by Giovanni Galavotti, translated into English by Ruth Stephens
Chapter 4 – The Search
The next morning Marianna takes Lucia’s bicycle and sets off around the centre of Bologna.
She comes into the university quarter, where there are many students. Too many! And a lot of them are dressed much like the mysterious young man, only a little cleaner.
It will be difficult for Lucia to identify anyone in that crowd of people coming and going!
During her lesson, Marianna finds it impossible to follow what the professor is saying, not least because she didn’t sleep last night and is very tired.
As soon as her lecture is over, instead of going for lunch, she gets the bicycle again to continue her search.
By four o’clock, Marianna has covered all of the centre and still no luck.
Before turning to go home, she decides to go for a coffee in one of her favourite bars, in Piazza Santo Stefano, the most beautiful square in the city, famous, too, as it is part of the Seven Churches complex.
While she is sitting at a table outside the bar reading a newspaper, she hears a burst of applause.
Looking up, she sees a group of people watching something.
She gets up and goes towards them ……and there, right in front of her, is the mysterious young man!
He performs with the coloured sticks, then with skittles, then with balls.
He’s good, that young man. Very good!
Marianna sits down in a corner of the portico to await the end of the show.
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