Piccoletto

The Keys

"Did you hear that?" Alberto said in shock as Giulia used up all her effort to pull him along. "Did you hear what he called me? He called me his son!"

Giulia huffed as she continued pulling Alberto's weight as the pair walked through the center of Portorosso.

"Oh yeah," Giulia panted, turning to look at Alberto's dazed face. "My dad really likes you. . . ugh! Can you pull your own weight?"

Alberto pulled his arm out of Giulia's grasp and excitedly ran up to her. "He likes me? Like- he thinks I'm cool? Because I'm cool. Right?"

Giulia gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes, my dad thinks you're 'cool.'"

Alberto shook his fists in a stim at the prospect of Massimo liking him like a son. His mood was exceptionally lifted and for a brief moment, he could forget about all the pain and guilt from the earlier morning.

"Come on!" Giulia grunted. "We have to search for Luca, remember? Let's get to Ercole's vespa."

Alberto switched his game face and nodded. "Right. Where's that creepy place we hid it again?"

Giulia went up an alleyway, Alberto following close behind. "Just up to the-"

"Ciccio! Guido!" a voice called from afar. Giulia knew exactly who that snobby, slightly scary voice belonged to. Ercole.

Giulia pulled Alberto around a corner and the two pressed their backs against the wall. Alberto, who was closest to the alleyway they had heard Ercole from, peeked around the corner. Ciccio and Guido were further up the alleyway. Ciccio had been licking an ice cream cone while Giudo was tapping his foot impatiently as he had looked around. But now, they were both frantically searching for Ercole in fear. Alberto hid a snort as Ciccio dropped his ice cream in panic.

"Over here!" a voice called from above. Ercole stepped out into the morning sunlight, revealing a purple bruise under his eye. Alberto was half frozen at the sight of Ercole, especially because Ercole looked terrible. His face was red with rage and his hair looked slightly disheveled.

"Uh- y- yes, Ercole?" Guido said, saluting to his leader.

Ercole stomped his foot with a shout of rage. "My vespa is missing! Who saw it last?!"

Ciccio and Guido both ran up to Ercole, terrified at his attitude but determined to help.

"Non lo sappiamo!" Guido responded. "You told us to go yesterday! We didn't see it!"

Ercole screamed in rage as bawled up his fists and stomped his foot like a toddler.

"No, this can't be! She's been stolen! My beautiful vespa has been stolen!"

Ciccio and Guido stood still, not knowing how to help. Ercole looked between them and in a fit of fury, reached down into his back pocket and pulled out his vespa's keys.

"Go look for it, now!" Ercole screamed, hurling the keys at Guido's face.

Guido instinctively ducked, leaving Ciccio standing behind him as the prime target. The keys hit Ciccio squarely in the nose, knocking the round boy over with a scream of pain. From the angle of the steep street, the keys slid down, mere meters away from the corner where Alberto and Giulia had been spying.

Alberto looked up to see Guido kneel over Ciccio as Ciccio grabbed his nose. Ercole was nowhere in sight and must have stepped away. Alberto saw his chance and seized it. He lunged himself forward and grabbed the keys, quickly turning back to grab Giulia's wrist and pull her back into the alleyway they were spying on.

"Brilliant!" yelled Giulia as the two sprinted away. "Alberto, that was awesome!"

"Thanks," Alberto said, focusing on only one thing. "Now come on, we gotta get Luca!"