Massimo put on his hat, collecting his coat. "Where are you going?" Giulia said.
"To see if anyone has heard anything."
"I'm coming with you."
"Giulietta - "
"Me too." Luca stood up, and Massimo knew his goose was cooked.
He led the two down the hill, down by the docks. There in the water, local fishers Giacomo and Tommaso waded and splashed as they pushed their boat along, which looked like it had seen better days.
Weathered and beaten, there were scratches along the hull, a chunk out of the bow, and the mast was completely gone. It was a sailboat without a sail. "Santa Feta, are you guys okay?" Giulia asked as her father lifted them out onto the harbor.
"It was a shark," Tommaso cried. "Or a fish… a big fish! I dunno, some kind of sea monster. No offense."
"None taken," Luca said, even though he kind of did.
"Wait, what happened?" Massimo asked.
"There we were, out night-fishing again… "
"No, I wanna tell the story," Giacomo said.
"I… okay."
"So there we were, out night-fishing again. I don't know why this always happens to us. On my mother's ship, no less! It was named after her too... the S.S. Gianina."
"Focus, Giacomo," Massimo said. "What happened?"
"Well, our boat just tipped over," Giacomo continued. "Just capsized, and got sucked into this gigantic whirlpool! Lantern, nets, everything went down - Madre di Dio - so obviously we could not see so good. All we could see was this red-eyed, sharp-toothed scariness of a creature! We barely got Gianina away in time."
"It almost blew us clear to the other side of the island," Tommaso screamed. "We almost drowned… and may I say she is a-done with night-fishing?"
"She is a-done with night-fishing. Mama," Giacomo wailed.
"So wait." Giulia halted everything. "Sea monsters are attacking ships?"
"No way." Luca immediately shook his head. "No… we-we don't do any of that. We're peaceful." All his family did was bring their crabs to market and herd goatfish.
Giulia seized Luca's arm. "It could have Alberto," she realized. "Come on. We have to go out and look for him right now!"
"Not a chance, piccoletti," Tommaso insisted. "It's way too dark down there and way too dangerous."
"Please, Massimo," Luca begged. "I'm a really fast swimmer, and I can see underwater. Maybe if I could just dip down there, I could see if - "
"Not a chance," Massimo interrupted. "I couldn't take the responsibility if something were to happen. Besides, isn't your mother coming in a few minutes?"
"Santa Gouda, you're right. We're gonna be late… and we have school tomorrow!" Giulia ran Luca back up the hill. "Ciao, Papa. And thanks for the cioccolatta!"
"Good luck," Luca called back to the fishermen. Though he probably should have saved it all for Alberto.
Seems you try and you try and whatever you do
There's a fix that you're in
And you just can't get out
