The next morning Bella woke up Paolo and prevented him from having breakfast or any contact with Miss Donatti because that would raise questions and she does not have time to make up her answers.
He quickly goes to the river bank. There is a man with a small boat sitting at the side of a small deserted port. He seems to be the only one working there. Finally, Paolo can concentrate a little. What are we doing here so early Bella, the sun hasn't risen yet Tell me why don't you trust Maria again? Paolo involuntarily stripped her of the title of Miss as a last attempt to prove to her that she could be trusted.
I have the right to express my doubts and admit this to me, Paolo, at least, my suspicions are always in place, but if you think what you want, call it intuition.
She thought to herself, Now Miss Donatti has done nothing but protect her privacy, which we already know she values so much, and their great similarity may just be a coincidence, Miss Donatti looks too young to be his mother anyway. Now let's not waste any time.
Do you know that guy over there by the side port?
Yes, he is a senile hunter who wasted his years in search of a legend that may never exist. Do you know the legend of the pirates?
No, tell me about it quickly, I want to know what kind of human he is.
Well, it is rumoured in this town that this small lake was a big sea before it dried up and became what it is now and that a group of ruthless pirates was roaming the seas collecting everything they could lay their hands on, but they always returned to this sea despite its many raging hurricanes, one of which was their end. Their ship sank, as did the entire crew, except for the ship's chef, who is the great-grandfather of this man. It is said that all their treasures, which took them 22 years to collect, sank with them that night. Since that time, the family of this man inherited the habit of searching for the lost treasure, but no one found a penny of it.
Well, someone like him who spends his life chasing illusions and superstitions like that doesn't seem very reliable, but he might be our only hope, if he works here at this hour in the morning he sure works late and he also lives here he sure knows something, Bella got a little closer to the man She recognized him immediately, as he also recognized her, the old man who showed her the way home when she came out of the woodsBella, here you are again.
What are you doing here at this time of day? I warn you, you miraculously survived in the woods last time, you might not be so lucky this time.
Luck has no hand in my survival, I assure you, nor do I come for the woods, if you don't mind I want to ask you a few questions.
Good for you, but as you can see work piles up here because of the storm, you show up and storms come with you He said that jokingly, but Bella wasn't in the mood to compliment a stranger, would you wait for me a bit, he started dragging the branches of trees that had fallen from his yard.
Bella replied, "No, sir, I can't wait, but I can certainly help you. me and my friend. Paolo was far from checking the place. do you him over there, Paolo Come quickly...
Paolo approached, and said hello, Hello serum have I seen you before I don't think so, sir. I've never been here before. I think I got it mixed up, a lady I know looks a lot like you, if she were a little older I would say she is your mother.
Paolo got angry, but he held himself together, as Bella is looking for answers, and he will not make anything stand in the way of that. My mother died a long time ago, sir, it cannot be her.
I'm sorry son. At my age, one gets everything mixed up.
Bella told Paolo that they should help the poor gentleman, as she described it, and she was buttering him up so that he would answer her truthfully, and now, sir, we will help you move those branches, a respectable old gentleman does not have to carry these burdens, now, sir, you can answer my questions while you lie on that wooden chair.
Well, miss, that's very kind of you.
Have you been working here sir for a long time?
That's right, Miss.
Then you must have been here about a month or two ago. I've been here every day, miss, for at least twenty years. As you can see, hunting here isn't what it used to be, but it's the only job I can master.
So if something strange happened here, you probably will remember it? Why do people come here anyway?
If it happened this year, my memory is not be as it was, and it saddens me, miss, to say that people come here for two reasons only, and the first is to dump waste, see how they turned this place into a dumpster, while others come here to escape from this town, this way It is safe for them to disappear, their reasons however strange does not concern me. They take the boat and it brings them to the other bank. They pay me, and that is all that matters to me.
Well, sir, did something strange happen here? You didn't answer me.
I've seen a lot of wondrous things in my life, but I understand your question, miss. Almost a month ago, a young lady came here, I think her name was Stella. She asked me to leave as soon as possible, but I refused because it was windy, although the lake is not very big, a storm like that would have drowned us in it, without a doubt, I would not have risked it if she had come an hour earlier, the storm wasn't here yet, but she insisted on waiting for someone, but no one came, and once the storm started I couldn't navigate.
Well, where did she go later? Did you see that at least?
I saw her enter the forest and quickly disappeared, but I do not know where she went. I tried to warn her, but she disappeared quickly, as I said that my work requires not asking questions. All that matters to my customers is that they leave quickly and in complete secrecy from here. That means that I don't even know their names and all that matters to me is that I get paid. !?
Um, then how did you know, sir, that the girl's name was Stella, huh?
After she decided to leave in that stormy weather, even though I offered her to stay at my house, she refused and insisted on leaving, and since she was no longer technically my client, I asked for her name. I was sure someone would come and ask about her. ?
And did anyone come?
Yes, miss, Father Giovanni came and I told him she was gone.
Did he ask about anything else?
yes, he did ask if I saw anyone else or anything.
And did you see, and what did you answer him to?
No, miss, I didn't see, and that's what I told him for sure, why would my words differ, it's crazy for someone to stay out in such weather, that's all I know. I swear to you, miss.
Well, sir, that's enough anyway Whatever happened that night ended in her disappearance, Bella whispered to Paolo, I hope it was not by force, who would she meet, is it me, or someone else, that is Killing me, what was she running from?
or from whom? Paolo replied.
Is it possible that she didn't run away from anyone, what if she does something suspicious and tries to escape? Is it possible that we are doing all these people wrong only by assuming that Stella is good? How can we be sure what any human being is capable of?
No, Bella, I couldn't be so wrong about her, Stella who I know can't hurt a fly. What a silly thing, how can you be sure of all this, as you doubt your own shadow, Bella?
Think about it, Paolo, we are missing part of the story.
Of course, we don't know the whole story, Bella, look around you, you don't trust Nobody, and you definitely can't trust your memory, whenever we have a clue, we end up at a dead end.
No, that's not what I mean. Look, we're just focusing on Stella's disappearance. What about the old man, Madam? Eve's husband, where did he disappear to? Why did Madam Eve pretend that nothing is wrong?
What are you up to, Bella? tell me, my head is spinning.
First off, I know I interrupted your sleep but I want you focused, come on who's left to ask? we sure won't ask the devil who is your father, and as for Miss Donatti I've got to check my suspicions first, she's said all she has to say anyway, so who's left here, she thought for a long time then she said, Paolo, I found it, Your grandmother is the only person we can trust now. If someone knew what was going on here, it would be her. faster. Come on, Paolo.
Bella ran in front of him, he was running behind her, he was catching his breaths, why all of this hurry? wait for me.
Bella stopped with a look of anger on her face, why, I wonder, because no one answers me, no one cares that my life is being stolen in front of me, that I cannot move forward without knowing what is happening, Paulo, it is my life, it is the same life that they tried so hard to prevent me From living it as I want, all I have left in this life is my free will, and they tried to take it away, no, they tried to destroy it, what if? What if Stella was all I have too? I need to know. Do you understand?
Yes, Bella, my apologies, but I was tired, it's okay now I'll rest when we get to Grandma's house.
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