"I don't think I'm gonna fit in here, Zio. No one in this town…. seems to like me," I rubbed my arm with my hand. Well, no one except for Ercole, but he isn't worth mentioning. Uncle brought me a plate of pasta he just made before getting his own.

"It's because you're from the city. Villagers have always been wary of city folk." "But why? What's so wrong with us?" Uncle sat down and shrugged. "You're culture's different. And rural folk have always seen cities as leeches, taking what we work so hard to catch and grow for little pay. They see city people as lazy, stingy, too good to work with their hands, you know?" "But Papa works very, very hard! He is anything but lazy." "I know, Ilaria. But your manners and clothes- they make you stand out a little." "A little?" My eyebrow raised. Uncle chuckled. "Ok, maybe more than a little. But give it time. The people here… They just need to get to know you better. They'll come around eventually." I sighed and peered down at my plate. "Yes, Zio…."

Uncle watched me for a time, then picked up his fork. "I'm going out on the boat this afternoon. Why don't you go down to the beach? You haven't seen the water yet." "Are you sure? Is there anything I can do to help you?" "Thank you, niece, but no. Just go and enjoy yourself today. Mind you, stay close to the surface." "I will, Zio. I can't swim and I didn't bring a bathing gown anyway." He nodded contentedly before pointing his finger at me. "And watch out for sea monsters."

I giggled. "There's no such thing as sea monsters." "There is. I've seen them and I hunt them." "Have you ever caught one before?" He hesitated. "Well, no. But I know they're out there." "Zio, I know there are plenty of famous tales about sea monsters, but they've never been discovered out in the wild. Trust me, I've been to the zoology museum in Florence. There would be a lot more physical evidence gathered if they were real." "Ah, all that science stuff is baloney nonsense. They are real, so watch out whenever you go by the sea, alright?" Still smiling, I jokingly nodded my head. "Yes, Zio Massimo."

I didn't blame my uncle for believing in sea monsters. He'd lived his whole life in this tiny town which doesn't have a university or any formal school institution. Of course there was no proof that such creatures existed but that didn't matter to these villagers. It was part of their culture. Papa warned me about their small-town ignorance before I left Florence. Looks like he was right. But I respected Zio Massimo and didn't want to push the issue too much.

Instead I went up to my room to get changed into this lovely light pink dress with pink and white hand-stitched lace. My hair was done up in pink ribbons and I took off my stockings, afraid to get them wet. Then I drank some water and headed outside to the coast. Uncle was already out on his boat. He was so far off that I could barely see him from the beach.

The beach behind my uncle's place was quiet, with not a soul in sight. I made my way down from the ancient cobblestone steps to the white, pale sand. My shoe immediately sank in it; a sensation I'd never experienced before. It was fun, walking on the beach! The warm summer breeze blew over me, sending my skirt flying out in front of me. I giggled out loud, running along with the wind. A lady would never run in public but nobody was around. My hair bounced behind me, only kept in place by the ribbon I tied it in. Stopping right in front of the water, I bent down to scoop some sand up in my hands. It felt like dry, solid snow; that's the best comparison I could think of. My hand closed onto the sand in my palm as I gently shut my eyes. "I wish you could see all this again, Papa."

Then, with a quick check around to make sure no one was watching, my feet slipped out of my shoes. My toes were the first to graze the salty sea water, followed by the whole of my feet. The water felt so good on my hot skin! God, no wonder Papa and Uncle spent so much time down here as kids; this was great! Too bad I couldn't swim.

Walking along the beach with my feet in the sea, I took in the lovely seaside scenery. I'd honestly never seen anything like it; we had rivers in Florence but nothing like this. Coming up near some high rocks both in and out of the water, I paused at the sight of this tiny little sea turtle. It must be a baby, I reasoned getting closer. The adorable little critter saw me and headed straight for the safety of the water. I chuckled, following close- but not too close- behind it. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you." It must not have trusted me at my word because it went straight on in and swam off. Watching it go I smiled and shook my head. "Even you don't like foreigners….." With a sigh my head gently turned back to the horizon. If I couldn't be in the beloved of my birth then this wasn't a bad consolation prize. I stood there for a second, taking it all in again. My eyes closed as I breathed in deeply. The salt air smelt so good and pleasant.

My eyes suddenly reopened at the sound of this scrapping sound, I guess? I say I guess because I don't really know what it was. It sounded like something scraping up against the side of one of those big rocks. My head turned and I didn't see anything right away. But soon there was this splash, then nothing. I could have sworn I saw the shimmer of something purple under the waves. Kind of purple and scaly. Must be a fish, I told myself. I hadn't seen many live fish before and knew they could come in all shapes and sizes. It looked relatively big but nothing like a shark or whale. Not afraid at all for some reason, I simply smiled and shrugged my shoulders. Then, scooping up my dress's skirt in my hands I headed back to where my shoes were in the sand.