Christmas break at the Marcovaldo residence was usually full of fun, festivities and friends coming in and out in a Yuletide stream. The carols, crafts, the tree and the cooking - ohh, the cooking. But the whole end-of-the-world drama had given the house a sort of unspoken heaviness.

Ms. Marcovaldo came across her daughter brooding at the kitchen table. "What's wrong, gioia? You look bored. Don't you want to have Paulina over?"

"No thanks," Giulia said. Paulina was too happy.

"You can decorate the ceppo di natale."

"Not really in a ceppo di natale mood… "

Her mother craned her neck to look around the house. "Where's Luca?"

"Probably out looking for Alberto," Giulia told her. Of course she had to tell her mom… but that also meant she didn't want her daughter going anywhere near the whirlpools.

But Alberto was her brother too. She wasn't going to take this sitting down.

Giulia slammed her palms on the table, rising. "Mom? Can you drive me to Portorosso?" she proposed.

Ms. Marcovaldo quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm not gonna get in the water; I'm just gonna look out at it," she added, giving her sweetest little gap-toothed smile.

Her mother rolled her eyes, digging for the keys.

. . .

Traveling by car instead of by train cut the commute to half the time - only thirty minutes. "Now you sure you know what you're doing?" Ms. Marcovaldo said.

"Yep," Giulia chirped, closing the door. She sure hoped so.

She quickly made her way down to the beach overlooking Isola del Mare. When she heard voices coming from the shore, she hid behind the deck. Giulia peered around the corner, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"How are you feeling?" Luca asked as he climbed out of the water. Alberto remained in the sand, not bothering to shake off his scales.

"Good."

"That doesn't sound good." Luca took his hand, helping him onto the beach.

"No wait, wait - "

"Let's get you on land - "

"No I don't want to."

"You wanna just talk here?"

"I, yeah… "

Giulia pressed herself against the stone wall. Why was Alberto coming out of the same spot in the sea where the whirlpools were first sighted? When the shock and confusion wore off and her ability to focus returned, she tried to listen. Bits of their conversation floated back to her on the salty wind.

Alberto sounded upset. "I think I'm being controlled by her - "

"Who? Charybdis?" She heard Luca's little voice ask.

"Mm-hm." Charybdis, like the mythological whirlpool monster? Santa Mascarpone… it was true! "And I don't know how to control myself," Alberto was saying. "Like, I can't."

"Maybe we can go back and - "

"No, I tried. She's too powerful. Like the whole sea is afraid of her… she's way too strong."

"Maybe my parents can help."

"No, there's no way. There's no cure. If I hurt anyone else because of her… "

"We're gonna find a way out of this. Trust me."

"I know, but I'm scared." That note in Alberto's voice hurt Giulia. Turning evil would be scary for anyone, but Alberto was still a kid. She sneaked another peek. "'Cause like, it'll stay in you forever. If I don't - "

"Stop. Don't say that."

"No, it will. That's what everyone is saying. I don't know what else is gonna happen… "

"Hey, stop." And Luca kissed him.

Giulia's mouth rounded into an O of surprise. Santa Gruyère - that explained a lot! Meanwhile, Alberto was just as stunned. "What'd you do that for?" he finally asked.

"I don't know. I just... wanted you to calm down!"

He smiled, taking Luca's hand. Grateful. "Thanks."

. . .

As the sun went down, the boys discussed what to do. Luca kept trying to get him to come back on land, but Alberto refused. "Why?"

"She won't let me," he said. "I haven't been dry in months."

"What happens if you try and get out?"

"… I don't know."

Luca didn't know either. Did Charybdis possess him and "walk" him back into the sea like a puppet? That's what his friend was now: a puppet?

"You should just leave me here," Alberto said plaintively.

"No, I'm not gonna leave you. And what, let you destroy more towns?"

"I know, but what am I supposed to do?" Charybdis was massive, the size of a tenth of the Mediterranean, with teeth all around her head. If she wanted to, she could just wake up and eat them all.

But Alberto wasn't the one who got afraid. "Sounds like you've got a Bruno in your head," Luca teased.

Alberto laughed weakly. It was really a poor time to be joking, but Luca had to remind him of who he used to be: confident, strong. Good.

"I'm not confident though," Alberto admitted, as though reading his mind. "I'm not this confident… person. I'm a fraud."

"No, you're not." Luca anchored himself to his friend. He had to nip that thinking in the bud, or else it would spiral out of control. "And you're not going anywhere," he said decisively. "You're gonna stay right here with me until we figure this out."

"You promise?"

"Of course I do!"

A few minutes later, Luca was at a loss. Alberto took Luca's hands off of him and walked into the sea.

"Alberto?" Luca scrambled after him. "Alberto, stop!"

He whispered, "I need your help

I need it now

Give me the strength to go on."

. . .