The Dawn Of Sin. Valentino Grassetti

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СКАЧАТЬ ears they sounded a bit like ʺNothing bad for a mental patient.ʺ

      He couldn't blame them. After all, it was the truth.

      "Now a little silence, please" Sebastian said, raising his hands to silence the audience, while the camera's ruthless eye was placed on Circe's finger on the stage.

      "Daisy Magnoli. Your time has come!"

      Daisy closed her eyes, seeking maximum inspiration.

      The sweet sound of a piano rose up. Just a few notes chasing each other. The music, light and evocative, seemed to lead into a garden of fragrant roses. A melody that recalled soft colors, delicate flights of butterflies and clear skies full of harmony.

      Adriano's music began as a calm journey into the soul.

      Daisy, the feeling of riding a rainbow of emotions, began to sing.

      My heart pierced by blinding suns

      My hard crystal tears

      It's beauty

      The joy of love

      But a shadow is hidden in the folds of my soul…

      The words, whispered like a loud chant, did not provoke any reaction from the audience.

      As expected, if the artist showed little, if any, talent during the performance, shouts and whistles were heard, but when the skill was undeniable, applause and shouts were heard. Nothing happened to Daisy. No one said a word. Everything was still, suspended in a vacuum.

      Suddenly the sigh of the piano became a thunder rumble. A powerful, dark bass gave off a powerful energy. Melody and rhythm exploded into a gothic rock piece. Drums and guitar fused, in the background, a chorus of deep voices. It was an ancient Gregorian chant translated from Latin, the voices modulated on prophetic tones. A warning that spoke of beauty, love and damnation.

      Love is the mirror of the dark.

      The dark will be my husband.

      The cloak of the black reaper will fall on my face, heavy as a shroud.

      Beauty and damnation…

      Then the choir silenced. A thick, grey smoke came down on stage.

      Daisy's voice rose clear and vibrant.

      Sin crept into the mists of my innocence.

      The dark angel is joy and innocence.

      The dark angel is joy and perversion.

      I am the rose.

      He is damnation…

      The dance steps touched the stage with light and agile touches, a roll rose as the succession of threatening thunder, the choir to create an atmosphere of warning and omen.

      At the end of the song the guitars interpreted an acrobatic solo, a perfect counterpoint to celebrate the dying sound of the drums.

      Then, suddenly, the music dissolved.

      The piece was finished.

      Daisy stood motionless, her face turned to the sky, sweat running down her temples, strands of hair clinging to her reddened cheeks, her knee pointed to the ground and her arm outstretched to the sky in a beautiful, epic pose.

      Daisy smiled at the jury, holding her anxieties, her heart beating fast in the center of her chest.

      It was time for the verdict.

      All around, a heavy, unfathomable silence.

      Daisy stared at Sebastian Monroe. She knew the verdict would pass through his eyes. The New Zealander, almost always arrogant and clear-headed in his judgements, had an indecisive look, and all of his poise suggested an insecurity that no one recognized. The other judges were also nervous and uncertain.

      Daisy, in anticipation of the response, felt that she could hear thudding from under the stage.

      She heard a technician swearing heavily behind the scenes. The smoke grenades were not supposed to go off. Daisy, in fact, had been surprised. During rehearsals no one had mentioned that she had to dance in an annoying cold fog.

      "I'm Rose" Sebastian finally said, "It's, like, you know… what I heard was something crazy."

      "Immense is the word” echoed Circe, caged in a shiny black latex costume, the sweat coming down from under her wig.

      The jury's verdict preceded the verdict of the audience, who rose and applauded. An unusual tribute, where everyone's enthusiasm was measured, but full and complete, as if the exhibition deserved admiration and respect as if it were a piece of work.

      As people applauded, the thunder under the stage became darker and deeper.

      Daisy took a bow. That was the most important moment of her life.

      She was restless, smiling and thanking.

      The thudding increased. ʺMa no one hears them? ʺ she thought, as the stage vibrated beneath her feet, the mike stick was jumping in front of her lips. He blamed the tension, and thought of his brother. Adriano had fallen ill due to severe stress. She was also under a lot of pressure now. Her imagination led her to believe that someone, or something, was buried somewhere. A presence trapped in a dark and

      undefined place trying to free itself. Maybe she was sick, too?

      She felt a painful cramp in her stomach and was afraid of vomiting. Despite everything, she struggled to smile.

      "Daisy, I have no words. I'm simply astounded” Sebastian exclaimed, shaking his head, as if to shake off the emotions that I’m Rose has brought.

      Isabella Larini agreed as she brushed her arm to caress the goose skin, her eyes flashing with admiration.

      "Gentlemen, personally I am still in shock. We have witnessed the birth of a star. A star that will long shine in the firmament of the Next Generation” was Circe's comment.

      "Now we want to know everything, just everything about you" Sebastian asked, smoothing his hard, stinging beard.

      Daisy felt the blows stop. The mike player was no longer jumping and the stage stopped vibrating. She was convinced that she had only imagined them. She passed the back of her hand over her sweaty brow, her eyes spinning in the stands. In her dreams, her audience was always invisible, someone who applauded her but only she could see. Now the audience was real. There he was, in the flesh, standing before her, peeling his hands.

      "I'm glad you liked the piece" she could say, almost moved.

      Daisy's house had gone up in flames. Amelia, Franz's wealthy wife, laughed with a smiling face. Aunt Annetta took two tears of emotion from the back of her hand. The landline and cell phones were ringing off the hook. Each ring was a friend, a neighbour, an acquaintance who called to congratulate him. Franz and Uncle Ambrogio, half drunk, urged a toast by shaking beer mugs overflowing with foam in their hands.

      At that moment in Castelmuso everyone could boast that they were fellow citizens of a celebrity.

      Adriano СКАЧАТЬ