Torment

PROLOGUE

In the high July sun she bolted out of the two large doors. She ran, as the blazing sun set down the horizon of Sicily. Still, the sunlight shone brightly on her white alabaster skin, radiating her wide piercing eyes that glimmered almost like golden spectacles in her pupils. The wind blowing her soft silky hair covered her face but she quickly tucked them in her ears. And breathlessly, she clutched the copy of "La Divina Comedía" on her chest. Carrying the leather bound book tightly, she embraced it as if her life depended around it. She kept her feet on the ground moving hastily as she could, bumping and clashing on the infuriating crowd who were coming and going along the streets of Palermo.

The sun's rays peaked between the ancient buildings and infrastructures that surrounded the city. Tourists never ending, smell of dishes, pastas, pizzas in charcoal ovens and soups being brewed from nearby restaurants were redolent, chattering sounds of foreign languages echoed and baroque music played by entertainers lingered in the air. She actually recognised the song. It was in first movement of the concerto for four violins, strings, and basso continuo in B minor "L'estro Armonico", she remembered. As usual, everyone was glorifying Antonio Vivaldi's piece. She wanted to stop and relish the performance of the little orchestra to watch the cellist play the magnificent chords in great tempo, the violinist pluck the strings of his viola however, the adrenaline pumping her veins refrained her from doing anything she wanted. She had to run.

The wavering heat exasperated her to the fullest. Sweat prickled in her scalp, her hair sticky on her neck and her lungs sought for air but she continued venturing down the Quattro Canti, Piazza Vigiliena only to find more people. No matter how agitating it was to be consumed by the crowd she had no other way to go. She was running late. "Mi dispace di questo!" She gasped as she crossed the octagonal streets of the baroque buildings. Along the structures that were almost identical façades, on every interchange were curved, rising four floors from the ground. The fountains rose to the height of the second floor, the third and fourth floors contained the statues of the four Spanish kings and patronesses of Sicily in niches. She knew them all, in her head she recited, Christina, Ninfa, Olivia and Agatha. But those thoughts were irrelevant now, shoulders and bodies kept pressing on her so she recklessly shoved them out of her way with one arm around the heavy book on her chest passing across Monte de Pietà on the west, also known as summer of the four seasons building. Others, she noticed were hostile upon her action but she could not care. She had to go.

"Scusami!" She hissed under her breath still trying to get out of the crowd as fast as she could until she finally made it to her targeted street, to the village. Midway on the crossing, the amount of people ceased together with the music until she finally reached her home.

"Oh my, where did you go?" She was immediately welcomed by Harriett's anxiety but she was running out of time to answer her instead she asked, "Is he here yet?" Good Lord and Madonna, Harriett shook her head. "You must hurry he will come soon. By the way have you packed up already? Your flight will be in three hours from now." She didn't have to answer for she was already pacing up the stairs.

With a heavy heart pounding against her ribs, adrenaline still streaming through her veins she clutched the doorknob of the upper parlour and pushed it open. She sighed in relief finding no one but a harpsichord, a couch and the set of beautiful renaissance and baroque paintings hanging on the wall. Being an art dealer's daughter, she anticipated the room for a second. Although most of the artworks were replicas they were as well good as the originals. Sandro Botticelli's 'La Primavera' being on the centre, on its sides were the 'Birth of Venus', 'Fortitude', 'The Entombment of Christ', 'Doni Tondo', 'Annunciation' and on top were, 'The Adoration of Magi 1475', 'The Death of the Virgin', 'The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus', 'The School of Athens' and 'Judith Beheading Holofernes'. She took a deep heavy breath and slowly walked inside.