The Passage and a Meeting

story by Rosa Anna Nastro in which we learn more about Madame Butterfly...

(For the previous section, see: this post.

It lasted just a second. After jumping into the pond, Cahetel felt like he was fluctuating in an indefinite space, dragged by a force like fog dispersed by a strong wind through a valley. His body had no weight, his mind was completely free. Suddenly, his body was painful and heavy again, the air flowed through his lungs. He was reborned. When he opened his eyes, he saw a pale light surrounding him. This light passed from yellow, to orange and, finally to red. At last, a dazzling blue lightning, then the darkness. After few seconds, Cahetel’s eyes adapted to the dark atmosphere and he realized he was in a round room made by a dark stone. There were just two windows, high in the wall. A pale light enlightened part of the wall and of the floor, where he was seated. He explored the floor itself by his hands and he realized he was in a circle, with some water flowing through it. But, after few minutes the water disappeared, revealing the opalescent stones that formed the circle itself. He looked at the room intently, and even if it was night, he was almost sure it was empty with the exception of some mirrors hanging from the walls. Even the high ceiling seemed brilliant, but he wasn’t able to recognize the nature of the matter it was made by. Paying more attention, he noticed the mirrors were able to reflect the light entering through the windows, giving some kind of lightening to the room. Like a dream, the pale light of a candle appeared at the side of a beautiful mirror, whose frame was accurately carved. Then, Cahetel realized he wasn’t alone in the room. A woman was seated in front of the mirror, brushing her long hair with grace and care. The candle floating in the air. “Finally a pilgrim from Nowhere” said a voice, calmly. The young man noticed the image reflected by the mirror: it was a charming woman, with an indefinable age. “Lately, some fleeting ghosts came from the same place. I let them pass, but they annoy me now…”. She stopped brushing, looking at the pilgrim through the mirror. His eyes were deep, dark with a light inside, a sort of flame. “Dear Madame, my name is Cahetel. The Red Spirits sent me to the Fifth Colony” he said standing up and making a bow. She stood up. “Very interesting. So, they opened the passage. You must be very important”. When she started moving, the young man noticed her face changing appearance: in a moment she was young, but suddenly she looked like an old woman. Moreover, when she started walking it seemed she had two different images, following and, at the same time, overlapping each other. Cahetel wasn’t able to move or to speak. “Give me your hand, so I can see who you are…”. When she saw the circle in the palm of his hands, she looked with her penetrating, mysterious gaze into his eyes.”I can’t stop you, Blue Pilgrim”. Then, Cahetel felt like a heavy force had released him. He breathed deeply. “Do you have any message from Him?”she said while turning back and going to sit at the mirror. “No, Milady” he answered without knowing the reason. “Oh! I’ll wait for Him. I know. He’ll come back”. So, she started brushing her hair again. Calmly. With





grace. In that moment a pale blue light spread from the surface of the ceiling to the mirrors. Madame Butterfly set him free… A disk of blue light extended till the circle on the floor, wrapping the voyager who felt his body dissolving like fog. Again.




The strange tall man took Laura’s hand. The little girl looked at him puzzled. “Who are you? What is your name?”. He smiled “I’ll tell you when you’ll be older”. The man opened her hand and, rapidly, placed something in it. A short lightning spread from her closed fingers but, when she opened them, there was nothing. A wind moved her long, black hair. The man smiled again. “We will meet again, when you are ready Laura”. The girl was completely confused, but at the same time, she felt comfortable. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her. He pointed to something behind the girl. A bird was waiting on a roof. She turned on her side and when she looked again to him, he wasn’t there. He had disappeared.