Giovanni would never forget the day he first met Erik. The aging master mason came to the site of his latest project at twilight. In the light of the setting sun, he admired the work that had been done that day with a pleased smile. Being too old to stay on site all day and having no son to apprentice, it was so difficult for Giovanni to be certain the work being done was up to his standards. Finally he had found a young stone mason to supervise the workers up to his standards it seemed. He was about to return home when a blur of movement caught his attention. It was probably his aging eyes, but a strange feeling prompted Giovanni to investigate.
"Hello? Is somebody there?" He called out into the fading light. Again there was movement from high up in the framework of the building, little more than a shadow against the increasing darkness. What sort of specter was this? The shadow moved rapidly along a beam, leaping with cat-like grace to a lower beam and then a lower one still until. The specter made a final leap to the ground as Giovanni moved after it, and the aging man watched with horror as the shade's legs slipped out from under him. It had been an abnormally cold year in Rome, a light layer of snow hiding the iced ground beneath. The figure had simply misjudge his leap and had slipped on the ice… Giovanni moved to the dark mass as quickly as he could on arthritic legs, crouching by the curled up figure of a young man in a black mask.
The man could have been no more than twenty years old, and was strewn out unconscious in the snow. He had hit his head on the frozen ground hard enough to put him out cold. Giovanni frowned, and patted the boy on his chest without any place free on his face to touch. "Boy. Boy, wake up," he commanded, but there was no response. This deepened his frown. The boy was breathing, that was something. With considerable effort, the stiff man picked up the boy who was surprisingly light for his height he was pleased to discover. Slowly but steadily, Giovanni carried the boy back to his home.
"Gaia! Gaia my dear, run and fetch the physician," he shouted into the house as soon as he was able to open the door.
"Papà, are you hurt?" A young woman of seventeen summers emerged from her bedroom and rushed down the stairs, eyes wide at the sight of her father carrying the black mass of a boy. "Papà, who is that?"
"I don't know any more than you do. You must fetch the physician, he's struck his head and won't wake," Gaia nodded and rushed out the front door, up the street to the home of the physician. The doctor left his supper early at Gaia's bidding, rushing over with the girl to look after the boy. Giovanni had laid the boy out on the sofa and was debating with himself whether or not to remove the boy's mask to check for further injury when the physician entered.
Giovanni supervised as the physician worked on the boy. "It looks like only a mild concussion, but call on me if he hasn't woken in the morning," the man finally announced, and Giovanni sighed with relief. Neither of them noticed the young woman eavesdropping at the stairs. "I've never seen the boy before, is he new on your crew?"
The old man shook his head. "No, Sergio. I haven't the slightest idea who is or where he's from. But the man moves like a cat. I've never seen anything like it. If he hadn't cracked his head he would have gotten away from me and I would have left thinking he was a ghost," Giovanni admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I will keep an eye on him tonight. Thank you for coming at such an odd hour."
"For you Giovanni, I would come at any hour," the physician promised, patting the man's back. "How is your back?"
"Stiff and sore, but holding out," Giovanni promised. "Go home to your wife. Tell her I say hello," with that the physician left, and Giovanni stoked the fire before sitting wearily in the chair nearest to it.
Gaia emerged from her hiding place, bringing her father a large glass of red wine. "Will he be okay, Papà?" She asked, with a curious glance over at the man. What was he hiding under that strange mask?
Giovanni smiled tiredly and accepted the wine. "Yes my dear, he will be fine. If he's not awake by morning we're to call on the physician again. I didn't mean to startle you," the man frowned, but his daughter shook her head gently.
"It's fine. I'm just glad you're okay. You know I worry about you when you go out in the cold."
"I am old, Gaia, but I am a long way from dead. You are a worry wart just like your mother, God rest her soul," he teased, earning a smile from daughter.
"Only for you, Papà," she promised, kissing the top of his head. "Are you sleeping down here tonight then?"
"I am," upon hearing this Gaia brought out a blanket, and added another log to the fire in her best attempt to fend off the man's aches and pains brought on by the cold. "What would I do without you Gaia?" The man smiled, so grateful for his daughter in his old age. His wife had died many years ago, and while caring for himself had been easy in his youth a lifetime of masonry had been incredibly hard on his body. His beloved youngest daughter was the only one of his children still unmarried and able to remain home with her father.
It was Gaia who was awake and about when Erik woke in the morning. Opening his eyes, he groaned involuntarily at the immense pain at the back of his head and shut his eyes tightly against the light. Sitting up, he clutched the back of his head and winced, checking his hand for blood and feeling a pang of relief when it was dry. Gaia moved out of the kitchen when she heard movement from the room, and smiled politely. "Good morning. How do you feel?" She inquired, though she could see on his face he was in pain and alarmed at her presence.
"Fine. Where am I?" He demanded in Italian, but with an accent she didn't quite recognize. Perhaps he was from northern Italy…
"You're in the house of Master Giovanni Turri. My father's house," she told him, nodding to the sleeping older man by the fire. "Would you like something to drink?"
"No," snapped the man, moving to his feet somewhat dizzily. Gaia moved forward, ready to catch him in case he fell. This caused the young man to tense noticeably.
Gaia's brow furrowed. "I'm not going to hurt you. Papà found you on the ground at his build site, you hit your head," she explained. "He brought you home so the physician could have a look at you and so you wouldn't freeze. Please, have some tea. It may help your head."
Nervously Erik touched the back of his head, only barely remembering the events of the night before. "… All right. Thank you," Gaia disappeared back into the kitchen just as her father stirred. Giovanni smiled heartily when he noticed the man was awake and now seated clutching the back of his head, repeatedly checking for the presence of blood.
"Good morning young man. I'm glad to see you're awake and well. You took quite a fall."
"Are you the man I was running from?" The man demanded so harshly, Giovanni couldn't help but feel guilty in spite of the fact the man had been trespassing on his property.
"Well, yes. But you needn't have, I have no desire to harm you. I am Giovanni, the contractor of the building you were perched on," the older man told him.
"…You were the contractor? You designed it too, then?"
Giovanni nodded with a smile. "Yes, I did," any upset that the man had been intruding was gone in an instant at the opportunity to discuss his work. "Do you like it?"
The man began to nod before wincing. "It is remarkable, Signore."
"Please, Giovanni will do. Signore or Master Turri if you must. What is your name, young man?"
After a long moment of hesitation, the masked man spoke again. "Erik, Signore."
"Only Erik?"
Again the hint of a nod, but no words. Gaia emerged from the kitchen with a tray of tea and two cups. She poured one for each man while they spoke.
"Are you interested in architecture and masonry, Erik?" Giovanni asked, curiously, smiling his thanks to his daughter.
"I am, Signore. Very much so," the way the man spoke caused Giovanni to think he may have overestimated his age, through he didn't say as much.
"Well then, if you're interested I can show you the site when you're feeling well. I'm always eager to share my art," the old man smiled so warmly, Erik couldn't help but feel more at ease.
Gaia studied the man as she handed him his cup, diverting her eyes the moment he caught her watching him. "…I would enjoy that, Signore," he finally said, watching the girl as she left back into the kitchen.