From high up in the sky Venetta looked like a huge dolphin with a chain of Spinaloga islands under its belly. A little further one could see Terra dei Miracolo and the white spire of St.Viadora`s bell tower that broke the silence with its rattling ringing six times a day. Several other islands were scattered on the silky surface of the lagoon like amber-yellow spots. And finally, swampy banks of the Dito Shoal separated the aquamarine lagoon from deep-indigo water of the Long Sea.

I could see all that thanks to Pulcino`s eyes and wings. However, now I had the opportunity to see Venetta from different perspective. My seagull friend was really curious but it didn`t care a bit about magnificent arches and quatrefoils, mysterious streets connected by bridges – so close that they seemed no bigger than passages between the closets.

As for me – well, I was fascinated by Venetta and even almost fell off gondola once when we passed a beautiful palace, which looked even more elegant and fragile as its reflection doubled its pastel beauty. Then came a colonnade with grapes of white and sea-green marble. The city was shining and dancing in front of my eyes and its reflections seemed so natural and real, framed by snow-white clouds in the sky.

The illusion disappeared when we were overtaken by another gondola. Three noble men, all wearing white bauto masks, waved their hands to attract out attention. One of them even paid us a rather bold compliment. There was such a sharp contrast between their dispassionate faces and gallant words, that I could hardly resist a chuckle. It looked like if a marble statue suddenly revived and confessed its love to you.

When the darkness fell, the whole city put on masks. That drew a cloak of theatrics over it. The bauto mask and a long black dress were seen everywhere most time of the year, not just during the Carnival nights. Masks allowed the Venetians to forget about secular barriers and respectabilities. No matter what you did or say – a mask would keep all your secrets.

Joanna smiled and gave an air kiss to the men. Luckily enough, our faces were covered with elegant black half-masks.

“You never miss a chance to amuse yourself,” Bianca said when those men`s gondola was far enough and they couldn`t hear us.

“Do I? Well, it`s called living life to the fullest, my dear. Stay young and take any chance to be loved – easy and natural.”

“Not everyone can do it so easily,” there was a kind of disapproval in Bianca`s voice but Joanna ignored that. She turned to me instead, with her face glowing with anticipation.

“By the way, did you see Alessandro di Goro at your house when we left? He visits you too often, don`t you think? Don`t get it wrong but… Well, it`s just someone saw you two at the terrace after the dinner.”

Here we go. Just what I needed – gossips.

“He just wanted to ask me about the convent. And chiamata,” I said, trying to make my voice as indifferent as my pounding heart allowed.

“The convent? Oh, my… Hope next time you`ll find a more delicate reason to talk in private.”

She smiled at me wistfully.

“I would really like to talk to him… With or without a mask, doesn`t matter. He may seem wild and woolly, but he`s a real man compared to all these milk-and-water boys who can do nothing but recite and give you white-powdered kisses!”

“I doubt it. He doesn`t seem to be interested in women at all,” Bianca laughed.

“Nonsense! He hasn`t just met the right woman yet. But he will, I reassure you.”

Joanna`s confidence made me smile. And made me respect her a little more too.

“You`re inimitable when it comes to small talks. But a man who keeps silent and talk amiss is too tough even for you!”

“Well, there is a well-tried method to deal with this kind of men. Fainting!” she said with a smile. “Believe me, there is no better way to catch a man`s attention.”

Our conversation перешел quite interesting topics. But suddenly Ines noticed something strange.

“Look!” she cried and pointed to the quay.

We were approaching the bridge when suddenly a young man jumped out of the woodwork. He was holding a stick to help him fight off his two opponents. Obviously, the forces were unequal. Two tall broad-shouldered men were pushing him, leaving no other way but to jump into the water. They were both the fishermen to judge by their thick brown cloaks with scarlet lining. I wondered how he had managed to annoy them. Gloomy fishermen were not so easy to lash out. Their work had little to do with fun and small talks. They went to the sea before dark, spent long hours on their rickety boats and then, if there was fish to be caught, they sold their catch on the market. To make them lose control and start a fight must really have taken a lot of effort!

In the meanwhile, the man made a bold attempt to save his life. He jumped on the bridge railing, while continuing to parry the heavy strokes. When our gondola was right below the bridge, he made a leap and landed between Joanna and me!

The boat shifted and that made us all scream and cling to each other. Fabrizio swore and tried to level the boat. Only because of his skilled hands we avoided the disaster that day. Soon the bridge and the fishermen stayed behind and then Joanna could vent her anger on the man who laid low on the bottom of the gondola.

“What are you doing, you brat? Get out of here!”

She was screaming her head off. Picoletto jumped toward the stranger barking loudly and Fabrizio swung the oar at the man.

“Signori, signori, please!” the man begged. He immediately got the lay of the land and turned his smiling face to Joanna as the eldest.

“I`m not a robber, believe me! I`m just a poor craftsman`s son from Olivolo. Those seigneurs at the bridge are from another sestiere[1] and they`ve been having a grudge against me for a long time. You saved my life and I owe you now. But I`ll be yours for life if only you could take me to the nearest berth on your boat!”

The paddle fell back into the water. The stranger finally got Picoletto away from his pants, dipped it in the water and put back in the boat while talking to Joanna who seemed absolutely stunned. The doggy stopped growling and sneaked under her skirts seeking protection and warmth after a cold bath.

When the shock was over, we took a closer look at our unexpected passenger. He was medium height and as agile as a monkey. His face was tanned and his eyes looked like two shining black olives. He wasn`t wearing a mask – apparently, he had lost it during the fight. He had a nice deep-toned voice and the manner he spoke was surprisingly literate and fluent.

I felt sympathy for him. Fights like that were quite common here, in Venetta. Different sestieres were always at swords' points with their opponents and there was no end to it. The western districts were ruled by the groups of shipbuilders and Arsenal workers. The fishermen inhabited mostly the eastern part of the city, and the rivalry between them had become a kind of a sacred tradition over the years.

“Your father works at the shipyard, doesn`t he?” I said.

The stranger nodded his head.

“I used to work there as well, but not too long. The wood dust always made me cough.”

“So sad. And what did you choose to make a living? Did you become a sailor?” Joanna asked. That stranger looked strong and nimble enough to serve upon a ship. And he was young and handsome too…

“You`re right, signora. But the fate turned its back on me again,” he sighed. “Our ship was attacked by tarchis near Sikkila. I was the only one who survived. And then I went to Armin to learn the lute. A noble signor offered me a job. And two years later I came back to my native town…”

“And got into trouble the very first day. You`re not the luckiest person in the world, I guess,” Bianca chuckled.

“I`m not a lucky person at all, I`m afraid. Fortuna took mercy on me only twice. The first time when I learned how to play the lute – such a pity, that the fishermen broke it… And the second – when I met three beautiful angels who saved my life!”

Who`d thought that a street boy could be so courteous. A man kept talking and smiling but for some reason I didn`t like him. There was something strange about him. Suddenly I couldn`t breathe as if someone invisible put his heavy hands on my shoulders. The water in the canal stood still and changed its colour to lifeless-grey. And I could swear that a huge dark shadow went under our boat and lurked in the misty depth of the canal. I raised my head and met his glance – sharp and piercing.

The next moment he smiled warmly and looked down. Delusion disappeared at once. What on earth was that?

Fabrizio, in the meanwhile, stopped at the bank.

“Here you go, boy. Now get out and stop bothering the signoras,” he grumbled.

“No,” Joanna suddenly changed her mind. “Let him go with me instead.”

“You know,” she told the fellow, “I`ve got an old lute. I`d like you to come and have a look at it. Besides. we`re not far enough from that bridge now. What if those fishermen attack you again?”

I didn`t like it at all, but once Joanna made up her mind, it was impossible to bring her round. She looked like a cat now – a cat that caught a mouse and wanted to play with it. And it seemed that we were standing in her way to amuse herself.

We exchanged glances with Bianca, who raised her eyebrows ironically. Ines didn`t express neither ifs nor buts. So eventually we did as Joanna asked and all three of them were dropped off at Sacchetti`s mansion while Bianca insisted to show me the lagoon.

We`d been wandering through the intricate network of the canals for another fifteen minutes or so. Finally the broad expense of turquoise-green water showed right in front of us. The dark outlines of Spinaloga were hardly seen in the distance, dozens of boats were going to and fro like decorated plows. The sea was watching them with its squinted deep-aquamarine mocking eyes. The sky was leaning over the waves, whispering softly. The seagulls were squawking as usual, but an intuitive person could feel a vague anticipation in their voices.

Something big was hiding behind that outward calm. Extremely big and dangerous. I could feel that with through my skin.

Pulcino… I wondered where he was now. He was still angry with me for paurozo.

Bianca sighed.

“Joanna is right. I can feel it too, this depressive feeling. Let`s hope that sirocco will come and go, leaving a couple of nightmares to reflect upon.”

I wished I could agree with her. However, I really doubted that bad dreams would be the only problem there. Those were just the beginning…

[1] city districts