«What a crap!».
«Do you think you smell better, with that poor colony you have put on yourself?».
Calling cologne my fifteen euros worth perfume was the drop that overflowed the pot. «What the hell is this?».
Here, I used the forbidden word, and this indicated that I was pissed off. Pardon, angry.
«It’s nothing, the factory is closed, and they’re all gone».
«Which factory?».
«The one at the end of the road».
«And what did you have to do with this factory?».
«I worked there for nine years. And I did not get anything in return, not even a penny of liquidation. The house was also taken away from me, by those vultures».
«Which vultures?».
«Banks, lawyers. I can’t believe that you are not informed at all.
Certainly it was not my primary job to keep track of factories that were closing down. «What are you doing here?».
«I told you! They took it away from me, but it was my home, all my life was here. Laura did not resist, she left me, but what could I do? There were no jobs anywhere, I could not find anything suitable. I did not have a choice».
«And you came back here? Do you call this a life, this one?».
He grinned and went back to the fire. I noticed that he was burning pieces of the fence.
«Did you call me?», I asked.
He raised his eyebrows. «Called you? Who says? Do you see some phones around? They have even taken off the electricity, there is nothing left here!».
Then sluggish idea came to me. «Where are the palm trees?».
«What?».
«The palms! The fucking palms! This is Road of the Palms, isn’t it? There have to be palms as well!».
I came to the window and pointed. «There! And there!». The exact points where I had seen them in my dream.
«You are even more crazy than all those who came here before you»
I lowered my forehead. «And who were they?».
«Vultures, I told you. They were delighted to go to the place where it happened».
«What happened?».
«The tragedy! That is what vultures do, devour the dead».
«You are completely crazy!».
«Then go! Get off your feet, go to the other side!».
I tried to think, but it was getting harder. «A pink beach, a blue sky, lots of palm trees. Does that give you a hint?».
«Yes, you are out of your mind».
«But there must be some reason why I’m here!», I broke off.
«Sure. Because you are crazier than a mad cow!».
«Stop trying to be witty and give me a hand. What’s out there?».
«Can’t you see it on your own? There is nothing left».
«What was there, then!».
«We were the employees. Mr. Dino had built all of this for us, this neighborhood, so we could live near the factory and commute»
«Ah, see something starts to make sense». I still looked at the houses out there. «What a bad taste!».
«I assure you we had little to complain about! Many did not have a master like him. He paid for it, he was kind to everyone, and he really took care of his workers!».
«He failed, as far as I can see».
«It does not matter, it was not for that».
«That’s what you said!».
He looked puzzled. «Do you really have no idea where you are?».
I tried to strain the memory, but I did not come to terms with anything. «Tell me».
«Dino Malan. The Malan Industries».
Something was ringing a bell in my mind, but it was too weak of a bell to tell me something. «More, tell me more».
He started singing, leaving me stuck. «For the love he gives you he deserves something special nothing will make him happier / Malan’s bites».
«It was HERE!», I shouted.
He plugged his ears because I sneezed.
«Assassins!», I started screaming. «Monsters!». And I screamed from the window: «Come here to eat it! If you deserve it!».
He shook his head, disgusted.
«Do not be the victim!», I yelled. «What you did was offensive!».
I would not admit it to anyone in the world, but when the tragedy had happened I’d even cried. Yes, I hugged Rudy and I was crying. Then he scratched and scratched, but that was another story.
«Stop it! Stop it! You do not act like those exalted!».
«What did the others say?», I mumbled.
He looked up to heaven. «It was a nightmare. They cursed insults, besieged the factory. We didn’t have piece even inside our houses. They even threw stones on us».
«Oh».
«As if we had something to do with the situation! We were just workers!». He looked right into my eyes. «Do you know what I did? I was unloading the trucks, only that!».
I grunted. «Well, somebody had to take the responsibility. Malan fled, if I do remember well».
«Was it our fault, perhaps?».
I tried to recall the facts. «It seems to me that it was a foul meat, did not it?».
«Never! Only rumors!».
I snorted. «A horn hail! They killed thousands of animals! Or would you like to deny this too?».
He shook her head.
«How many?», I asked.
He mumbled something. «Louder!», I yelled.
«Let me get it», he said, leaving me with an open mouth. «Fifty-three thousand dogs and sixty-seven thousand cats».
I had never realized the extent of that tragedy. Almost fluttered. «Rudy was crazy about the Malan boxes. When I think about it… God, he could die too!».
He shook her head. «Almost all of them were sold abroad. The eastern countries were hit harder. A new market that he had just grabbed».
The memories began to flow. «Yes, now I recall. He had received a great order. For this he had used second-flesh that had turned out to be broken. It was horrible, the animals began to die one after the other, but it took days to find out the cause».
«Nothing has ever been tried!».
«Not even everyone who had eaten the Malan boxes?».
He still mumbled something incomprehensible.
«Damn, I knew the factories were from here, but I had no idea where they were exactly! Who would have thought…».
«So why did you come here, if you did not know?».
I am asking myself the same question.
4
«So does this mean anything to you for real - a tropical beach, with pink sand and palm trees all around?».
He refused to answer, but he did not insult me. «What is this, is it a quiz?».
«I have to find them».
«And are you looking for them here? You’re crazy».
I went back to the window. «Are you saying I won’t find any palm trees here?».
«No palm trees! There were no palms trees ever in this place. That’s what Mr. Malan said, because… I do not have the slightest idea. He liked it, maybe!».
«So why am I here?».
He looked at me incredulously, not knowing what to answer.
I was just wasting my time. I left him there and went out of the house. I was outside and I was looking around. The sky was dark; the sun looked sick, the whole place was isolated.
I heard him behind my shoulders.
A bunch of dogs passed barking in front of us.
«Where did they come from?», I asked.
He reached me. «They’ve always been here, I guess. The factory attracted them. The smell of the meat, I think. There are even more dogs than before».
«There is no smell of food now. Why don’t they go away?».
He stopped for a moment. «Maybe they do not even know where to go».
Someone, I don’t know who, had managed to attract me to that place. As long as I don’t go mad at all. «Well, tell me where I am supposed to go, otherwise I’ll go home!».
«Huh?».
> «Shut up! I will not tell you!». And then, stronger: «I’m leaving! Last chance!».
Hush. Even the man at my side did not dare to breathe; now I knew I was out of my mind.
«Farewell», I said, and I went back in the direction from where I came from.
I found myself among some oysters.
Actually it was not like that, it was more… I do not know what the hell it was! I only know that there was a pearl in front of me, a gigantic pearl, large as a house, and it shimmered. In the background there was an oyster sitting together with the palm trees and tropical beaches.
However there was this oyster, or no, this pearl, and I have been there before. I was standing with an open mouth, of course, and I could not close my eyes. It looked like a very valuable item, given the size, but it was very beautiful as well.
At the end, however, I was in a position to reason again and I looked around.
And, by the way, all around the pearl, there was a very large black wall.
A black wall! And the pearl was inside!
I turned and pointed my finger toward the black wall at the end of the road. «I have to go there!», I yelled.
There was no one listening to me anymore.
I realized I was down the road, far from the house and the strange man. Again, I was moon walking.
I came back.
I found him in the kitchen, where he came back to warm up. «Aren’t you afraid that you can burn the house with this?».
He grunted. «Ah, you are back! It was too good to be true».
«I have to go inside!». I pointed to the wall though out the window.
«To find the beach?».
«No, the pearl».
«Huh?».
«Let it go. How will you get in there?».
«You just don’t get in».
«And for what reason?».
«It’s closed, don’t you see that.
«So? Even this house was closed, but you came here anyway».
«I have the keys!», he blinked.
«Don’t you have the factory keys? You worked there, didn’t you?».
«It’s in quarantine».
«Huh? What the fuck are you talking about! It’s been a year!».
«A year in which absolutely nothing was discovered! They still have no idea what exactly killed all those animals!».
«What does that mean?».
«It means they did examinations, but did not find out what kind of poison it was. Or viruses, or what else!».
I snapped again. «Even if they found out, you think they would come to tell you?».
«I know what I see! They have sealed the factory like Fort Knox and no one has ever set foot on it. And these houses? Why no one bought any of these houses? Why everything is abandoned?».
«Maybe nobody wants to come and live here».
«Bullshit».
He had been a great boor, but he was right. «Something about Area 51, you say?».
«Huh? Area 51, where is that?».
«Let it go. A virus, then? What sort of virus… ebola for animals?».
«I dont know! Nobody has ever found out anything! This is what scares one the most, don’t you think? Not knowing».
«I need to know, indeed. I have to get in there».
«Good luck then».
«Come one! You have to give me a hand. You worked down there».
«Did you forget something».
I considered my finances in my head. «I could give you ten euros».
«One hundred!».
«Twenty».
«Go away, please do me this favor. Turn around and leave. I just want to be left alone».
«Fifty».
«Don’t you listen to more?».
«One hundred».
«I don’t want to go back inside, do you understand? I don’t care!».
«I cannot give you any more, this is the only money I have».
«Keep it! Go away and keep it»
«You need it».
«I need to be left alone, nothing more».
«Why?».
I was taking it for exhaustion, I was certain. It would have been enough to insist on something else.
«Who wants to go there?».
«I have my reasons».
«What reasons ?».
Good question. «Rudy does not want to eat anymore».
«Huh?».
«Well, that’s right. He eats very little, just to survive. But he is all skin and bones, just like you are».
«Like me? Who is Rudy?».
«My cat. He was crazy about the Malan boxes, and he ate that food four times a day. He did not eat anything else. Since the factory close, he stopped eating at all».
«You are crazy and you are making me crazy too! What does your cat has to do with this?».
«Nothing, but it would be interesting to find out what happened. However those boxes were so good. What did they put in those boxes. And why… it ended that way»
«You too! What did they put in the boxes? I can tell you what they put inside! I was loading the trucks every day. They put what they put into any other pet food box, no more or less. Beef, veal, tuna, fish, rabbit, perhaps not the most high-quality animals, but I assure you that they didn’t use any spoiled goods».
«I believe you. But I would still like to go there».
He shook her head. «There’s nothing left, they’ve taken everything away. The machinery, the furniture, the files, everything. There is nothing but bricks. It’s all abandoned».
Except for the pearl, I thought. «Let’s go anyways».
A moment of silence followed. «Will you give me one hundred euros?».
«Fifty».
«You said one hundred!».
«Yes, but I have to keep in mind that I must come back home. And then I have to buy the boxes for Rudy, I’m ruining that blessed cat».
«I need it».
«Then we’ll see. Meanwhile, take me over there and then we will discuss».
He looked at me, shook his head, and said, «I do not believe you, I do not believe you».
5
The wall was impressive, I was tempted. I thought it was at least four feet tall. There was a large porch, through which probably the trucks were passing, but it was ruined now, with as many aces above.
«They are all the same», the man said. «All the entrances».
«And this should be a factory? It looks like a prison!».
«You say that because of the wall?».
«What was he afraid of?».
«Who, Mr. Malan? Why would he have to be afraid of something?».
«I don’t know, this looks like a fortress, as if he was barricaded inside».
«What a nonsense! He did not even live there, it was a factory».
He was probably used to it after so many years, but I found it the most oppressive place I’d ever seen. And the stray flocks that went free for the abandoned Duckburg were only making the atmosphere more disturbing.
«You are crazy to choose to live here!».
«Do you want to get inside or not? Stop wasting my time».
I saw him moving away. «Where is he going?».
He pointed to the nearest villa. «That was Malan’s house».
«That one?», I asked in disbelief.
«I just told you he did not live in the factory».
«Yes but…». It seemed incredible that the owner could live there, in a cottage identical to what he had built for his workers.
«He was not that person that you all think he was. Certainly not the monster represented by the newspapers. He was a real gentleman, he took care of others».
I managed to hold back from replying. «Why did you bring me here?».
«Because Malan had a direct entrance to the factory, in his home».
I felt burning again, this time metaphorically.
«A secret passage?».
«What’s on your mind! A short cut, to do it faster».
«And it is not closed?».
«I doubt they have found it».
«Then it really was a secret passage», I said.
«Name it as you like!».
«How come you know it?».
«I’ve seen it, sometimes».
«Have you spied on him?».
«Stop it! It’s not a secret passage, there was nothing secret, everyone knew about it!».
I kept feeling a burning sensation, but I did run.
When he tried to bring me to the cellar, however, I opposed him. «What do you have in mind?».
«Didn’t you want to come in?».
«An underground passage? And according to you this is not strange?».
«What kind of short cut would it be if it was found on the surface?».
I preferred to swallow the insults. I grabbed the bottle of hairspray, from my handbag, and pointed it to him, careful to hide the label. «Do you know what this is? I doubt you can find out…».
«Stop it!».
So I followed him, down the steep stairs of the cellar. I pulled out a small torch that I always carried with me just any case.
«You see? There is nothing hidden here!».
Indeed the passage from the cellar was not concealed. It did not even have a door, to say the truth. It was a tunnel, rather low, with arched ceiling, which was hidden in the dark. The cellar was bare and without furniture, like the rest of the house.
«What a nauseating smell», I said.
«Do you prefer to go back?».
At the expense of seeming posh, I took a handkerchief and put it in front of my nose. «Let’s go, move!».
He was immersed, but after a few steps he began to complain. «I can’t see anything, it’s too dark!».
It was a difficult decision to make, to pass on my precious torch, or go first, with the risk of finding it behind me? In the dark with a possible maniac behind me? I re-evaluated his constitution and grimaced. «I will go ahead».
So it was, he was going behind me trying to be helpless, even though I felt his breath behind me.
What did he want? That tunnel could not be infinite; the house was not more than twenty meters far from the wall…
Oh damn no, not now! I wonder what is he going to do… on the other side! Not in a dark tunnel and underground!
But yes, I was back on that maliciously disgusted pink beach.
«What is it now?», I yelled. «What else do you want?».
Lizzi Bizzi and the Red Witch Page 88
