Cantata - the revised end.
Mar. 7th, 2009 10:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
joegodaOkay, darlin sis... how bout this version?
"Are you sure he was there?" Laura was watching the news as she spoke to her daughter on the phone.
"A special report from Catanzaro." A grim faced woman, dressed in a dark grey suit, sat behind a desk on the television, reading from a stack of papers. "An attempt on the life of the Pope was foiled today. While the Pope was attending a benefit concert in Catanzaro, a man was discovered hiding between the ceiling and the roof above the concert hall."
"It has been reported by an un-named source that the weapon was some sort of injector dart gun, much as might be found in a veterinarian's office. According to our source, the dart was loaded with a poison - a fast acting neurotoxin that would have stopped the Pope's heart in seconds."
"Apparently the man had been hiding under the roof tiles of the hotel for quite a while. A hole was found under the tiles, and that, apparently was how the would-be assassin gained access to the crawl space between the roof and the ceiling of the performance area."
"A section of the hotel's ceiling fell, when the Pope's guards shot and killed the failed assassin. According to the hotel's manager, Giovanni Valdetti, it was only by the grace of God that the ceiling did not collapse further and harm any of the attendees. Valdetti believes it was the presence of the Pope himself that brought the divine intervention to occur. Other than the dead assassin, there were no reports of injuries. The concert continued, and the Pope has been reported as having enjoyed the performance very much. We will bring you details as the become available."
"Good Lord!" Laura gasped. "Is everyone all right? Are you all right?"
"Everyone is all right, Mamma," Kaylee reassured her mother. "With the exception of the killer, of course. It was a wonder he didn't fall though the ceiling when he was shot."
Kaylee's voice grew hushed. "Mamma... it was Besi. He was the assassin. I saw the body when they brought him down."
"Besi? Bleri's brother?" Laura's voice registered only a little shock. "I never did trust them, Kaylee. Still... Horrible, horrible."
"Yes," Kaylee agreed. "Horrible."
"And you say you saw Richard there?"
"Mamma, I couldn't be sure." Kaylee's voice shook while she spoke. "There was an older man standing in the balcony when it happened. The lights were in my eyes. It could have been him. When I got up to the balcony, I couldn't find him... the old man, I mean."
A soft chirp came from a locket that Laura wore around her neck. It was coming from a key, suspended from a golden chain. Laura pulled the key from under her blouse and looked at it, wonderingly.
"Wait just a moment, Kaylee." Laura put the telephone down and unclasped the necklace from around her neck. The key's head was flashing with a dim red light.
She went to the laptop on the coffee table and plugged the key into a USB port. The laptop's screen gained a new icon, a folder titled Removable Device.
Laura clicked on the yellow icon, opening the folder. There was only one item contained inside of it. A picture file. Hesitantly, Laura clicked on it.
It was the image of a chess piece. A knight, done in black and white. There was a caption on the picture, which read 'Knight takes Pawn'.
Laura picked up the telephone from where she had put it. "He was there, Kaylee. Your father was there."
Over the next few weeks, the attempt on the Pope's life would fade to the back pages of the newspapers. There was much speculation about who the assassin was and what radical group was connected to him. No group came forward to claim him. In the end Besi was declared a crazy man, just another in the long history of lone gunmen.
Kaylee never saw Bleri again. It was as if the young Goth girl had simply vanished. Kaylee started dating a young man who worked at the orphanage, much to the surprise and joy of her mother.
There was a small notice in the national news that a villa in Zagreb had exploded, under mysterious circumstances. The only fatality was an American military man, a retired general. There were rumors that he had turned a blind eye to many shady dealings on the black market in Croatia. His remains, such as they were, were shipped back to the United States without ceremony or recognition.
An anonymous donor contributed toys, money, and school supplies on a regular basis to the orphanage in Trieste. The only name on the card was 'Sarah'. The postmarks on the packages indicated they came from Paris, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Moscow. There was one package, however, that came with a letter.
"Laura and Kaylee. I wish you the very best in life and a long life at that. The world is broad, and our roads may cross again. I would like that, I think. Until that happens, know that I will always hold you in my head and my heart, and I will always remain my queen's knight." The letter was unsigned.
A post card with matching envelope was delivered to the Castle Estense in Ferrara, and the post card was addressed to Lauren Ciatti. The card was a picture of a serene ocean view, with fluffy white clouds and crystal blue sky. There were sail boats with their sails unfurled, lazing on the water and sea birds hung in the air like white eyebrows. There was a greeting written in bold yellow letters. "The More in lovely Zadar!"
Lauren looked at the post card curiously. She turned it over and read what was written there.
"I still owe you a dinner. Antonio will cover for you. Come take a chance. With high hopes, Richard."
The envelope contained an airplane ticket from Ferrara to Zadar. It was post-dated for the upcoming weekend.
A gasp escaped from Lauren's lips and the tickets fluttered to the desk as her hands flew to her mouth. Slowly a smile formed on her face and it continued to grow until she started laughing.
When she finished, and the laughter had bubbled down to a chuckle, she looked up to see Antonio standing in the doorway.
"Well," he said, smiling down at her knowingly, "do you want me to help you pack?"
The End.
"Are you sure he was there?" Laura was watching the news as she spoke to her daughter on the phone.
"A special report from Catanzaro." A grim faced woman, dressed in a dark grey suit, sat behind a desk on the television, reading from a stack of papers. "An attempt on the life of the Pope was foiled today. While the Pope was attending a benefit concert in Catanzaro, a man was discovered hiding between the ceiling and the roof above the concert hall."
"It has been reported by an un-named source that the weapon was some sort of injector dart gun, much as might be found in a veterinarian's office. According to our source, the dart was loaded with a poison - a fast acting neurotoxin that would have stopped the Pope's heart in seconds."
"Apparently the man had been hiding under the roof tiles of the hotel for quite a while. A hole was found under the tiles, and that, apparently was how the would-be assassin gained access to the crawl space between the roof and the ceiling of the performance area."
"A section of the hotel's ceiling fell, when the Pope's guards shot and killed the failed assassin. According to the hotel's manager, Giovanni Valdetti, it was only by the grace of God that the ceiling did not collapse further and harm any of the attendees. Valdetti believes it was the presence of the Pope himself that brought the divine intervention to occur. Other than the dead assassin, there were no reports of injuries. The concert continued, and the Pope has been reported as having enjoyed the performance very much. We will bring you details as the become available."
"Good Lord!" Laura gasped. "Is everyone all right? Are you all right?"
"Everyone is all right, Mamma," Kaylee reassured her mother. "With the exception of the killer, of course. It was a wonder he didn't fall though the ceiling when he was shot."
Kaylee's voice grew hushed. "Mamma... it was Besi. He was the assassin. I saw the body when they brought him down."
"Besi? Bleri's brother?" Laura's voice registered only a little shock. "I never did trust them, Kaylee. Still... Horrible, horrible."
"Yes," Kaylee agreed. "Horrible."
"And you say you saw Richard there?"
"Mamma, I couldn't be sure." Kaylee's voice shook while she spoke. "There was an older man standing in the balcony when it happened. The lights were in my eyes. It could have been him. When I got up to the balcony, I couldn't find him... the old man, I mean."
A soft chirp came from a locket that Laura wore around her neck. It was coming from a key, suspended from a golden chain. Laura pulled the key from under her blouse and looked at it, wonderingly.
"Wait just a moment, Kaylee." Laura put the telephone down and unclasped the necklace from around her neck. The key's head was flashing with a dim red light.
She went to the laptop on the coffee table and plugged the key into a USB port. The laptop's screen gained a new icon, a folder titled Removable Device.
Laura clicked on the yellow icon, opening the folder. There was only one item contained inside of it. A picture file. Hesitantly, Laura clicked on it.
It was the image of a chess piece. A knight, done in black and white. There was a caption on the picture, which read 'Knight takes Pawn'.
Laura picked up the telephone from where she had put it. "He was there, Kaylee. Your father was there."
Over the next few weeks, the attempt on the Pope's life would fade to the back pages of the newspapers. There was much speculation about who the assassin was and what radical group was connected to him. No group came forward to claim him. In the end Besi was declared a crazy man, just another in the long history of lone gunmen.
Kaylee never saw Bleri again. It was as if the young Goth girl had simply vanished. Kaylee started dating a young man who worked at the orphanage, much to the surprise and joy of her mother.
There was a small notice in the national news that a villa in Zagreb had exploded, under mysterious circumstances. The only fatality was an American military man, a retired general. There were rumors that he had turned a blind eye to many shady dealings on the black market in Croatia. His remains, such as they were, were shipped back to the United States without ceremony or recognition.
An anonymous donor contributed toys, money, and school supplies on a regular basis to the orphanage in Trieste. The only name on the card was 'Sarah'. The postmarks on the packages indicated they came from Paris, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Moscow. There was one package, however, that came with a letter.
"Laura and Kaylee. I wish you the very best in life and a long life at that. The world is broad, and our roads may cross again. I would like that, I think. Until that happens, know that I will always hold you in my head and my heart, and I will always remain my queen's knight." The letter was unsigned.
A post card with matching envelope was delivered to the Castle Estense in Ferrara, and the post card was addressed to Lauren Ciatti. The card was a picture of a serene ocean view, with fluffy white clouds and crystal blue sky. There were sail boats with their sails unfurled, lazing on the water and sea birds hung in the air like white eyebrows. There was a greeting written in bold yellow letters. "The More in lovely Zadar!"
Lauren looked at the post card curiously. She turned it over and read what was written there.
"I still owe you a dinner. Antonio will cover for you. Come take a chance. With high hopes, Richard."
The envelope contained an airplane ticket from Ferrara to Zadar. It was post-dated for the upcoming weekend.
A gasp escaped from Lauren's lips and the tickets fluttered to the desk as her hands flew to her mouth. Slowly a smile formed on her face and it continued to grow until she started laughing.
When she finished, and the laughter had bubbled down to a chuckle, she looked up to see Antonio standing in the doorway.
"Well," he said, smiling down at her knowingly, "do you want me to help you pack?"
The End.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-08 04:37 am (UTC)Here now...
"A section of the hotel's ceiling fell, when the Pope's guards shot and killed the failed assassin. According to the hotel's manager, Giovanni Valdetti, it was only by the grace of God that the ceiling did not collapse further and harm any of the attendees. Valdetti believes it was the presence of the Pope himself that brought the divine intervention to occur.(( that sentence is awkward...)) Other than the dead assassin, there were no reports of injuries. The concert continued, and the Pope has been reported as having enjoyed the performance very much. We will bring you details as the (( they??)) become available."
*applause* YAY!! I really wanted the Pope to enjoy the show... *LOL*
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-08 05:15 am (UTC)But.. is it BETTER?? It's still short.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-08 07:35 pm (UTC)