“Well, it’s settled then,” said Danny. “Aldo will join Jessica and me on a trip to Italy. Dave and David will continue to research and develop the Paganini Inter-dimensional Teleporter, while Bill will relax and familiarize himself with our modern ways until I return to begin writing his biography. How soon can we go?”
“Why don’t we go as soon as we get our airplane tickets and passports in order?” said Aldo. “I believe we can make all the necessary arrangements in less than a week.”
Within a matter of days, Jessica, Danny, and Aldo made it to Rome’s international airport. They spent a couple days visiting all the tourist attractions, such as the ancient coliseum, before they decide to make the side trip to visit the Paganini property.
Aldo had been trying to act enthusiastic about assisting his friends by serving as their travel guide and interpreter, but his primary focus was to visit his mother’s grave. He wondered if by some lucky miracle he might see a glimpse of her spirit.
The following morning they packed their baggage into the small rental car and drove straight towards Aldo’s childhood residence. It was about a six hour drive through the beautiful Italian countryside. Aldo was the driver since he was familiar with the roads, but he was uncharacteristically quiet on this day. As they drove onward, he also wondered if by any chance he might run into an awkward face-to-face encounter with his own alter-ego…
After traveling down a lengthy, dirt covered, countryside road for more than an hour Aldo slowed down as he spotted the tall, entrance gate with the nameplate, ‘Paganini’, at the top. Aldo had purchased a beautiful bouquet of flowers to deliver to his mother’s gravesite at a nearby town. He slowly drove through the gate, and pointed to a grassy hill covered by several tombstones…
“I can already see Mama Cecelia’s tombstone from here,” said an excited Aldo. “Her grave is at the top of the knoll under the big, shady tree.”
Aldo parked the car, and grabbed the bouquet of flowers. The trio got out of the car and proceeded by foot. Danny and Jessica admired many of the ornate, old tombstones – some of them dating back to the 1600s.
Aldo maintained hope that he might somehow be lucky enough to see his mother’s spirit, but for now, there were no signs of any paranormal activity. Danny and Jessica silently followed Aldo up the hill. When Aldo reached the foot of his mama’s grave, he fell to his knees as he gazed at the writing on the headstone. Chills ran up and down his spine when he saw that the name on the grave was not his mother’s – but instead, it had his own name, ‘Aldo Alberto Paganini’ - nato 1970, morto 1986, inscribed into the tombstone.
“Mama mia – what have they done with my mama’s grave?” asked a bewildered Aldo, “and what the heck is my name doing on this gravestone? I don’t get it.”
“Aldo, you seem to have overlooked a minor detail,” said Danny. “Have you forgotten that you are actually in the parallel universe’s version of Tuscany? I recall you telling me that you watched your mother die when she was struck by lightning when you were just sixteen years old. Look at the dates on the tombstone. Supposedly, your alter-ego from this world was born in 1970, and he died in 1986 – when he was just a sixteen year old kid. I’ll bet the lightning bolt struck and killed him instead of your mom in this parallel world. That seems to be consistent with how the theory of ‘Ions of Luck’ works.”
“Oh my God, Danny – you are so correct – but if that’s the case, then by any chance do you suppose that my Mama Cecelia is still alive?”
“There’s only one way to find out,” said Danny. “Let’s go knock on the door to the main house. Maybe you’ll find the answer you are seeking.”
Aldo felt his pulse racing as he tried to calm himself by breathing in slow, rhythmic breaths. Aldo walked rapidly towards his mama’s house. Danny and Jessica trailed slowly behind.
“Jessica, honey, let’s give Aldo some space,” suggested Danny. “I have a hunch that Aldo’s arrival is going to shock someone in there.”
A breathless Aldo knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Jessica and Danny watched from a dozen paces away as the door slowly opened up, and an elderly, gray-haired, Italian lady came out on the porch. They overheard Aldo speaking excitedly and rapidly to the old woman in his native language, and they heard her respond to him in an unenthusiastic manner.
Jessica and Danny were quite surprised when, all of a sudden, Aldo turned around and aimed his posterior at the lady. Aldo pulled his pants down far enough for everyone to see an oblong shaped, purple birthmark on his left butt cheek. Jessica and Danny enjoyed watching as the old lady shrieked, and held her hands up to the sky while apparently giving thanks to some higher, spirit being. Aldo quickly pulled up his pants, and then he turned around and grabbed the old lady – showering her with hugs and kisses.
Jessica and Danny didn’t understand a word that was spoken, but they could see that Aldo was completely overjoyed to find his mother alive and well, and the old lady was equally ecstatic to be reunited with her son who had been struck by lightning almost three decades ago.
After several minutes of hugs and kisses, Aldo ran over to Jessica and Danny. Tears of joy ran down his face as he said, “It’s her – that’s my precious, Mama Cecelia. It’s a miracle that she’s alive – and she says that it’s a miracle that I’m alive as well. At first she didn’t believe who I claimed to be, since she had witnessed the lightning hit me, but she believed my story when I showed her the birthmark on my butt.”
Jessica felt sentimental tears welling up in her eyes as she hugged Aldo while a joyous Danny shook his hand to congratulate him on his miraculous reunion with his mom.
“Come, come – I want you to meet my dear, Mama Cecelia. She has invited us all to an Italian feast tonight. Now, you can finally taste the finest, Italian cuisine in the universe – or should I say – the finest, Italian cuisine in two, different, parallel universes.”
THE END
Our saga continues in IONS OF LUCK, part II… Jessica’s vengeful husband will literally go to the ends of the universe to punish Danny and his wife. He recruits the help of Aldo’s former assistant, Professor Jason Cooper, to send hired hitmen to the other world to capture Jessica and to kill Danny. Stay tuned for updates on the progress of this book by visiting my website at www.markusfredericks.com
PERSONAL NOTE TO THE READER:
I hope you really enjoyed reading this book. If so, I’d greatly appreciate it if you would please give me a positive book review on AMAZON (thank you!).
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
This is the first book I wrote specifically with the intention of having it made into a lower cost/lower budget movie with widespread appeal (these often become the most profitable movies). If you personally know any of the following: Movie Producers, Movie Directors, Actors & Actresses (aspiring or established), Screen Writers, or anyone else directly involved with the movie industry, please contact me directly. My private e-mail address is [email protected].
When it comes to getting a book made into a movie, having the right connections is paramount – and I would be more than willing to richly reward any person who helps me to get the ball rolling. I look forward to hearing from you.
Markus Fredericks
Ions Of Luck Page 16
