As Larry writes, Dee walks to a far wall and examines the framed photos there. “Oh. Is this Nico, here?” She points to a faded photo of a young boy.
Catherine joins her. “Yes. When we first met him.” At the look of confusion on Dee’s face, she adds, “He’s adopted. This wall shows our cast of characters, you might say.” She points to a photo. “Giulia is one of the owners of this place. And this is Assunta, Giulia’s mother. She’s ninety-four years old and as sharp as a tack. She loves to meet guests. And she has so many stories about the history of this place.”
“That sounds wonderful,” says Dee.
“Sometimes she and Giulia offer cooking lessons, if you and Larry are interested.”
Dee points to a dozen photos in the wall grouping. “And who are all these people?”
“Oh, they’re American expat families we’ve known over the years. Most of their children are so grown up now.” She sighs.
As Catherine turns to go back to the desk, Larry says, “Done!”
“Now, let me explain our setup.” Catherine glances at the passports and returns the documents to Larry and Dee. “We live in the rest of this big house—along with Giulia and Assunta—an extended family, you might say. I work in the barn out there. I’m an artist. And you’re welcome to come by anytime and visit with me there. This room is a common area for our guests, and all the books, games, and maps here are for your use. Right now, the other three guesthouses are empty, but two are booked for the weekend.” She points to the opposite wall. “You can borrow DVDs from that shelf if you like. We have no streaming here, I’m afraid, but you do have Wi-Fi—most times—and the password is on your kitchen table. You’ll also find a little plate of homemade Sicilian cookies there, from Giulia. They are Bones of the Dead, but don’t let the name put you off. They’re delicious dipped into your coffee. Or wine!”
“That’s a beautiful painting.” Larry points to a fiery-toned canvas, an abstract sunset over the lagoon. “Same artist as the one on the far wall?”
“Oh, yes. Seth. Everyone loves Seth’s paintings. He was a student of mine back in New York. He’s been an important influence for Nico growing up, what with my husband’s problems—”
A clatter from a darkened corner of the room causes everyone to look. “Oh. That’s Mark now. He must have dropped his book.” She walks over to Mark, who is sitting, staring straight ahead, his face expressionless. Catherine picks up the book, its spine twisted from the fall, and puts it on the table next to his chair. “Mark doesn’t speak. Or get around much.” She crouches down and looks into Mark’s eyes. “Do you, Mark? Now, can I get you something?” Mark does not respond in any way. Catherine smiles and stands up.
Joining Larry back at the desk, she adds in a quiet voice, “It’s a very old health issue. Nothing you need to worry about. Generally, he stays in the main part of the house. But if he’s here when you come to use the common room, don’t feel you have to talk to him. He doesn’t really—communicate.”
“Oh, OK. I’ll tell Dee. She’s back over there looking at those photos.” He raises his voice. “Hey, Dee? Hon?”
Dee comes to the desk, and Catherine busies herself finding the extra cottage key while Larry tells Dee about Mark. Neither appears too disturbed by the specter of Mark, glum and expressionless, rooted to his chair. Catherine does think, however, there will be a little discussion between Larry and Dee later.
“Catherine?” Dee looks curious. “Who was that little girl?”
“Little girl?”
Dee turns and points out the window next to the wall of photographs. “Out there. She was watching me, and when I caught her eye, she ran away.”
“Really? I don’t know.”
“She was so cute.”
Catherine smiles. “Maybe you’ll see her again. For now, though, let’s get you settled in. You must both be tired. Come, I’ll take you to your cottage.”
Catherine holds the door open as they step out into the sunshine. “It’s just a short walk, and along the way, I’ll tell you about your cottage, and you can tell me more about yourselves. Do you have any children of your own at home?”
Author’s Note
Macri is a fictional town. Aside from Macri itself, however, all the geography in this book is real. The submerged road to Mozia is not on most maps but is visible on satellite images such as those of Google Maps. The modern name for the island, which is privately owned by the Whitaker Foundation, is San Pantaleo, although Mozia and Mothia are in common use.
The tiny peek at the enormously long and complex history of Sicily I presented, from the Phoenician settlement to the long-standing salt industry, is genuine. There is not universal agreement that Phoenicians practiced ritual child sacrifice, but the evidence is strong, and recent analyses of the bones found in these children’s cemeteries—which also include the bones of small animals—back up the belief.
Although Western Sicily, as I have tried to show, is wildly beautiful, it is decidedly not stuck in the shadowy dark ages. If you go to Sicily, you will find old beauty, wonderful food, vibrant cities, stunning ruins, and warm, friendly people—who are not witches.
Sicilian and familial magic is a subject of some controversy. Among believers, practices vary widely, and many are secret. They are handed down within families according to a strict code, which also varies from place to place and family to family. The spells that appear in this book are combinations of stories from the Internet and things I simply made up.
For John, who absolutely was not the model for Mark and who has always, always believed in me
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my husband and “kids,” John, Colin, and Natalie Theys, for being willing readers of outlines and drafts. Special thanks to Colin Theys for valuable insights and suggestions based on his filmmaking expertise, and to Natalie Theys for sharing and encouraging my interest in all things Italian and for being a thought-provoking roomie on our Italian adventures.
A big thank-you to Carmen Johnson, senior editor at Amazon Little A, for seeming to know I wanted to write this even before I did and for giving me the chance to do it. She has been a pleasure to work with and helped make this better at every step of the way. And many thanks to the people who, with sensitivity and thoughtfulness, created and guided the vision for the Kindle in Motion edition: content producers Kjersti Egerdahl and Margaret McCall, art director Tyler Freidenrich, and artists Rebecca Mock and Kouzou Sakai.
Mille grazie to Aila and Alfredo, whose B&B Laguna dei Fenici introduced me to this magical region in Sicily. I hatched the plan for Children of the Salt Road in the warm sunshine of their perfect seaside terrace. There was no boy, but there was a frequent mysterious visitor—an exuberant cream-colored puppy.
Finally, thank you to Francis Ford Coppola for hosting Zoetrope, the amazing virtual studio for writers. And to my valued friends there who, over the past fifteen years, have reviewed a story of mine, shared one of their own for me to learn from, offered encouragement, or simply been there to chat with me about life, the universe, and everything—my gratitude.
About the Author
Photo © 2015 Colin Theys
Lydia Fazio Theys writes all the time—technical and marketing writing for a living, fiction because she wants to, and letters of complaint because someone has to. Trained as a scientist, she crossed over to the wordy side pretty early on and has since happily remained. Her creative writing encompasses screenplays, short stories, flash fiction, humor, and narrative nonfiction. Her work has appeared in a variety of online and print publications, been read on public radio, and been used as inspiration by a professional dance theater. Theys currently lives in Woodbridge, Connecticut, where she is at work on her next novel.
About the Illustrators
Rebecca Mock is a freelance illustrator, comic
book artist, and animator. Past freelance clients include the New Yorker, the New York Times, Medium.com, DreamWorks, and HBO. Her first graphic novel, Compass South, written by her collaborator Hope Larson, was published by FSG in 2016. Her work is known for its atmospheric painterly scenes, with subtle animation that brings them to life. She enjoys reading comics, fantasy, and sci-fi and watching old movies. She lives and works in her studio in Brooklyn, New York.
Born in Miyazaki, Japan, Kouzou Sakai spent his childhood living in the countryside surrounded by a wealth of nature. Now based in Tokyo, Kouzou graduated from the Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology and continues to show an affinity for nature through his illustrations. Whilst plants and animals remain at the heart of his work, he is also greatly inspired by surrealism, often mixing familiar subjects into fantasy settings. A freelance illustrator since 2002, Kouzou is now represented by Folio Illustration Agency and has built an impressive client list that includes CNN, Monocle, Guardian Media Group, McDonald’s, and Microsoft. Hoping to incite feelings of peace, nostalgia, and delight through his work, Kouzou draws with the aim of touching softly the beholder’s memory and emotions.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2017 Lydia Fazio Theys
Illustration copyright © 2017 Rebecca Mock
Illustration copyright © 2017 Kouzou Sakai
Motion design by Rebecca Mock and Kelly McNutt
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Little A, New York
www.apub.com
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Little A are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
ISBN-10: 1503943305
ISBN-13: 9781503943308
Cover illustration by Rebecca Mock
Cover design by Tyler Freidenrich and Shasti O’Leary Soudant
Children of the Salt Road Page 18