Italy in the 17th Century.
A young boy was running through the crowded streets while carrying a small burlap sack tightly in his hand. He was dressed in a single loose fitting coat tucked into tight and torn pants as he kept running. He was smiling and laughing as some men wearing worn and faded knight armor chased after him. All of the clothing the people wore were elaborate dresses for the women made of expensive and soft fabric while the men were in large, thick robes and coats. The boy weaved in and out of the dense streets as the men in armor continued to chase and push through.
“Don’t lose him!” One of the men shouted in Italian.
The boy suddenly went to the side and hid between two buildings as the men in armor continued to run straight. The boy was laughing and smiling when a rope suddenly dropped down next to him. He held the sack in one hand as he quickly began to climb up the rope, using it to scale the building before looking at a young and beautiful girl the same age as him.
She had pale skin, bright blue eyes, bright blonde hair, and a radiant smile that made his heart skip a beat. Her dress was a vibrant shade of orange, looking brand new and unworn.
“What took you so long?” She asked in Italian.
The boy shrugged before he sat on the roof next to her, opening the sack to show multiple loaves of delicious looking bread. The girl smiled wide and giggled as she opened her own sack, showing off a collection of cheese and fruit.
“Where did you get all of that?” The boy asked.
“Over by the palace.” She replied.
His eyes went wide as he had a shocked smile.
“That’s risky. You could’ve gotten caught right then and there.” He said.
“Oh, I’m too fast and smart for those dumb brutes.” She joked and handed the boy a piece of white cheese. He bit down and couldn’t control his eyes starting to roll back.
“Wow…that’s delicious.” He said and quickly ate the entire piece.
The girl laughed and took one of the pieces of fresh bread from his bag.
“I had to trick an old woman to get that bread.” The boy joked.
The girl looked offended and slapped his leg, but then laughed as she took a bite.
“You evil boy. Stealing from the elderly like that.” She said as she tore the bread after struggling to rip it apart.
The boy just shrugged as they continued to share their food with each other. The sun was beating down on them, but they just laughed and played for hours and hours without a care in the world.
After they finished their food, the two of them began to walk on the roof, going from one building to another as they carried their empty sacks. They looked down onto the streets of the people all going through their normal, daily lives. As they kept walking the opposite direction of most of the people below, they could hear faint music playing. The girl lit up and immediately began to run as quickly as she could, the boy struggling to keep up. They jumped from roof to roof of the very close and connected buildings until she suddenly stopped, the boy struggling and bumping into her.
“Watch where you’re going.” She said as she listened.
A small band of old men were sitting on the side of a busy and packed shopping district. One was standing and playing the tambourine while dancing very subtly side to side. Another danced around freely while playing a dulcian, with the other person dancing around with them playing cittern. Finally, a man sitting on an old chair playing a large bandora.
The girl listened to the lively music and began to dance and spin on the roof of the building, her dress flowing effortlessly with the air as the boy could only sit and watch, his eyes wide with pure amazement and love filling them. The girl was too busy dancing to notice him staring, smiling as she closed her eyes and turned her face up towards the sun, feeling the warmth on her skin as she moved.
The boy stood up and wanted to join her, but slipped on his empty sack and fell backwards, falling off the roof of the building and hitting the ground hardback first, his head whipping back and hitting the ground. He held his head hard and could feel everything slowly going dark.
“I found him!” A man shouted as the boy fainted.
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He slowly woke up laying on a small and rough mattress. He sat up slowly, the wooden frame creaking and cracking as he shifted. He moved his hand up to touch his head, which was currently wrapped in thick bandages stained with dried blood. The boy kept rubbing his head and very slowly shifted his legs over the side of the bed, jumping down before immediately losing his balance and falling back on the bed.
“Where am I?” The boy asked himself as he looked around.
The room was quite dark, the only light coming through underneath the wooden door. There were no windows and the ceiling was so high up that it was impossible to see, making the room look like it stretched up forever into the darkness.
The door slowly creaked open as the boy jumped, going further onto the bed as he saw the light grow brighter and bigger until it flooded the room with warmth. An elderly woman dressed in a nun outfit was carrying a small silver tray of food and water as she smiled.
“Ah you are awake. Good timing on my part.” She softly laughed and placed the tray on the bed as the boy curled into a ball, staring at her with fear in his eyes.
“Are you okay?” She asked as she moved closer, but the boy moved further away, grabbing the pillow to hold it between them.
“Oh don’t worry. You’re here at The Church of San Pietro.” She said with a warm, caring, and kind smile.
The boy’s eyes went wide and he threw the pillow into the nun’s face, quickly sprinting as quickly as he could out the door and down the hallway. The hallway was closed until he made it to a large square, the pathway up on the second floor as he saw and felt the sun shining brightly in his eyes. He could smell and taste the fresh air and moved his hand out onto concrete walls creating a railing to stop people from falling.
He could hear children singing chants and hymns as they were playing outside in a small garden courtyard area. The boy stopped and went to turn around a sharp corner, but bumped into a man wearing a pastor outfit. The man smiled down at him as the boy quickly got up and tried to run the other way, but he saw the nun running towards him.
The boy looked around before quickly getting around the pastor and jumping over the railing. He raced down towards the ground before landing on his right leg, which immediately snapped in two as he collapsed and screamed.
“AHH! God damn it!” The boy shouted as all of the children playing gasped.
A large group of nuns all ran over to check on him until the pastor broke through. He had an angry look on his face as the boy clutched his snapped leg.
The boy tried to get to his feet, but his leg bent and caused him to collapse. The nuns tried to grab him when he kicked one of them in their arm, trying to crawl away the fastest he could. He was able to get on his good leg before collapsing again, his head whipping down and hitting his forehead before he quickly faded.
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The boy opened his eyes once again laying in the same bed. His leg was wrapped tightly in blankets and fabrics so tightly it forced the bones together. His head was still wrapped up tightly as he could feel the room spinning.
When he sat up, he noticed the priest sitting next to him on the bed. The boy swallowed hard and moved away from him.
“You are in big trouble.” The priest said.
The boy kept looking afraid as he tried to move, but his leg was in too much pain. He cried softly and stared with rage at the priest.
“In trouble? Why?” He said.
The priest suddenly stood up and looked down at the boy.
“You are going to need to repent your sins. Unless you want God to punish you.” The priest was holding a cross in one hand and beads in the other. The boy kept staring with anger in his eyes.
“I will never give anything to your God.” The boy said before he spit at the priest.
The priest felt the spit hit his face before using his hand to wipe it off. Then the pastor suddenly used the beads and smacked the boy in his injured head. The boy shouted loudly in pain as he grabbed his head, which was now bleeding from the temple as he cried out. He tried to escape, but fell out of the bed and onto the floor hard. He kept trying to get out of the room, but the priest pinned his body down harshly. The boy kept trying to fight out of his grip, but his body was too weak. He cried and screamed as the priest kept him down, but then the boy could feel his clothing being pulled.
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