…the wood was green. Then the colors began to change and everything is grey; the darkness were looming. All traces of dawn had disappeared. The Princess looked around the edge. She knew no more of the road, she had forgotten where she was playing…
“Go away, dark! Let me go!”
“The branches the tear your clothes.”
“The Princess screams.”
My hand trembles, more than usual. That kid is telling my story, my story. I should be happy, right? Have passed so many years, I thought the world had forgotten. Instead, someone must have read it, and he liked it, because now he’s representing it.
He noticed me and lowered his voice: maybe he’s ashamed to be heard. I try to listen better, I move toward the edge of the bench, in his direction.
“Fight against trees.”
“Runs away.”
“Coming out of the Woods.”
“It’s located in front of the Dragons.”
The Dragon, not the Dragons. Only one, fearsome, an immense Dragon.
…his eyes were blazing flames, seemed to devour the soul. Stinky breath smelled of sulfur. His heart was black, very long tail flickered towards her. A blade that wanted to just stick. The darkness enveloped him, walked with him. The Princess began to run desperate…
“There are many, come from all over. Everyone against her. She is paralyzed, unable to move.”
“Their eyes are bright, they dazzle her. Their screams sneer at her.”
“She cries, she’s terrified.”
No, no, kid, you’re ruining my story. Too many dragons, too many monsters, you’ve gone too far; a dragon is enough, no need to put more, only one. But it was one, one only? I don’t remember. I’ve put one in the book, but now I’m not sure. What if they were the Dragons?
The child throws a look to me to see if I’m still watching, but he does not run away, he doesn’t interrupt his game. He turns slowly, until I can see well the show, now he moves the character just for me.
It’s not a Princess, only a mannequin with a wedding dress and he shakes it as if it were a puppet.
“The dragons spin around her, then they go away.”
“She runs.”
“There are immense buildings around her.”
…things not seen, unbelievable, inconceivable for her mind. Traces of the past, of forgotten alien civilizations, that instill terror in her.
The darkness were everywhere, the ground itself seemed turned black, she ran, in despair, not knowing where to take refuge…
“Other dragons come.”
“They chase her.”
“They try to eat her.”
Please stop with the dragons! How many do you have to put? Just one, a single dragon is enough! You have already seen, you don’t need more.
“Then she enters a forest.”
“She gets lost.”
“She no longer finds the way.”
“It hurt.”
“She cries.”
…she cannot die. If this were to happen life would disappear, the earth would become dry, every joy would cease to exist. She is the favorite of the universe, it took eons to create a being so perfect. There will never be anyone able to match her. She is Aurora…
“She is life.”
Life. Not Aurora, Life, that’s her name. I remember it. The princess is life, she cannot die, the world would not exist without life. Why did I call her Aurora, why I gave her that stupid name? She is Life.
“She must not die.”
No, she does not have to die. If she would die we will follow. All of us, all our dreams, our hopes, will disappear forever. Life must be saved, must be protected.
“And so was born.”
Was born? Who was born?
“Here, he’s arrived. Before he didn’t exist, now there he is. He was born to save her; its only purpose is to save her.”
“The Fiery Knight.”
Fiery? The Knight? Born to save her, created out of nothing just for her?
…and a Knight arrived. He came from far away, had fought fierce battles against the forces of darkness, and always had won. He heard of the grave mourning that afflicted the county, the disappearance of the young Aurora, lost over the forest, in unknown and dangerous places…
Why Fiery, why do you call Fiery Knight? This is no longer my story, you’re changing too much. I don’t want to listen to you, kid.
“He was born in the forest.”
“It is close to the princess but he can’t see her anymore.”
“He searches for her everywhere he calls for her.”
“But she will not hear him.”
But no, what are you saying! You skipped half a book! All the searches that the Knight made, the fight with the dragon, the chases, the most interesting part. And then what’s this: she’s next to him and he doesn’t see her? You’re ruining my book, kid!
“She is hidden to the world.”
“She has been forgotten.”
“No one can help her anymore.”
“She is dying.”
“He cries, he is desperate.”
Heroes don’t cry, they don’t despair, the heroes fight, they fight, they win. Stop, stop, I don’t want to hear you!
“Only one person in the entire universe is able to find her.”
…only one will find her. She is blind, and lives in a cave, in the top of the highest mountain. Her name is Celeste, and she is a seer. She is old, very old, the oldest woman of creation…
“And she is the seer.”
“The baby girl seer.”
“She is a little baby girl, very little.”
“She was imprisoned in a cave, in the dark, on top of the highest mountain of the world.”
“She is alone and asks for help, but no one ever went to free her.”
“Only she can save the Perfect Princess, Life.”
“The name of this baby girl seer is Faith.”
A…baby girl.
I slide from the bench, on the ground, on my knees. The child jumps to help me, abandoning his characters. I sit back, I try to get up alone, I do not want him to touch me.
Faith. The faith that will save your life. Life.
My hands are shaking, stronger and stronger. The Baby Girl Seer, now I remember her. How could I forget her, how is it possible? Why did I invent an old woman named Celeste? Has always been her, the Baby Girl Seer. Faith.
This is the story. The child is telling the story, the story as it was born, as it should have been. And if I listen to him I’ll know also how it ends. How it should have ended.
Will Life be saved? Faith will be able to find her? The Fiery Knight will free her? I never knew, I wrote it but I’ve never known.
I look at this child and my hand trembles more and more. I know him, because his face is familiar to me. I try to caress his cheek and he does not retract, he doesn’t run away.
He helps me up and I cannot take away my eyes from him. I’d love to talk, but I can’t. The story, he must continue the story, I need him to continue. I need to know how it ends, I must find out what else I did wrong.
I nodded, indicating the carcass of the car.
He looks back, uncertain.
I point his cutouts, hoping to make myself understood.
He shrugs his shoulders.
What does it mean, what does that mean?
He talks to me. “It’s all here. There’s nothing else for now.”
All here? But this is not possible!
“The Fiery Knight must free the Baby Girl Seer. But there is the Guardian who watches her. I don’t know how to move forward.”
The Guardian? Which Guardian, the one of the highest mountain? I didn’t put no guardian! There was a guardian in my story? I don’t remember.
“Do you like?”
I nod.
“I also have other, do you know? I have so many stories.”
Is that so? There were others? I don’t remember, I don’t remember even one. I have only mem
ory of that single one.
“Do you want me to tell you?”
I shake the head, leaving him disappointed.
I couldn’t stand it, not now, at the end of my existence. I would hate to see what else I missed.
I look at that boy that I am, and I wonder why. Why today, why now, why in this very moment. Why before. Before it’s over, it’s finished. Why knowing that I lost it, and I cannot even find out how it was.
Free Faith, child, let her free. Save Life, please. I just want to save her.
“The Guardian will not let me pass. I tried but I couldn’t.”
But it’s me, it’s really me? That boy it’s me, I was just like that? I don’t remember, I can’t. Yet I had to be like him, if I wrote that book there must have been a time in my life where I was the same as him. Before I started to fear, before everything dried up in me.
We must save her, boy, we have to save Life, otherwise you will become like me. That’s why I’m here now, that’s why the story is interrupted.
I’m here to finish it, to save you, and me, and life itself. Help me kid, tell me what to do!
He looks at me, but he does not understand.
I call him with a nod and he comes right away; he helps me get up and holds my hand. I walk slowly, helping myself with my cane.
How easy it is to love him. How easy it is to love what I was, what I would be. I have to help him, I have to help both of us. Because it is the last action of my life, this is the end, but it is also the decisive moment, the last chance to give meaning to my existence.
Help me, take me to the Guardian. Come to free Faith.
He doesn’t understand: he follows me and expects me to lead him.
But I’m not the Fiery Knight, you are, you have to leave! Or not?
What can I do? I’m nobody, I’m a loser.
But he’s still waiting for me to decide, ready to follow me.
Faith, imprisoned at the top of the highest mountain.
I look around. All palaces that surround us are high, seen through the eyes of a child. There is one, however, taller than the others, one that has one more floor.
I start to walk and he accompanies me.
I am slow, too much, a useless trippy. It takes me forever to cross the yard. The grass always looks taller and it get in the way. We reach the end we are in front of a doorway.
“The Guardian won’t let me pass.”
It does nothing but repeat it, but what does it mean? Is this the highest mountain, is here we will find Faith, on the top floor?
We must enter, it is imperative.
I approach the door, I look at the plates on display outside, then I peek inside: a porter is sitting in his gatehouse. I move my cane to ask him to open, and immediately I hear the lock click.
I walk in; slow as a snail, with the child at my side, while he tries to hide.
“Can I help you? Where are you going?”
With the stick, I point at one of the plates, a doctor’s office.
“Ah, Yes, well. Third floor. Can you do it alone, do you need help?”
I point to the child, as if to say that he is already helping me.
The porter recognizes him, he snorts because the boy should not be very sympathetic to him, but he does not say anything and goes back to sit in his guardhouse.
We reach the elevator and the child smiles at me, he is happy. We defeated the Guardian.
Now we just need to free up Faith.
We climb up to the top floor and we find a narrow corridor with four doors. We walk, reading the names on the plates. Unfortunately, no Faith. Clearly, as she is a little girl.
I try to explain in brief what I expect from him. I can’t speak, only him is able to call her.
At the end he nods, he walks door-to-door calling her name. “Faith? Faith?”
No answer.
We can only ring the bells. At this time, it is likely that the tenants are all out, but if someone opens, someone who is not a little girl named Faith, then I’ll look an old idiot. I can bear it.
I walk door-to-door ringing to everybody, but only silence answers me. I exchange a look with the boy, to ask him if he has any ideas, but he shrugs.
Then we hear her, far away.
“Who is there?”
It’s clearly a young voice, the voice of a little girl.
I shake the boy, and he asks: “Faith, it’s you?”
“Yes.”
The child is not at all surprised, he smiles.
“Can you open the door?”
“I’m not capable.”
“There is no one with you?”
“No, mom went to work. She left me alone.”
The boy looks at me, I nod to him, he is doing well. I make the gesture of a moving handle.
“Isn’t there a door handle? Try to push it down.”
“Yes, now I try.”
We hear the noise.
“It doesn’t open.”
They locked the door. I get my keys out of my pocket and I show to the child.
“Faith, do you know where are the keys?”
“No I don’t know.”
“There are no keys nearby? Maybe they are hung nearby.”
“I don’t know.”
“Look if you see them.”
“I found the keys, but there are so many.”
“Take them. Can you get them, do you reach them?”
She giggles. “Of course, I can reach them.”
“Try to put them in the lock one by one.”
“It is difficult.”
“Slowly, slowly, one key at a time. If it doesn’t fit don’t try to force it.”
“I try.”
We hear the keys moving in the keyhole, for a long time.
“I can’t do this.”
“Keep trying, one at a time.”
Other noises.
“Maybe this one is ok, it entered. What should I do?”
“You have to turn it.”
“How?”
“You have to grab it firmly and turn the hand to the right. You never seen your mom do it?”
“Maybe. I don’t remember. I have not paid attention.”
“Try it.”
We hear a click.
“Now lower the handle.”
“Yes.”
We see the door opening slowly.
The child and I stare speechless with open mouths; before us a mountain. She will be over two meters high and she will weigh at least two hundred kilograms. Apparently, she is a woman of about forty years old.
The child is uncertain. “Faith?”
A little girl’s voice comes from the mountain. “Yes, it’s me. Are you a friend?”
I shake the child.
“Yes. Yes.”
Why be surprised about that? The Seer: a little girl trapped in the tallest mountain. And isn’t it true? She is not a little girl trapped in an adult giant body?
“We need your help.”
I smile, the child said: “Us.” He feels that something connects us, beyond any logic.
“I… I don’t know what to do.”
“Can you come with us?”
“Oh, no. Mom will be mad. He never lets me out.”
“But it is important.”
“She would get angry, I told you.”
“There’s a princess in danger.”
“A Princess?”
“Yes, a Princess. She is the most beautiful being of all creation. And she is about to die. Only you can save her.”
“Oh!”
“You don’t want to save her?”
“I? Can I save her?”
“Of course. Only you can do it.”
“And what should I do?”
“You have to come downstairs with us.”
“Out?”
“Yes.”
“But my mom doesn’t want me to go out. He doesn’t want them to see me.”
“You never go outside?”
“No, never.”
“For the Princess?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know, I’m afraid.”
“We are here to help. We will protect you.”
“Who are you?”
“We are… the Fiery Knight. We seek the princess.”
“Ohhh!”
“You must not be afraid, with us.”
“Do you think that I can do?”
“Yes, give me your hand. We walk down together.”
She will never enter the elevator, she is too fat, she will be stuck. How do we get out of this building? The guardian – the doorman there will never allow us to. I have to find a way to distract him.
I nod the child to bring her down using the stairs. I enter the elevator and go down to the ground floor. When the doors open, I make noise with my cane until the guardian comes to see what’s going on. I let the stick drop, as if my hands were shaking too much to hold it. He looks at me and shakes his head, but he enters the elevator to help me and bends down to get my cane. I pretend to duck and I press the button of the top floor.
The doors close before he can intervene and the elevator starts to move up. I look desperate, I try to apologize for the incident, but I am always in the way and he can’t stop the elevator.
At the end, he moves me to reach the elevator controls.
We go down. I see that he is angry but he forces himself to restrain: he thinks I’m a poor old fool.
When we arrive, the entrance is like a desert, nobody there.
He accompanies me personally out of the building and he wait until I walk away. When he returns to his place, I look around, searching for the child. I find them sitting on the bench, waiting for me. Faith is chuckling, overjoyed.
The child is impatient.
“What do we do now?”
With the cane, I point at the courtyard all around.
He understands. “You must try, Faith. You should search for the princess. She’s here somewhere.”
“Here?”
“Yes, here somewhere.”
“And only me I can find her?”
“Yes, we cannot see her. Only you are capable of that.”
“Oh, really!”
“Yes, only you.”
“And how do I recognize her?”
“She is perfect. She is the most beautiful creation. There is only her.”
“Oh! I can’t miss her, then.”
The Prison Page 31
