The Last Agosti ✔

~* 3 *~

Diego jolted up realising he is in a different room, he remembered he fell asleep in his own, how did he get here, Diego wondered. Looking around, the room was small with a queen-sized bed, the wall had a double casement window in wood frame, a dressing table with a chair and a wardrobe, the interior setting gave a hint that he is in a country house.

Early morning mist beginning to clear, sun rises casting orange and pink onto a thin layer of cloud, birds sing, dawn chorus, indicating a good start of the day. Stretching himself as he walked out the room, Diego now confirmed that he is in a country house. Where is this place? The house seems to be oddly familiar, "I think this must be Uncle D's house" he murmured. The smell of the strongly brewed coffee pulled him towards the kitchen through the long corridor.

In the midway to the kitchen was a door to the lawn outside, before he could run out, a cheerful voice rang from the kitchen doorway.

"Aunt Ruffina!" Diego ran and gave a tight hug to her.

"Slept well?" she asked ruffling his mussed hair from sleep.

Nodding vigorously, Diego asked "When did we came here?"

"Last night, you were halfway asleep when we brought you here" Ruffina said as they walked to the kitchen. The kitchen was slightly bigger than the room he was earlier, with bigger and wider window the kitchen was enormously bright. He suddenly felt good to be here.

Ruffina continued to make breakfast as Diego enjoyed his glass of milk while staring out the huge window.

"Good morning, mamma" came a small voice into the kitchen.

"Hey, sweetheart" Ruffina crocheted down, kissed the little girl's head and made her sit next to Diego.

The four-year-old started giggling at Diego who kept staring at the girl who had brown eyes that was like a sweet chocolate.

"Mamma! Look... D has a white musz-ta-che" she giggled again and covered her mouth with her little hands.

"Hahaha... funny. So, what's you name this time" he asked, finishing his milk. Diego finds it weird about this girl, every time he meets her, she comes up with different names for herself that he has no idea what is her real name even.

"uhm..." looking at her mother, "sweetheart!...mamma called me sweetheart" she cackled and drank her morning drink. Looking out the window, Ruffina checked for the weather before sending the two out for playing.

"Hey! Wait for me" she ran after Diego trying to keep up with his speed. He kept on running until they reached at the edge of their house compound. "Wait here, I'll go get the ball" Diego ran inside leaving her alone there. As Diego came out of the store room, he saw Ruffina carrying crying Ara inside.

"What happened, Aunt Ruffina?" he asked.

"She was stung by a bee"

"I'll call you Bee from now on" he giggled right after Ruffina left the two, "you are going to turn into a bee" he teased and ran out with the ball.

Diego found himself standing in the middle of the country house owned by Demetrio. The last memory he had with Aunt Ruffina and Ara flashed before him as he walked through the house. It is the same country house they used to come when he was small every year until he was eight years old. It had been twenty-one years since a footstep echoed within the walls, thick coating of dust had molded everything.

With the help of Thomas, Diego reached the house.

After finding nothing in the house that would help find Ara or Demetrio's murder, Deigo came back with only a couple of framed photograph that was hanged on the wall of the house. A family photograph of Demetrio Agosti and of Ara.