L'Adele Mistero
L’Adele Mistero
The Mystery of Adele
Written by: Kelly Thomas
October 29, 2009
The young girl ran down the cobble stone sidewalks of Italy, laughing even though she was fighting for her breath. She continued to run, perfectly at ease, weaving through people and ducking under vender’s carts. She was used to this game she frequently played with her father. “You’ll never catch me, Papa!” the girl yelled over her shoulder in her sweet and subtle Italian. This was a lie, and she knew it. He always caught her, usually at the docks, and would scoop her up into his strong, lean arms, twirling her in the air as he spun around.
“Adele!” Papa called, out of breath as he ran after his daughter, his heart pounding in his ears. “Adele, arresto!” he commanded. This wasn’t a normal night. Something about the intense blackness and the chill, damp air made him nervous. The light from the lamps was barely able to slice through the darkness. At least we’re on a main street, he thought, trying to keep the small, agile girl in sight as they neared the docks.
Adele giggled some as she heard her father, speeding up as the sidewalks became less congested. She had heard the command from her father; she hadn’t heard the fear or the frustration that was in it. To her, a girl of eight, everything felt normal. She could hear the rush of the waves lapping at the side of the wharfs as she got nearer to the docks. She laughed some more, her eyes bright and full of adventure. She loved the docks, especially at this time of the night. Lake Como was beautiful when the moon shone down upon it.
Adele’s father picked up his pace as he watched his daughter pick up hers, his long legs working double time as he slowly began to make up some ground on her as the traffic thinned. The congestion of the sidewalks had really slowed him down, just like it always did. He was a tall, athletically built man, who didn’t seem to be able to fit through the small cracks his daughter could. He ran across an intersection then, not even noticing the bicyclist heading straight at him. He yelled out then as he was hit, his muscular form thudding to the ground. He felt a sharp pain as the back of his head hit the stone walkway and everything went black, all thoughts of Adele being erased from his mind momentarily.
Adele raced to the docks, and then slowed to a walk. She walked out on the pier and smiled, beginning to count to ten in her head as she looked out at the beautiful water, glimmering in what little moonlight there was. She hadn’t heard her father’s shout of pain, hadn’t seen him crack his head off the sidewalk. Adele frowned then, suddenly realizing that she had counted all the way to thirty and her Papa still hadn’t swept her up in his arms and chided her lightheartedly for running from him when he had come to pick her up from the play park for dinner.
Adele shivered then, her bare arms abruptly catching a chill, even though it was a night in the middle of summer. She folded her arms across her chest and then rubbed them to keep them warm. She turned around and searched through the blackness for some sign of her father. “Papa?” she called, her voice light, a hint of laughter still in it. She believed that her father was just hiding from her, trying to play a trick on her. She giggled into her hand quietly then as she heard a scuffling coming from behind some crates stacked to her left. Adele ran over on her tiptoes, trying to be as quiet as possible in order to make a surprise attack. She peered behind the crates then, poking her head around them, before she sighed, disappointed. She stood back up and folded her arms once again. It had been only a cat.
“Papa?” Adele called out again, this time her voice slightly shaky, her smile beginning to falter.
The girl stood there for quite some time after that, staring into the inky blackness in the direction from whence she had run. Adele felt alone and frightened as she stood there stalk still, gripping her arms while she peered into the night for some sign of her father’s figure, her ears intent on listening for any noise that might signal his approach.
-----
Dorian slowly sat up with the aid of the bicyclist who had hit him. He looked around groggily, blinking rapidly to try to clear the fog from his eyes. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” he assured the man who kept asking him if he was all right. He peeked through the legs of the crowd as he sat, leaning up against a newspaper vending machine, but he couldn’t see any sign of Adele. He didn’t hear her voice, see her big green eyes, or see her golden yellow hair. He stood slowly and brushed off his pants before he looked around again, still not able to see his daughter.
“I’m fine, I assure you,” he told the man, almost annoyed with him as he shrugged his hand from his own shoulder. He needed to find his daughter. It wasn’t safe for her to be alone at the docks anymore. “Did anybody see where a little girl ran to before I was hit?” he asked the crowd of onlookers desperately. He watched as most of them pointed towards the docks; his fears had officially been confirmed. He nodded in thanks, shook off the man one more time and headed for the lake.
His strides became longer as got closer and closer, his heart rate speeding up as well. He hoped that nothing had happened to Adele. The stories and the rumors, the newspaper articles and headings now flashed through his mind. Italy wasn’t the same place it had been when he was a child. It wasn’t safe, not anymore.
-----
Adele sighed heavily when her father didn’t come for her and she wondered what could have happened to him. He had been right behind her! She bit her lip, her child’s mind debating on what to do. She was by this time convinced that her father was not hiding, but she wasn’t sure if she should go home or wait for him there. She decided to wait a little while longer and walked back out onto the pier, watching as a little boat bumped up against the side of the it that hadn’t been there before.
-----
Gordon smirked as he lurked behind a large pile of nets, completely concealed from the girl he was watching fixedly. He wondered vaguely about what she was doing, but he didn’t really care. Finding out everything about her wasn’t his job, kidnapping her was.
He slowly stood then, careful not to make a sound. He had already removed his heavy, gumboots before he had gotten out of the boat while the little one hadn’t been watching. He walked towards her, hoping that she wouldn’t turn around, hoping that he could take her by surprise, silently wrap the thick piece of leather around her mouth to quiet her long before she would have the thought to scream. He would tie her hands and then throw her down into the boat, blind fold her later, after they were at a safe distance from the docks so that there would be less time for someone to see them and call for the police.
-----
Adele turned around just as Gordon was about to grab her. She screamed then, the morning’s newspaper headline suddenly popping up into her head: Nighttime Prowler Spotted Near Lake Como. She screamed again, yelling continuously as she struggled against the large man’s arms, biting down on his palm as he placed his hand over her mouth in an attempt to quiet her. “Papa!!!”
-----
Dorian heard his daughter’s screams just as he got to the docks. He stopped and took a moment to look around, quickly spotting her struggling with her captor. He rushed forward and grabbed up a large, heavy metal hook that the local fishermen used to catch sharks in the bay, wielding it above his head before he let out a feral growl and sent it crashing down onto the kidnapper’s head.
He watched the criminal fall to the ground, then picked up his small daughter and held her tight while he stood and ran to the nearest building, instructing the bank teller to phone the police. “Shh…Adele, you’re okay,” he said finally, sitting down on a chair, his heart beating in his chest so hard that he thought it would break his ribs. He rocked Adele in his arms, continuing to console her. “It’s okay, you’re okay,” he tried to soothe as she cried and he looked her over, making sure she was unhurt. Thankfully, she was just fine.
The Mystery of Adele
Written by: Kelly Thomas
October 29, 2009
The young girl ran down the cobble stone sidewalks of Italy, laughing even though she was fighting for her breath. She continued to run, perfectly at ease, weaving through people and ducking under vender’s carts. She was used to this game she frequently played with her father. “You’ll never catch me, Papa!” the girl yelled over her shoulder in her sweet and subtle Italian. This was a lie, and she knew it. He always caught her, usually at the docks, and would scoop her up into his strong, lean arms, twirling her in the air as he spun around.
“Adele!” Papa called, out of breath as he ran after his daughter, his heart pounding in his ears. “Adele, arresto!” he commanded. This wasn’t a normal night. Something about the intense blackness and the chill, damp air made him nervous. The light from the lamps was barely able to slice through the darkness. At least we’re on a main street, he thought, trying to keep the small, agile girl in sight as they neared the docks.
Adele giggled some as she heard her father, speeding up as the sidewalks became less congested. She had heard the command from her father; she hadn’t heard the fear or the frustration that was in it. To her, a girl of eight, everything felt normal. She could hear the rush of the waves lapping at the side of the wharfs as she got nearer to the docks. She laughed some more, her eyes bright and full of adventure. She loved the docks, especially at this time of the night. Lake Como was beautiful when the moon shone down upon it.
Adele’s father picked up his pace as he watched his daughter pick up hers, his long legs working double time as he slowly began to make up some ground on her as the traffic thinned. The congestion of the sidewalks had really slowed him down, just like it always did. He was a tall, athletically built man, who didn’t seem to be able to fit through the small cracks his daughter could. He ran across an intersection then, not even noticing the bicyclist heading straight at him. He yelled out then as he was hit, his muscular form thudding to the ground. He felt a sharp pain as the back of his head hit the stone walkway and everything went black, all thoughts of Adele being erased from his mind momentarily.
Adele raced to the docks, and then slowed to a walk. She walked out on the pier and smiled, beginning to count to ten in her head as she looked out at the beautiful water, glimmering in what little moonlight there was. She hadn’t heard her father’s shout of pain, hadn’t seen him crack his head off the sidewalk. Adele frowned then, suddenly realizing that she had counted all the way to thirty and her Papa still hadn’t swept her up in his arms and chided her lightheartedly for running from him when he had come to pick her up from the play park for dinner.
Adele shivered then, her bare arms abruptly catching a chill, even though it was a night in the middle of summer. She folded her arms across her chest and then rubbed them to keep them warm. She turned around and searched through the blackness for some sign of her father. “Papa?” she called, her voice light, a hint of laughter still in it. She believed that her father was just hiding from her, trying to play a trick on her. She giggled into her hand quietly then as she heard a scuffling coming from behind some crates stacked to her left. Adele ran over on her tiptoes, trying to be as quiet as possible in order to make a surprise attack. She peered behind the crates then, poking her head around them, before she sighed, disappointed. She stood back up and folded her arms once again. It had been only a cat.
“Papa?” Adele called out again, this time her voice slightly shaky, her smile beginning to falter.
The girl stood there for quite some time after that, staring into the inky blackness in the direction from whence she had run. Adele felt alone and frightened as she stood there stalk still, gripping her arms while she peered into the night for some sign of her father’s figure, her ears intent on listening for any noise that might signal his approach.
-----
Dorian slowly sat up with the aid of the bicyclist who had hit him. He looked around groggily, blinking rapidly to try to clear the fog from his eyes. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” he assured the man who kept asking him if he was all right. He peeked through the legs of the crowd as he sat, leaning up against a newspaper vending machine, but he couldn’t see any sign of Adele. He didn’t hear her voice, see her big green eyes, or see her golden yellow hair. He stood slowly and brushed off his pants before he looked around again, still not able to see his daughter.
“I’m fine, I assure you,” he told the man, almost annoyed with him as he shrugged his hand from his own shoulder. He needed to find his daughter. It wasn’t safe for her to be alone at the docks anymore. “Did anybody see where a little girl ran to before I was hit?” he asked the crowd of onlookers desperately. He watched as most of them pointed towards the docks; his fears had officially been confirmed. He nodded in thanks, shook off the man one more time and headed for the lake.
His strides became longer as got closer and closer, his heart rate speeding up as well. He hoped that nothing had happened to Adele. The stories and the rumors, the newspaper articles and headings now flashed through his mind. Italy wasn’t the same place it had been when he was a child. It wasn’t safe, not anymore.
-----
Adele sighed heavily when her father didn’t come for her and she wondered what could have happened to him. He had been right behind her! She bit her lip, her child’s mind debating on what to do. She was by this time convinced that her father was not hiding, but she wasn’t sure if she should go home or wait for him there. She decided to wait a little while longer and walked back out onto the pier, watching as a little boat bumped up against the side of the it that hadn’t been there before.
-----
Gordon smirked as he lurked behind a large pile of nets, completely concealed from the girl he was watching fixedly. He wondered vaguely about what she was doing, but he didn’t really care. Finding out everything about her wasn’t his job, kidnapping her was.
He slowly stood then, careful not to make a sound. He had already removed his heavy, gumboots before he had gotten out of the boat while the little one hadn’t been watching. He walked towards her, hoping that she wouldn’t turn around, hoping that he could take her by surprise, silently wrap the thick piece of leather around her mouth to quiet her long before she would have the thought to scream. He would tie her hands and then throw her down into the boat, blind fold her later, after they were at a safe distance from the docks so that there would be less time for someone to see them and call for the police.
-----
Adele turned around just as Gordon was about to grab her. She screamed then, the morning’s newspaper headline suddenly popping up into her head: Nighttime Prowler Spotted Near Lake Como. She screamed again, yelling continuously as she struggled against the large man’s arms, biting down on his palm as he placed his hand over her mouth in an attempt to quiet her. “Papa!!!”
-----
Dorian heard his daughter’s screams just as he got to the docks. He stopped and took a moment to look around, quickly spotting her struggling with her captor. He rushed forward and grabbed up a large, heavy metal hook that the local fishermen used to catch sharks in the bay, wielding it above his head before he let out a feral growl and sent it crashing down onto the kidnapper’s head.
He watched the criminal fall to the ground, then picked up his small daughter and held her tight while he stood and ran to the nearest building, instructing the bank teller to phone the police. “Shh…Adele, you’re okay,” he said finally, sitting down on a chair, his heart beating in his chest so hard that he thought it would break his ribs. He rocked Adele in his arms, continuing to console her. “It’s okay, you’re okay,” he tried to soothe as she cried and he looked her over, making sure she was unhurt. Thankfully, she was just fine.