The Tale of the Palatti Adventuress

Capitolo Due

Chapter 2

A sunny morning of 1209. It's 5:30 A.M. No-one is awake at old Sono Caustro. With the usual exception of Signor Antonello. Yawning loudly, the tall man drags himself unwillingly to the barn. He picks up a wooden bucket that has a broken handle from the ground and fills it up with cold water from the tap on the floor and goes in the direction of the cows.

Sleeping and snoring very deep and loudly is a young girl still barely holding with two fingers a metal bucket in which he could see the milk reaching the top. The man makes a face of contempt and empties the contents of his bucket all over the girl's face, who wakes up quickly and scared.

'Wha...What is it? *&%$#@!^}:!' she grumbles. 'Is it already time to collect wood?'

'Don't you speak to me like that!' Shouted the man while he kicked hard the girl's back. 'And don't try t' act stupid with me! Ya know very well that you must get yourself ready for the market fair!'

'I'm sorry' she mumbled ashamed and then she got up, bending because of the pain and taking the straw off her clothes.

'Shut your useless mouth and hurry up! I don't want'cha coming back without oranges again! Ya hear me?'

'Yes'sir.'

After this response he went away, mumbling what the girl thought might be swearing. When she couldn't see him anymore she then took off her wet clothes, threw them in a corner and put on some rags of hers she had found two days ago. She shook her long hair and tied it in a ponytail to dry quicker. 'Better,' she thought 'I wouldn't have time to try to clean myself anyways.' And with a stretch here and some popping there she advanced to the entrance of the farm and picked up the basket she always hanged on the gate. The girl sighed and began to walk.

The village's Market Fair had a few people getting ready and preparing to open the market. In little time that place would be full of traders, merchants and villains. Meanwhile there could be seen tents and cottages being filled with men and women always hurrying:

'Hey, Agata!' cried a man that put boxes of fruits in order on a table. 'How ya' doin' today? I've seen you've come early.'

'Mornin', Giorgio! I'm just fine, but my uncle sent me earlier. To get the good oranges, y'know?'

'Right then.' he said smiling and turned to continue settling the boxes. 'You can wait 'round here because I ain't needing help at the moment, but I'm quite sure someone will soon enough.

He had unarmed her. Agata was going to offer her help. Giorgio was a good man and a gentleman to her as well. But she was too tired and knew that she'd be working a lot today. Why get exhausted in vain? She decided to sit down and wait until one of her bosses called her to start working.

Her uncles' plan was to use her as payment for their shopping by putting her into jobs on the fair. She didn't mind it so much because it was the easiest chore she had to do and that place was where she could meet her friends and any other person nicer and more polite than her morose uncles. But Agata wouldn't dare to say such thing out loud anywhere, only think.

In a few minutes she was organising shelves, cleaning and selecting fruits and vegetables and carpets and shoes and hats and so on. She moved tables around and carg wooden karts to rent until the fair was over. But she had stopped then when she turned to somebody who had spoken her name.

'Andrea! Oh, how marvelous! You found me! I truly thought you'd be wondering around lost in this crowd.' the girl said happily.

'Yes, it is indeed true that in this little town the population seems to grow everyday. But to stay without our daily walk 'round the lake is an act I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for doing.' Saying that the boy stretched out his hand to her laughing. 'And so? Shall we?'

The Lake of the Gooses was called like that because it was the only place in the entire kingdom where you could find that bird. It was also the favourite place of the two children, who liked to walk around its woods with tranquility, to talk with privacy and to feed the gooses. The only moment they had to play together on the day. They were best friends since they were very small. They believe on the thought that opposite people are attracted somehow. Agata was rather small to be twelve, she had dark hair which was straight on the top but got curly at the tips, navy-blue eyes, very tanned skin and she was adopted by her single uncles, who already didn't have children and forced her to do chores all day. And, of course, she was very thin. Andrea, however, had the normal height of a thirteen-year-old boy, dark blond curly hair, honey coloured eyes, clearer skin than Agata and he lived with his mother and grand-parents who had been trying to make him happy since his father died five years ago. He was also thin although well fed. But not as strong as Agata, no. Agata had always been the strongest of the children, 'the result of chopping wood!' she used to say.

"You got yourself some trouble when they discovered you dozed off while you were milking the last cow again, now didn't you?" Asked Andrea curious and a little worried. It was almost normal for the day, to know she had been punished for something.

"Course I did, but Uncle Antoni took it easy this time. He kicked me weakly, barely." She answered sincerely, in her opinion.

When he heard this, Andrea asked himself what would one think if one did not know her life like he did. To change the subject, he remembered of something she didn't discuss much, but he was crazy to know about:

"What about that dream you told me of? Have you dreamt it again?"

When he turned to question her, he noticed she stared at the Sauch Mountains. It was a very beautiful landscape, but what could she be thinking about? They saw that place every day. "Something creative for sure, surreal, or simply mad!" thought the boy excited.

"No, but I'd certainly like to. You know what they say 'bout the meanings of dreams."

"Ay. It has something to do with the mountains, I guess? What thou thinks of?"

"Pardon?" She turned around confused.

"Oh, now, c'mon! I can see it there in your eyes! The imagination flying above and beyond the mountains! No limits, like a bird" He said while moving his hand in the mimic of a wave towards the landscape. She let out a tiny laugh and sighed, before turning back to him.

"You've hit it. I'm thinking...about what lives beyond the mountains. Unknown forests and agitated cities! Brave knights, smart merchants, astute thieves, magical witches, wild indians, dancing maids, enchanted fairies, huge horses, dangerous dragons, artful archers, elegant nobles!" She spoke extasiated and waving her arms.

"But you do recall more or less than myself does so. that we are only permitted to go to the cities in the centre of the kingdom in extremely serious and important situations. And with authorization."

"As sure as you, I do recall so, but listen. In this dream, I'm kneeling down and waving at my reflection on the lake. But there's something absurdly odd about it...The water reflects only me, the scenario behind me is that of a dark room with strange furniture and instruments. Suddenly, I don't even know why, I ask it..or her..where she is. She does not respond at all, instead, the scenario changes with slight waves in the water. It changes to what looks like the most agitated park in the centre of...some very bright city!"

" And so you cannot remember a thing after that?"

"Exactly. But cans't thou see my point? It's not Sono Caustro, it can only be a distant city! Far beyond the mountains, my good fellow!" Agata almost didn't have any breath left.

He stared at her entertained. He was excited by the idea of a place that was not where he had been born and lived all his life. Something passed through his mind:

'But...but...' It was something so hard to say because it would break the wonderful illusion. 'What if tis merely a dream? If it hasn't a real meaning underneath? If such a thing ain't true?'

Agata stared at him with a combination of despair and supplication. Then Andrea could see through her wide eyes that her pupils were more dilated than before. It meant that, since this dream, she hasn't had a good night sleep.