».

  «They said that Sophie became his model, but that is absurd. Yes, many of the statues sculpted by Zephir had her features, but I’m convinced she never set foot in his studio. Very different was Daphne’s story, instead».

  «Did she go in?».

  «Daphne was sent to college until she was eighteen. She spent her holidays at the villa, of course, but her relationship with Zephir was limited to occasional encounters. When she abandoned her studies and returned to live with her parents, however, it changed everything».

  He hit his walking stick on the ground. «Daphne was seen entering the gazebo for the first time in 1908. Since then she visited Zephir regularly. Zephir had no time for society life, he sculpted, and that was enough. Leibner had filled the garden with his statues, many people came to admire them, even from neighbouring cities, but Zephir kept them out, he did not want to meet his admirers. He spent weeks without setting foot in the villa. But Daphne changed everything, she took over his stronghold».

  He put his hand in his pocket, took out his wallet and passed it to Lin. «Look, there must be a picture in here.
They told me she was very beautiful, everyone fell in love with her».

  Lin took it with caution. The fact that a blind man had a picture of woman who had been dead for probably almost a century made her uncomfortable.

  There were papers, in the wallet, and some money. The only picture was a very old one: a young woman with a hat and an open umbrella. The delicate features, dark, curly hair that fell on her shoulders.

  «Daphne was a wild girl. She liked to run, climb on the trees like a boy. She hated conventions, she enjoyed scandalizing everyone. And what transgression could be better than Zephir? He was the cursed genius, the poet of loneliness. I have no idea how she succeeded, yet she conquered him. What had not happened to her mother, she did. She became his model, his real model. And there they changed».

  «What?».

  «Zephir’s statues. They changed, changed dramatically, totally».

  «Because Daphne become his model?

  «I do not know why, but certainly she had to have had some influence on him. His subjects underwent a metamorphosis. They were no longer human. Not completely, at least».

  «Did he not sculpt Daphne?».

  «He sculpted horrible things, monsters never seen before. And Daphne, yes, her too. Very often Daphne was in full swing with these monsters. It is said that Sophie fainted when she saw one of these statues, and it did not even represent Daphne. Yet Zephir continued, no one tried to stop him, not even Leibner. He sacrificed his daughter to Zephir’s art».

  He pointed at the forest with the stick. «The statues were hidden in the most impenetrable places, for they were not in sight. But every passing year, the subjects became more obscene, and horrendous. Daphne spent whole days in the gazebo, now gossip was destroying her reputation. They said she was very much changed, she was slim, she was angry. On a couple of occasions she also attacked the guests. But the greatest mystery was Leibner. How could this be allowed? The pressure to send Zephir away from that house, to send Daphne on a trip around the world to separate them increased, as it was evident that the two were destroying each other. Then they spoke of a son. They said Daphne was expecting a child».

  «And was it true?

  He shrugged. «No child was born, of which I know. Or if he was born, they got rid of him and never spoke of it. The relationship between Daphne and Zephir was destructive, often the servants heard screaming from the gazebo. They also started to talk about lies between Leibner and his wife. The subject was always Zephir. Zephir and Daphne. Now nobody had the courage to show Zephir’s works, they had become too terrifying. The only documented news I found before their disappearance was that Leibner came into the gazebo. Yes, a few days before all of them disappeared, after ten years in which the gazebo had been blocked to anyone except Daphne, they saw him come in there. Then nothing more. He disappeared from one day to the next, all four, without leaving a trace».

  «And what do you think happened?».

  «Retribution I imagine. By now the situation had degenerated, coexistence was impossible. Whatever happened in that gazebo had poisoned the entire family. I doubt they left and nothing else, something happened. Maybe Leibner killed them, Zephir and his daughter. Or maybe they killed him. In some way it was a tragedy, it is obvious».

  «But did anyone see them leave?».

  He shrugged. «After they left, the servants opened the gazebo, they were too curious. What they found inside shocked them to the limits of madness. The statues contained there were among the most horrendous ever carved by Zephir. I think they destroyed them, because later they were no longer found».

  «What did they represent? Did you ever find out?».

  A smile appeared on the face of the old man. «Daphne, always Daphne. There was Daphne in each of them. A different Daphne, very different from how they knew her. A non-human Daphnes, that tore skin and scalps from lovers, that put hands inside the bodies to extract internal organs, that ate their eyes».

  The silence went down into the garden.

  «Like Angelique», Lin murmured.

  «Yes, just like Angelique», the old man confirmed.

  «Lin! Lin, I’m here!».

  Lin looked around. She had almost got home and it had already gotten dark. Brainc had detained her more than expected. She could not understand where the voice had came from, even though she recognized it.

  «Here in the alley».

  Lin sighed. «Mule, why ever…».

  «Shush, please! Speak soflty! Come early!».

  «What in the world happened to you?».

  «Please! Please! Don’t tell her where I am!».

  Lin looked at their building, lit windows. There was no one in there, no one was spying on them. Mule lived on the first floor, just below her.

  She decided to go in the dark alley. Mule was hidden behind a bin.

  «Are they still bullying you? I’m here now, I’ll take you home. Be quiet, no one will hurt you».

  «No, no!», the boy murmured. «She wants my eyes! She told me that she wants my eyes!».

  The frozen shiver came back. «Who?».

  «Mom says it’s a dream. She says it’s not real».

  «And is it not so? Wasn’t it a dream?».

  He was confused. «I was in bed, I slept. But she wants my eyes, she told me. She said I have beautiful eyes, that she wants to eat. She didn’t really say that, did she? She was just kidding? No one eats eyes».

  «What are you doing here?».

  He shook his head franticly. «I do not want to go back home! I do not want her to find me!».

  «How long have you been here?».

  No reply.

  «What do you want me to do?».

  His mind was blank, his gaze was lost.

  Lin put a hand on his shoulder, trying to make him relax. «Who is she? Who told you that?».

  «A lady».

  «Did she tell you her name?».

  Silence.

  «Was she called… Angelique?».

  Even Lin could not believe she had asked such a question, Brainc was making her crazy. Yet Mule’s words were unmistakable. Fortunately, the boy had no reaction, nor did he answer.

  «Why don’t you want to go home?».

  «If I come back she will find me!».

  «Did she already come? While you were asleep?».

  He nodded.

  «Do you know her? Have you seen her already?».

  Mule grabbed Lin’s arm, almost clinging to her. «You are my friend, you said that! You said you would have helped me, that I could come to you!».

  «Yes, I said that», Lin murmured.

  Mule’s voice grew in tone. «I can not go back there! She comes every night! She scares me! She want to hurt me!».

  «Mule, calm down!». Lin tried to stroke his face.

  «At first she was kind, she gave me a lot of compliments, but now she’s scary she’s just talking about my eyes. It’s… it’s different. Different!».

  Lin could not yet understand. «Are you sure it’s real? That it’s not just a dream?».

  Mule burst into tears. «I don’t know! But she’s going to hurt me, I know it!».

  «Can you describe her?».

  He shook her head.

  «Does she have red hair?».

  Mule shuffled back, stepped back a couple of steps, then ran to the other side of the alley.

  Lin tried to stop him. «Mule! Wait».

  But few seconds later the boy had gone.

  Lin carefully considered the answer. «No, I’m sorry, Mrs Marzi, I did not really see him».

  The woman pulled a smile. «I’m sorry to have bothered you, Miss Renda».

  Lin closed the door slowly.

  What should she do? How could she have talked about what Mule had confided to her?

  «Who was it?», her mother’s voice came from the room.

  «Mrs. Marzi from downstairs. She was looking for her son, he seems to have disappeared».

  «Who, the idiot?».

  She reached her mo
ther’s room. «Don’t say that, Mule is not an idiot. He’s just simple, but he’s a sweet boy».

  «If you don’t think so, why do you call him Mule?».

  Lin preferred not to answer.

  «You go out, don’t you?».

  Lin found the term unsuitable. «It’s not going out, we are neighbours, we see each other quite often. You could say that we meet sometimes, yes, if you want to put it that way.

  Lucia Renda smiled. «And you find him nice».

  «You don’t like him?».

  The mother sat on the bedside. «I do not remember having ever met him, but it’s been a long time since I no longer leave home. Mancini spoke to me, she tells me everything that happens in the building».

  «Yes, I find him nice. He’s sweet. Is that a problem?».

  A short silence. «You’re weird, Lin. You’re acting strangely in these last few days. What’s going on with you, is it for the new job?».

  Lin remained thoughtful for a few seconds, but she did not answer. «Let’s go to bed now. It’s getting late».

  LUCE

  SF-Horror Novella

  PLOT

  Luce is beautiful as the sun. Luce is fragile and delicate. Luce has everything she lacks. Pina hates her, even if she’s her sister. Luce has Vito, the guy she has always wanted. She is only missing something, only one thing. Anything that can make her become human, because she is not. When the secret is discovered, Pina becomes conscious of the terrible life her sister has had until now. Segregated, un-protected. Supervised, a stranger to the whole world. If there is an only hope for her to lead a normal life, it can only be found there, in that lost convent lost in the mountains, where she was born. A temple where the Mother is worshipped and not the Son. Where she could find total loss or salvation.

  EXTRACT

  1

  Those where other times. I was nineteen already but I was still called the girl. In fact, there was nothing of an adult in me, boobs where almost inexistent, hair was cut short; I had an insane passion for masculine clothes that I was never allowed to wear. «Only the filthy woman do it!», my mother always said.

  For Luce it was different, she could do anything. Or at least I saw her like that. I hated her. She was the greatest, the most beautiful, my mom and dad’s favorite; boys never took their eyes off of her. It was not my case; they hardly took a second look at me. But Light was truly beautiful, like the princess of a fairytale, so much that my parents considered it like that, they protected her as she was a fragile object and was in risk of breaking.