He was rolling in his bed, unable to fall asleep, thinking about the story. Could it be true? Sea monsters that turned human with the full moon? And how could all those details be known? About how the boys met in the first place? Had they told-?

But of course not! That was just an invented story, a fairytale of one's creation.

But-

Credits were credits go for how well the story was built. An old laboratory on the outskirts of Portorosso had been rehabbed last year; for some super-secret job; several people from the town had signed on as cleaning staff; with the work brought to the people, they all stopped wondering about the intentions and only accepted the payment.

One day, the laboratory was shut down; none of the minor employees were given an explanation, only financial compensation for breach of contract, and after that, the facilities were abandoned again, mystery and doubt remained ever since that day, but it was quickly forgotten as people went back to looking for work.

Of course, this did not prove anything; since one could well have heard these events and incorporated them into the story, many writers did that.

Anyway, fictional or not, he had to admit that it was very creative and well-structured. He was almost tempted to publish it… But not before having listened to it fully.

He covered himself with the sheets; hell, winters in Portorosso were cold. He closed his eyes but immediately regretted his last thought: the story had taken place exactly one year ago.

"Shit!" He thought, standing up, checking his cell phone, and saw that it was three in the morning. Sighing, he walked to the kitchen and made coffee before turning on his laptop.

He opened Google, but before typing, he stopped; was he really going to do it? Looking for more details that will validate the story?

"I told you, it's a fairy tale, nothing more, a made-up story from someone with a lot of free time, that's all."

But why bother being so exact with so many details? And involve real people? What gain came with that?

He stood up and went for his cup; when he returned, he wrote: "Sea Monsters on the Italian coast" feeling very silly but at the same time intrigued, he found several pages of mythology that described the creatures as aquatic beings, with tails and claws, which could transform into humans while on dry land; he let out a laugh.

"So that's where it got it from."

It was nothing more than that; some tales on the internet combined it with real-life events to build a narrative; case solved. He was about to turn off the computer but realized it was impossible; for some reason, he wanted to know more.

"Forget it, Enrico, they're just fantasies," his conscience told him, but... his less skeptical side didn't believe that someone like that would take so much trouble with something like that.

So he went off the website and looked in the news; he didn't expect to find much, so he was surprised when he saw a note published that summer:

"Monsters in the City, several sailors claim to have seen strange creatures roaming the waters of Genoa."

He was surprised by the headline, immediately opened it, and began to read:

«On the night of July 6, Franco Passolini, a local fisherman, was returning home after an arduous day when he looked at the water and noticed some strange shapes. Before they disappeared, Franco was able to photograph them with his cell phone».

The photo was of good quality, but because it was night; and because the creatures were submerged, they couldn't be seen well, they were like blurry spots, but a humanoid shape with a tail could be distinguished, in addition to its colors, one green and another purple.

"Franco assures that the sound of the camera seemed to alert them because, after this, the creatures submerged in the ocean. Franco spent a few minutes looking for them, but they did not reappear."

"They're like the stories my grandpa used to tell me, beasts that live in the depths of the ocean and that can transform into humans when they touch the land."

"Many say that Franco was simply tired and what he saw was just a hallucination, but the fisherman remains firm."

"I know what I saw, they were real, and they could be among us right now."

"Real or false, no one can doubt that this story has re-popularized the legends about sea monsters so famous in coastal towns, such is the case of Portorosso, a small fishing community on the coast."

When he finished reading, Enrico leaned back with a hand to his head while he reviewed each detail described; the colors were the same as Luca and Alberto; could it be a coincidence?

No.

As a journalist, he wasn't allowed to believe in coincidences; it was one thing to put together a story on your own, but to convince a fisherman miles away to play along? There was something else there, and he had to find out what it was.

...

At dawn, he was hanging around the streets of the town, hoping not to look too much like a stalker; he was asking the villagers if they knew someone who had worked in the laboratory while showing his card so as not to look so strange, some old women told him that the greengrocer's owner's daughter was there for a while, he thanked them and went to the store.

Luckily for him, no one was buying that day, so Enrico quickly went to the counter, where there was a tall, chubby man with black hair and a beard, wearing an apron, blue jean pants, and a White T-shirt.

"Good morning; what can I give you?"

"Morning, my name is Enrico Casarosa. I'm a reporter for Corriere della Sera," he showed his identification, and the salesman looked at it in surprise. "I'm writing an article about the laboratory that closed last year, and I understand that your daughter worked there."

"Yeah, she did."

"Do you think I can ask her a few questions?"

The man didn't seem very convinced, looking at him uncertainly, so Enrico took out his wallet and fifteen euros.

"I can pay."

The vendor's eyes lit up.

"Nina! Is for you!"

Nina was a beautiful woman of twenty-six with brown hair and blue eyes, who wore a yellow dress behind a dirty white apron. She had been cutting potatoes before she was called; she wiped her hands on the cloth as Enrico took out his notebook of notes.

"Very well, Miss Nina Sorrentino. I understand you worked in the laboratory installed on the outskirts of town."

She nodded as she leaned on the edge of the door; they had passed outside the store.

"Yes, I wanted a little extra money, and a friend told me that they were looking for staff, so I applied, and they gave it to me. How lucky I am."

She didn't sound sarcastic, which was a good start.

"Was the pay good?"

Nina shrugged.

"As far as it goes, I worked eight hours, with one-off, all week except Thursdays. They included food, but... that thing could kill beasts, so I preferred to take something from home."

"Just like in the story," Enrico thought as he made notes in his notebook.

"Tell me about work; what was it like?"

"Normal. I had to clean the whole place, but there were several of us, so it wasn't so heavy. I made friends there, but the scientists were somewhat strict; if they caught us talking during work, they scolded us, so we had to shut up or hide very well."

Enrico wrote down the final point, he had finished with the 'normal' questions, and it was time to start with the interesting ones.

"Do you know why they shut down everything? Was there some strange incident or something like that?"

"Not that I know of; they didn't tell us anything specific. One day we received an email thanking us for our services, but they would no longer be needed-"

In that, she remained pensive and turned to look towards the ocean.

"Now that I think about it, strange things did happen- our superior, one day... had an accident. I was with my friends in the cafeteria, we didn't eat what they cooked there, but the tables weren't that bad, while we were talking we heard a scream, followed by some shots, we believed that some spies had entered the place or something like that. When we asked the superiors, they said everything was fine and not to worry. Although a few days later, Ercole, the security officer, arrived with his bandaged hand; apparently, someone had torn off some of his fingers."

Enrico stopped his pen; it couldn't be that-

"Did they ever find out who did it?"

Nina denied.

"The superiors were very cold with us; in fact, with everyone not of higher ranks, they told us that this was none of our business and to return to our work."

"What gentlemen."

She just laughed.

"And the other strange thing is that one day we arrived and the whole place was upside down; it seemed that overnight everyone had become paranoid: security was increased, the guards doubled, plus they interviewed everyone, and I mean everyone, they asked us if we knew anything about the E-3 laboratory, that if we had seen something strange, they checked our departure time the day before, it was as if something had been stolen."

Enrico felt his mouth dry, but he told himself to calm down; first, he had to write down everything Nina could give him, then he would assemble the pieces more calmly.

"And you knew anything?"

"Nothing; there was someone in charge of that room specifically. I had all the other rooms, so I never went there, and I didn't know anything about the supposed robbery. I finished my shift, went home, and when I came back the next day, it was a madhouse."

He only had one question left, and he felt that this one would destroy any trace of skepticism that remained within him.

"You mentioned that the E3 laboratory had a caretaker; do you know who was?"

"Yes, another girl from the town; she lived in the fish shop next to the coast with her father, Giulia Marcovaldo."

Enrico had expected the answer, and even so, it did not cease to surprise him.

"Did you know her? I mean… more than as a co-worker."

"No, she was always very... odd. She looked sad all the time, always wanting to be alone. This is weird because Giulia used to spend summers here as a child, back then she was a little- crazy, always running, she talked very loud, almost shouting and said things with a lot of... adrenaline, I don't know she was too hyperactive."

Enrico had stopped writing; he already knew this part.

"And then there was that summer where she vomited non-stop," Nina couldn't help but laugh. "There's this race we do every year, and Giulia was determined to defeat Ercole; he won like seven years in a row, I don't remember exactly- the thing is that during the last phase, bike, Giulia couldn't make it to the top because she started throwing up and throwing up, it was pretty disgusting."

Nina stopped laughing as she shoved both hands into her pockets.

"But later, it seemed that she was the same as always, well, she wasn't as energetic, but at least the girl was smiling again- now that I think about it, it wasn't long after Ercole's accident; of course, Giulia wasn't happy about that, it was just that... a few days after, she seemed happier: smiling, cleaning while dancing, despite the lousy job we had; Giulia seemed happy. I always believed it was because she got a boyfriend."

"So, would you say Giulia's mood improved after being assigned to Lab E-3?"

Nina was about to reply but closed her mouth and looked at the ground thoughtfully, putting a hand to her chin.

"I've never seen it that way- but yes, I remember that at first, she looked terrified and insecure, but after that, she was happy."

"Do you know how she was after the night of the robbery?"

"As if nothing, happy-" her eyes widened, realizing something.

Nina looked at the interviewer, but this time, she would be the one asking the questions:

"After that night, the E-3 laboratory went out of service. Giulia was the only one with access besides the superiors; do you think she had something to do with everything?- What kind of story are you planning to write, Mr. Casarosa?"

Enrico knew then that it was time to end the interview; he didn't want to tarnish Giulia's good name, much less when he didn't know the whole picture.

"I'm trying to find out what happened that night, but I can assure you that Miss Giulia had nothing to do with the robbery if there was one; for an operation like that, you would need military experience and at least ten men. Do you think a girl could pull it off on her own?"

Nina didn't answer but just looked down; it seemed he had misled her enough; Enrico smiled; that would remove any suspicion about Giulia, although it was a pity that no one could know her ingenuity...

In case the story was real.

"I think you're right, Mr. Casarosa, Giulia didn't have many friends in town; other than her father. I doubt someone could carry out a robbery, on their own, without anyone's help."

"You're right about that," thought Enrico.

"Still, I think we would all like to have answers about what happened that night" she looked into his eyes, "I hope you can solve the mystery."

"Rest assured, Miss Sorrentino, that if I do solve it, you will be the first to know."

Enrico smiled as he took out the fifteen euros and handed it over.

Nina just smiled.

...

After his conversation with Nina, he went to sit by the fountain in the square; some children were playing soccer while he reviewed his notes.

"The events are the same with the story, as well as Giulia's description; they are quite accurate."

Could it be that the whole town was playing a trick on him? Some prank for outsiders? No... he found that more difficult to believe that the fish boys. Enrico took out his cell phone and looked at the photo of the note again, the shapes weren't the clearest, but the colors were.

"Could it all be true? Do sea monsters exist?"

He closed the gallery and opened the contacts, there was the name of the person who had started all this, who told him the first part of this fairy tale that he couldn't stop thinking about. Enrico was about to dial but stopped.

Was it sensible to do it again? Would a journal really post this? Or would someone even believe it?

Or did he intend to publish it? It could be that, in reality, he wanted to know how everything ended, fictional or real he didn't care; he just wanted to hear the outcome.

Telling himself that 'to hell with everything,' his finger pressed the call button; he brought it to his ear, and the doorbell rang about three times before getting an answer.

"I knew you would call."

"I've been searching; it seems you're telling the truth."

"Then why do you sound so insecure?"

"..."

"I told you the day we met that you could choose what to do with this tale, whether to believe it or not."

"I honestly don't know what to think: if somehow all of this is real or if you've just convinced the town to play along with you."

Enrico got a laugh in response.

"In that case, what do you want from me?"

"I wanna know how it ends."

Enrico could swear a smile was on the other side of the phone.

"I can help you with that; you know where to find me."

Enrico hung and put the cell back in his pocket, then he saw the sea.

"Luca and Alberto, are you there? Are you real?"

...

"So, you came."

"You got me hooked; I give you that."

"Alright then, take a seat, prepare your notebook while I make some coffee, and we'll pick up from where we left off last time..."