Ohhh...
I feel a sharp pain piercing my chest...
Ha! My leg... It's badly injured... I can't move it...
What's going on? What's all this blood...
Bang!
The terrifying dream shattered, and André De Luca opened his eyes to find himself drenched in sweat on the table.
A dream! What the hell... Is this what happens when you sleep wrong?
But his heart was still beating fast, as if the nightmare had not yet left him.
Rain fell on the glass, drawing zigzag lines and making a quiet sound, as if the world was separating itself from everything that had been terrible just a moment ago.
The small lamp on the table dimly lit the room, revealing the features of a ten-year-old boy with silky black hair and hazel eyes, cold as if they saw a world that no one else could see.
Pens are scattered on the table, and the papers he was working on before his little nap are strewn about in disarray.
"Oh my God... I fell asleep before I finished writing... Damn! Now my inspiration is gone..." he whispers to himself, his voice faint in the silence of the room.
Writing and drawing were his refuge. Since he was a child, he had spent most of his time writing down his thoughts... alone.
He had no friends...
His mother died when he was five. His father was a busy man, rarely coming home, as if it were just a temporary stop on his schedule.
When the rain stopped and the clouds cleared, light began to seep through the window.
André jumped out of his chair and headed toward it, his eyes sparkling:
"Yes! The rain stopped completely before sunset..."
He quickly put on his yellow raincoat and ran out of the house, his feet touching the wet streets of Casalini, each step making a faint sound under the stopped rain.
The air is cold, slapping his face and making his heart beat faster, but he feels free.
He runs aimlessly until he reaches the city bridge overlooking the lake, the best place to watch the sunset.
He stands there, Andri, staring at the horizon. The sun slowly slips behind the water, and colors dance on the surface of the lake. His heart calmed down a little, but he couldn't shake that hidden feeling, as if something on the horizon was watching him...
Suddenly, he heard a girl's laughter, breaking the silence of the place.
He turned around... and there, standing with both hands on the railing, was a girl about his age, her hands smeared with mud.
Mamma mia... what a mess... He tried to ignore the sight, but before he could look away, she had already noticed him.
She approached him quickly, with an enthusiasm that exceeded André's ability to comprehend. It was an unfamiliar sight that made his heart stop for a moment.
"Are you here to watch the sunset!?" she asked in a sharp voice, brimming with innocence and childlike curiosity.
André tried to keep his distance, but suddenly the girl broke the distance and touched his mud-stained hands. The mud transferred to his body.
"I also love watching the sunset very much," she whispered, her smile big and sincere.
"Th-that's... wonderful..." André replied in a tense voice, his heart beating fast, not knowing how to describe his strange feeling between surprise and curiosity.
Suddenly... a sudden noise. A bicycle.
A young man rode it hesitantly, losing control, swaying here and there... and approaching the girl.
"Make way! I can't stop!" the cyclist shouted in a sharp, tense voice.
Without thinking... André rushed forward. He grabbed the girl and pulled her toward him quickly. The mud on his hands didn't matter now. His heart was pounding violently, every second representing danger.
The bike passed by them and suddenly swerved, crashing into a lamppost with force.
André rushed forward and grabbed the girl, pulling her away from the path of the bike at the last moment.
The bike passed by them and suddenly swerved, crashing into the lamppost with force.
The driver stopped, panting, his eyes wide with shock, his voice trembling:
"Are you two okay?"
André looked at the girl to make sure.
She was looking at him strangely, her eyes wide with astonishment, and an uncomfortable glint hiding her slight blush.
André sighed, trying to calm himself, and replied to the driver in a low voice:
"We're fine..."
As soon as the bike drove away, the girl burst out energetically:
"Wow! You saved me... You're my savior now!"
André felt a subtle tremor inside him, a strange intuition telling him: I have to run away now...
But before he could decide, her smile grew brighter, sparkling with life and joy:
"That means we're friends now!"
Then, without explaining anything, she pulled his hand lightly, as if to say: there's no time to wait.
Friends?! What is this girl... His heart was beating fast. He stumbled behind her and said in a stammering voice:
"Where are you taking me?"
She tilted her head, a mischievous smile on her face:
"You'll see."
They ran together until they reached a large square filled with colorful toys. It was almost empty, with no sound except for the wind passing through the swings, creating a calm melody.
André stopped, staring around him in surprise:
"What are we going to do here?"
She didn't answer him. She ran to the swing, sat down on it, and began to swing lightly. Her smile never left her face, as if she owned the whole world.
Then she called out to him, her voice overflowing with enthusiasm.
"Let's play! Come on, push me!"
André couldn't spoil her fun.
He walked behind her, pushing her gently, while her laughter filled the air, and she shouted happily:
"Waaah, fun!"
It was crazy... but fun, just a little.
André smiled as he pushed her with a touch of playfulness, a new feeling running through his heart... lightness, freedom, a joy he had never known before.
This girl was his first friend, and from that day on, she became part of his daily life.
He saw her almost every evening, watching the sunset together, playing together... Thanks to her, André came to know the meaning of true joy outside, a meaning he had never felt before.
But one day, she came to him looking unusual.
She was wearing a strange black outfit, and her features looked like a pale shadow coming from afar.
She approached him with hesitant steps, then threw herself into his arms, tears streaming down her cheeks.
André felt a strange confusion, his heart fluttering, his senses burning with surprise, fear, and sadness all at once.
"What happened? Why do you look like this...?" He wanted to ask, but his voice wouldn't come out.
The girl stepped back a little, then whispered slowly:
"I'm leaving this city today..."
Her words shocked him, and fear crept into his chest.
"Why? Where are you going?" He wondered, his voice almost choked with fear.
She wiped her tears, then reached her trembling hand into her pocket. She took out a strange-looking necklace, shaped like a crescent moon with a blue gem in the middle, placed it in his hands, and whispered:
"This is for you... It's a gift, so you'll remember me."
Then she took out another necklace, which was like the sun, with a blue gem in the middle.
"I have the other half... They say that if you give someone a gift in Casalini, the city will bring you back together."
Before he could say anything, he noticed a woman at the end of the road.
She called out loudly, "Come on, we're leaving now!"
The little girl smiled one last smile, then whispered softly,
"Goodbye... I mean, see you later, André."
She nodded her head lightly, then ran toward the woman who was waiting for her.
André held the necklace in his hands, his eyes filled with sadness, his heart heavy with loneliness and deprivation.
I'm alone now... She's gone.
I really enjoyed myself with her... He stared at the necklace for a long time, as if it were the last link between him and that moment,
then raised his eyes to the sun reflecting on the surface of the water.
The warmth of the light touched his face, but it did not fill the emptiness inside him.
He whispered softly, as if talking to himself more than anyone else:
"I guess this is normal...
The things we had between us... were like the sun,
and had to disappear in the end.
Then André walked back home, the necklace still in his hands, reminding him of the emptiness she left behind.
He noticed that one of the curtains in the house was unusually open.
At that moment, his sadness faded for a moment, as if the sun had pierced the clouds in his heart.
He immediately realized that his father had returned.
André rushed inside, his heart beating with a longing he had missed for so long, a strange feeling filling his chest after a day full of surprise and sadness.
In the living room, he found his father sitting quietly in his chair, immersed in reading his usual book.
André ran towards him and shouted with joy he could not contain:
"Dad! You're back!"
His father looked up from his book, put it aside, smiled, and patted him gently on the head.
"Look who's here... it's my little lion."
"I really missed you," said André, his voice trembling slightly with emotion.
"Me too," said his father quietly.
André 's eyes sparkled with joy and excitement, and he shouted:
"Wait, I'll show you something!"
He ran to his room with excited steps and returned moments later carrying a piece of paper from his desk. He held it up proudly in front of his father:
"I drew a picture for us."
His father, Ricardo De Luca, stared at the paper in his hands with silent amazement.
He held it gently, then a smile tinged with deep sadness appeared on his lips.
The drawing was a beautiful family portrait, simple but filled with nostalgia.
He felt the weight of his absence, the weight of every moment he had left his son alone more than he should have... as if his heart carried an everlasting regret.
Ricardo said in a low voice, mixed with happiness and pride:
"It's beautiful... very beautiful."
André sat next to him, his features overflowing with innocence, his eyes sparkling with childish enthusiasm:
"You know, Dad? When I grow up, I'm going to be as great as you!"
Ricardo's eyes widened in surprise, then his lips curved into a warm smile as he patted his son on the shoulder:
"No, you'll be even greater and stronger than me, Andri."
Suddenly, knock... knock... knock.
There was a knock at the door, quiet but steady, as if carrying a deliberate tone.
Ricardo turned to his son, his gaze serious this time, his tone steady:
"It's my friends... Open the door for them."
André got up quickly, his eyes shining with excitement and caution at the same time.
He opened the door, and three familiar faces appeared, his father's friends.
One of them bowed slightly, a half-smile on his lips as he reached out to gently ruffle André's hair:
"Look, he's become a wonderful boy."
An innocent smile appeared on André's face, and he made way for them to enter.
The sound of their heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway until they settled in the living room where Ricardo was waiting.
When his gaze met his son's, he gestured gently but firmly:
"Go to your room now... We have important things to discuss."
André did not object, merely nodding quickly before withdrawing.
He closed the door behind him and returned to his desk, his features still glowing from his father's praise, but his heart beginning to feel a vague sense of unease.
André put on the necklace...
It's really beautiful...
I want to tell my father about this girl... about everything...
However, the calm of the place lasted only a few minutes.
Bang!
The sound of the bullet thundered like thunder, piercing the silence of the house and confusing his senses.
Everything trembled, his eyes widened in shock, his heart beat violently, and it didn't take him long to realize that the sound came from the living room.
Without thinking, he jumped up, his feet moving at breakneck speed toward the door, his steps filled with panic.
As soon as he reached the living room, his eyes froze in place.
The scene before him was a living nightmare: his father lay on the floor, bleeding profusely, while the three men who were called his "friends" surrounded him, firearms in their hands.
The sound escaped his lips as a hoarse, broken whisper, barely audible.
"Dad... Dad..."
One of the men looked up at him, his expression cold, and said with a sly smile:
"Oh, you saw everything, André."
The child screamed with all his might:
"Dad! Damn you! What have you done to my father?!"
Ricardo, despite his bleeding wound, was still clinging to his last breath. He raised his trembling hand with difficulty, looked at his son with eyes burning with concern, and muttered in a broken voice:
"Run... Run, André!"
Run? ... Dad, how can I leave him alone?
The boy took one step back after another, his back touching the wall, until he bumped into the large vase near the door.
His body trembled, the vase fell, and shattered into sharp pieces.
He sat on his knees next to it, breathing heavily, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
He's going to die... God, help my father.
The three men slowly approached him...
Their faces were distorted with strange smiles, as if carved from nightmares themselves.
André took a step back, then reached his trembling hand toward a piece of glass among the debris. He grabbed it tightly, waved it desperately, screamed with all the air left in his chest, and lunged madly.
The bottle sliced through the air, then scratched half of one of the men's faces.
A sharp cry of pain filled the room, and the injured man recoiled, clutching his bloody face.
André didn't think, he felt nothing but the instinct to survive.
He ran. With all his might. He ran out of the house as if fleeing from hell itself.
The wounded man fell to the ground, and the other bent over him, pointing to the third:
"Damn that kid... Catch him quickly!"
The third set off after him, his footsteps hitting the ground harshly.
André ran, his breath coming in gasps, his heart pounding in his chest.
The street was dark, the cold biting his skin, and the echo of his pursuer's footsteps growing closer and closer.
The man couldn't stand the chase any longer, so he raised his gun and fired.
The bullet pierced André's leg.
He fell hard to the ground, dirt filling his face, and a cry of pain tore from his throat unconsciously.
"No... no, I won't fall... I have to get help for my father!"
Tears, sweat, and blood mixed together.
He began to crawl, dragging his body despite the pain, despite the bleeding, despite everything.
The man approached him, his steps slow and confident.
"That's enough... there's no escape now."
André's eyes searched the ground desperately.
Then... a small stone. He picked it up quickly and threw it with all the strength he had left in his hand.
The stone hit the man in the eye, and he screamed and dropped his weapon for a moment.
One moment was enough.
André took advantage of it. He got up unsteadily and continued to run away, limping.
He found a pile of boxes, threw himself behind them, hid, and held his breath.
The sound of the man's footsteps approached... then passed by without seeing him.
He relaxed... just a little.
But the tension continued to suffocate him.
He waited... a minute, two minutes... then cautiously emerged.
At that very moment... bright lights. A speeding car!
The screech of brakes filled the air, stopping at the last moment.
Only a small distance separated him from death.
He raised his hand to shield his face from the light, his heart almost stopping.
Then he heard the car door open and footsteps approaching.
He looked at her weakly... He felt safe, or so he thought.
He approached the man.
"Please... help me. My father is dying, and someone is chasing me!"
The man smiled and said in a suspiciously calm tone:
"Oh... really? That's terrible. Come on, get in the car."
But when André heard his voice... something seemed off.
He froze in place, took a step back, his heart screaming inside him: No, not again.
"No, thank you... I was just kidding. "
He tried to make up an excuse to escape.
But the man grabbed him tightly and put a cloth saturated with a strange smell over his mouth.
He was hypnotized.
"I said I'd help you..." the man whispered with a crooked smile, before plunging André into a vortex of darkness.