She stopped him from speaking and held him still tighter.
«Do it for us, do it for your people. I know that you’re clever, more so than all the rest of them. I know that you’ll be a worthy adversary for her. That you’ll fight her forever, that you’ll be our salvation».
The hero was heartbroken, full of doubts. He knew that death was coming for him. Whether the gods existed or not, he was about to embark on a journey from which he could never return. He wouldn’t see his mother ever again.
«Mother…», he whispered.
She replied: «Don’t let her beat you. Fight. Never stop fighting». She stroked his face. «You can’t win. The goddess can’t be defeated, She’s immortal, but don’t give up. Die with honour. Be a true hero and your name will never be forgotten.
The hero tried to hold back tears. Even if he didn’t believe the legends, even if he was completely certain that in that forest he would find nothing but death waiting for him, he couldn’t refuse. It was true, his whole life had been leading up to this. He had always known that this moment would arrive.
The woman pushed him from her. «Go, now. It’s time».
The hero stood up slowly, uncertain. «Mother…».
«I can’t go, you know that. I’m not pure. Go now, my son, and don’t be afraid. Never be afraid».
It was time to say their last farewell. The hero couldn’t find the right words to say to her, and so he said nothing. He left the chamber and walked towards the priest.
The great entrance of the temple was open, and the first light of the sun was flooding in. Beyond the four marble columns, the hero could glimpse the dark, dense forest. It was Diana’s sacred forest, the abode of the goddess.
The priest’s attendants adorned him as if he was a woman, weaving flowers into his hair and into his golden necklaces, and then the priest began the ceremony.
He sang odes to the goddess, and told tales of her miracles, whilst the hero followed him, accompanied by the attendants.
Assembled for the leaving ceremony were the purest citizens. That was the only condition for being part of the procession, Diana wouldn’t have accepted anything else. Eminent citizens, young girls who threw flowers - some even in tears - his training partners. One day, their turn would come. Perhaps not all of them, but many would follow in his footsteps.
To get there, they would need to demonstrate their strength, their power in battle. Their willingness to go to meet death.
The procession followed a barely perceptible path, leading to the very heart of the forest. There, they reached a barren clearing, where the trees didn’t grow. And there, the procession stopped.
The priest blessed him, and bestowed upon him the sacred bow and arrows. The hero counted them, dismayed: there were six arrows. Six arrows to fight a goddess.
It was then that he realised that they weren’t going to kill him. That they weren’t going to sacrifice him there, in the middle of the forest, as he had feared. That it was all true, just like his mother had told him. They were going to leave him there, all alone, to meet his fate.
In that moment, he was struck by fear. The fear of the unknown. He turned to the priest.
«What’s She like? What does She look like?».
The man replied with a sad smile. «Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know, my son. No one who has seen Her face has ever returned to tell the tale».
«But what must I do?».
«Don’t worry, my son. She herself will tell you».
Having said this, he bowed and retreated back to the path. Only then, he turned, and disappeared among the trees. The rest of the procession walked behind him, none of them turning to bid farewell to the hero.
He remained motionless, while silence descended around him.
He wasn’t ready, that was his all-consuming thought. Whatever was waiting for him in there, he wasn’t capable of facing it. Whether it was a goddess, a terrible creature, or death itself, he wouldn’t measure up to it.
No, he didn’t feel like a proper hero, and he didn’t want to die. That was all that mattered: he wanted to live, he desperately wanted to live.
Her agents arrived before he could move. He saw them appear among the trees, surrounding him completely. But they kept their distance, staying in the darkness of the forest. His uncertainty would be his undoing, he had allowed himself to be surrounded like an idiot. He would die like that, bringing ignominy to his family and to his people.
He tensed the bow and drew an arrow, ready to fight to the bitter end.
Nothing moved around him; the goddess’ agents seemed to have been turned to stone. The birds had fallen silent, and even the wind seemed to have lost its voice. The sun had at last penetrated the dense forest, and the hero was bathed in its light. The golden rays glinted off his sculpted physique, his curly, pitch-black hair, and the air around him seemed to shimmer with the strange power that emanated from him in the instant before a battle.
But in his heart, there was only suffering and regret. And grief for what he had lost, or what he had never even known: for the girls that he had never loved. The grief had never been so agonising as in that moment.
Then, a voice spoke to him. It was in his mind, and it seemed to come from everywhere.
«Three days, Pario», it told him, making him jump. He wasn’t expecting the goddess to know his name. «You have three days to try to escape. After that time, the hunt will begin».
He couldn’t see her anywhere. He spun around with the bow, ready to let fly the arrow.
«That weapon will be of no use to you. You might as well throw it away. You can’t save yourself with that, your legs are your best chance now. I hope that you run fast, it will be more fun».
The hero’s heart was thumping wildly in his chest, but there was no sign of the goddess.
«Run! Now! Don’t waste any more time. Three days, remember. After three days, I will begin to hunt you. And don’t delude yourself, you cannot escape me. No one has ever managed it, and no one ever will. Make it fun, give me a pleasant hunt, and I’ll reward you with an easy death».
The agents were shuffling aside, creating a gap right in front of him.
«Go, Pario, hurry! We’ll meet again soon. Remember, make it fun and your death will be easy. Start running! Go!».
The hero lost the ability to think; he let his terror overwhelm him and he started running. He passed through the agents and dove into the trees. He lost the bow, torn off by a twisted branch, but he didn’t stop to pick it up, and instead threw away those useless arrows. He kept running, he could do nothing but run.
Pario’s flight had begun.
2
Eurosky Tower
EUR
Rome
Present day
Laura was simply Laura, what more was there to say?
Laura was everything, absolutely everything, the only thing that mattered in the world! I couldn’t think about anything else, I couldn’t get her out of my head. She was my night and my day, my light and…
Alright, enough of that! I’m going overboard, and I don’t want to come across like an idiot. Suffice to say that I had a crush, but one of the fatal ones, the kind that keep you up at night and stop you from eating. What made it even worse, was that she was out of my reach.
She was twenty years old, and she was a student at the university. I was sixteen and still at high school, and I think that that says it all, doesn’t it? Oh come on, wipe that pitying expression off your face, the story hasn’t even started yet. And I want to tell it right, because it’s one-of-a-kind, special.
So, Laura was twenty years old and she lived right across the hall from me. Where? In the tallest apartment building in all of Rome, which they actually called the Tower. They’d hardly finished building it when we came to live there. You should have seen my Mum’s face, she was just in seventh heaven.
Me, not so much. Unfortunately, that very day I had realised that I suffered from vertigo, and even if we were «only» on th
e fifteenth floor, I had only to get near to a window to suffer a fit of dizzyness. How about that for bad luck?
As for Laura, there was no relationship, at least not on her side. I spent the entirety of my free time pressed up against the spyhole in the front door, hoping to accidentally run into her, to the extent that she must have realised what was going on. I think that even my father must have noticed, because he’d already told me off a couple of times for standing in that awkward place. By that point, my father must have been convinced that he had a pervert for a son.
I wasn’t bad-looking, all things considered, the girls in my class liked me. Was it really my fault that she was the only one whom I had eyes for? It wasn’t that way before. Up until three months previously, my life had gone along quite peacefully. But then she’d moved in, and…
She shared the apartment with two girlfriends, both of them students too. She didn’t have a boyfriend, I’d investigated that immediately. She didn’t have one yet, to be precise. Yep, the love of my life wasn’t really available, in fact she had a crush of her own: the mysterious, handsome guy who lived at the end of the corridor.
God, what a nightmare! She stalked him, always in position to accidentally open the door whenever he walked down the corridor. It was pathetic, really, I was embarrassed for her!
Don’t you dare say a word!
He wasn’t bad, I must admit, assuming you like the dark and mysterious type. You know what I’m talking about? Oh how I suffer, no one else has ever suffered as I do. Oh, my life is so hard! Woe is me!
A total sleazeball, mark my words.
And my very own Laura had to go and have a crush on a guy like that? I’d have killed him, if only I could.
I kept up appearances. When we accidentally ran into each other, I made sure that I always came across as happy and upbeat, a perfect man of the world. I made a point of showing off all my knowledge. I’d found out that she studied architecture, and so I had filled my bedroom with books on the subject.
He didn’t make any such effort! Mr Handsome and Mysterious was just about capable of mumbling a «hello». I had never heard him string more than two words together in a sentence, and yet still she was crazy about him. Dammit, it was awful to see her reduced to such a state. For God’s sake, I had never seen anyone as pathetically head-over-heels as she was!
Dad said that I was an idiot, that I should put her out of my mind, that I was going to make a fool of myself, sooner or later. Then, when I said that I wasn’t coming with them to Chamonix, they were really worried. I loved to ski, as they knew very well. I told them that I had urgent schoolwork, and that worried them still further.
But hell, how could I possibly leave? I couldn’t waste the only opportunity that I would ever be given to have the house all to myself, with the notable exception, of course, of the lovely Laura.
And so, after an endless series of instructions, they finally left, and I found myself the uncontested king of the castle.
At that point, filled with an excessive amount of optimism, I started getting the house ready. If I managed to get her to come over - and I was certain that I would be able to sooner or later - I wanted Laura to have a good impression of me. She needed to realise – with just one glance – that I was mature and dependable, the perfect choice for a partner.
Bringing her into my room wasn’t even worth thinking about. For God’s sake, it was still full of the furniture that I’d had since middle school! It looked like a real child’s bedroom. All those posters, and the little cars, and the train set! I should have thrown it all out, freeing myself from the trappings of childhood, but I just couldn’t make myself do it. My heart seemed to weep at the very idea of doing such a thing.
And so I cleared all of Dad’s books out of the sitting room, replacing them with my architecture tomes. I got rid of the two comfortable armchairs, leaving only the sofa, and I piled up cushions on each side, to reduce the space available to sit on. I even managed to break into the drinks cabinet, and I displayed the bottles in plain sight. I filled a trash bag with all the rubbish that my parents liked to listen to, and I replaced it with romantic ballads, perfect for the occasion.
I even made my parents’ bed, so that if a miracle did happen, I would be ready for every eventuality. I took out the photos and even their clothes, and I refilled the wardrobe with my own. It wouldn’t be easy to make her believe that this was my room, but at least it should impress her. And besides, it was the only double bed in the house.
Finally, when I was satisfied that I’d done everything that I possibly could, I moved on to point B: lying in wait.
Perched behind the door, I watched through the spyhole. I made sure to stock up on plenty of drinks, because I could be in for a long wait.
Finally, at six in the evening, I got lucky. Doubly lucky, I should say, because Laura had come home and she was completely alone. I almost fell from my perch in my haste to open the door.
I launched myself out through the door, nearly knocking her over.
«Hi, Laura!», I beamed, making sure that I struck just the right tone.
Then, although I’d promised myself not to say it, I blurted out: «How funny, us running into each other again. It happens all the time, have you noticed?».
How was it possible that she couldn’t see what a great guy I was? Dammit, everyone was always telling me so. What a good-looking guy, such a sweetheart. And just so kind. Come on Laura, look at me, realise what you’re missing!
She really was sensational. She would have been so even if she were frowning, but luckily that didn’t happen. However, I did see her raise an eyebrow slightly, and I frantically tried to figure out what it could mean.
«Oh, hi Luca».
What tone was that? Damn, I missed it! Was she happy to see me or not?
I found her folder in my hands.
«Hold this, I can’t find my keys».
I beamed, considering the task a mark of great faith in me. She began rummaging through her large handbag.
It was the crucial moment. God, what wouldn’t I have given for her to have lost them! I could have said: don’t worry, come on over to my house and wait for your friends to come home. And to my delight, it didn’t look like she was going to find them.
I felt my heart beating wildly in my chest, and I scrambled to find the right words. It was at that moment that I saw him. At the end of the corridor, coming right towards us.
There he was, practically not touching the floor as he came towards us with his odious feline prowl. His shirt was half unbuttoned regardless of the weather, showing off his muscly chest, and he wore that sad, beaten dog expression that suited him so well. Dammit, everything about him was dark and mysterious, he was bloody perfect! I had no chance against that urban vampire!
I tried to keep the smile on my face, although it had become a little fixed. I prayed that Laura would hurry up and find her keys.
He reached us.
«Hi, Laura. Hi, Luca».
He even remembered my name, the bastard, even though we’d never spoken. Or maybe it wasn’t such a surprise, because after all, the three of us had recently been running into each other all the time, accidentally of course.
Laura’s voice suddenly took on a ridiculous sickly-sweet tone. «Oh, Parry! How funny, running into you again here, too! What a small world!».
My insides churned, and a bitter taste flooded my mouth.
«Did you manage to find your watch in the end?», he asked her.
Laura giggled foolishly. «Oh, I’d left it in my pocket, I’d completely forgotten. But thank you anyway for helping me to look for it».
He made the mistake of smiling.
I could have killed him! I could have skewered him a spit and cooked him over a slow fire. That merest hint of a sad smile was a masterpiece. I could actually feel Laura’s heart beating faster.
«No problem. Neighbours ought to help each other out».
He fluttered his eyelashes.
«See
you soon, guys».
He glided between us, like a ghost, without even touching us. Laura, ecstatic, gazed after him until he arrived at the end of the corridor, and only then did she divert her gaze in case he turned around one last time.
I was horrified, furious, revolted, and everything else under the sun. I was overcome by an uncontrollable urge to cry, and I fought to keep back the tears.
Laura put her hand in the bag, and drew out the keys without even looking.
My horror redoubled, as I realised that it had all been an act, put on solely to buy time and wait for his arrival.
Laura had completely forgotten my very existence: she opened the door, lost in a daydream, and entered her house. I was left standing there in the corridor, her folder in my hand, not knowing what to do.
I acted on impulse. Damn that mysterious, handsome bastard, damn everything, this was my opportunity! To finally set foot in her house, and with a good excuse. And so I put out a hand and grabbed the door a moment before it closed behind her. I stopped it from shutting, and pushed lightly inwards.
Laura was there, in the entrance hall. She’d thrown down the bag carelessly, and she was taking off her jacket. She heard me enter.
I forced myself not to stammer. «Where shall I put this?», I asked her, holding out the folder.
She was going to snatch it out of my hands and kick me out. I was absolutely sure of it. But to my amazement, Laura was still lost in her daydream. She hadn’t regained contact with reality, and it was very possible that she didn’t even remember who I was. She pointed to a door. «Put it in there, on the table».
I didn’t waste another moment, and I closed the door behind me.
I was inside! I’d done it! I was in her house, in her temple! I grinned like an idiot, until I caught sight of my reflection in the entrance hall mirror. I swallowed. «What about your friends?».
Laura waved vaguely, without looking at me.
«Oh, they’re eating out».
This was getting better and better! Now I felt like I was walking on air too, just like Mr. Handsome and Mysterious!
Lizzi Bizzi and the Red Witch Page 92