This fan fiction is based on a novella of Boccaccio, an Italian author of the fourteenth century, drawn from the "Decameron"- literally "Ten Days"- and it is the 5th novella of the lV day, dedicated to the sad love stories: therefore prepared the handkerchiefs. The original title is "Lisabetta da Messina" and it is one of my prefers and I hope you also like it.

I have worked some more because the original text is in Italian of the epoch and the story needed some modifications.

Pat-chan

                   To Stefano

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Fuu from Tokyo

 

     Three young brothers and merchants lived in Tokyo, become much rich after the death of their father, and they had a sister called Fuu, a very beautiful and kind girl. They had a secretary that took care of their business, he was called Ferio and was a young beautiful and polite man and it was wanted good from all the family. It happened that Fuu fell in love deeply with him, but well knowing that her brothers would have stayed contrary to this relationship, she decided to hold this secret for herself and to confide it only to her Presea nurse.

Ferio, who knew the young girl since child, understood that in her something there were which made her suffer and this gave him much pain.

'Ferio. Why do you worry so much for Miss Fuu? '  He thought ' She has three brothers who are concerned with her, already she doesn't need a quarter! '

After an along meditate on these thoughts, the young man understood to love her and he regretted knowing that he would not have been able to ever realize his dreams of love. The two lovers melt in a love that they believed it was not returned.

 

    Arrived the winter the three brothers had to leave for a trip of business and entrusted their sister to the faithful secretary.

One evening, finished the supper, Ferio and Fuu went in the living room for attend the time to go to bed playing together chess. Both were very silent: the moment was propitious to a confession, but nobody of the two dared.

 "Miss Fuu, do you have something that becomes upset? They are five weeks that I see you down of moral."

Ferio asked suddenly. Fuu looked at it petrified.

'Perhaps... perhaps if he promises to don't speak about this to my brothers I will be able to tell him what I feel for him! '

 "Don't worry," he took back "if you won't confide you I don't force: but all we suffer seeing you so sad and..."

" Here I..."

Fuu closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

" Only if you promise to don't do word with my brothers."

" I promise it. Tell me what is the matter."

She reassured from his words looked in his eyes and not being able to support beyond his gaze looked out the window: the dark and leaden sky made her fear a refusal but she must tell it to him. He observed her worried: why did she hesitate to confide? Was something so terrible? And then why did she fear the contrariety of her brothers who loved her greatly?

 "Here I..." Fuu turned suddenly, a lightning illuminated dramatically her face." I... I think I am in love with you, quite sure."

In the same instant the thunder made tremble the glasses of the window overlapping her words.

 

    Ferio had felt what the girl very well he/she/it/you had told. Ferio was shocked from those words and was not able to believe them. The first raindrops struck the glasses leaving big circular signs similar to odd cobwebs. The first teardrops ruled on Fuu's face leaving behind them damp lucent paths.

What do?

He felt all the affection- all the love- that he felt for her reboil inside of himself like a sea in storm: she loved him. She was the sister of his superiors. She was so beautiful while the storm raged. She was one thing with the storm. And so fragile but at the same time strong, like the first flower which buds between the end of the winter and the beginning of the spring, tempted from the first sunrays and slapped from the last mistral.

What do?

He got up and drew near her, then taking her face between his hands and smiling dried her tears. She looked surprised from that gesture and from his smile.

What do?

Ferio bent his face toward Fuu's. Fuu closed the eyes. With the same delicacy of a petal of cherry that dances in the zephyr their lips met. Without separate, he took her hands and made her lift, then he tightened her so strong to remove her the breath. After not much time the passion overcame them in a whirl from which was impossible to go out.

 

    Presea opened the door, but peering the two lovers inside she closed it again silently.

" What happen madam?"

A maid asked intrigued from that gesture.

" Why do you smile?"

The seconds added. The nurse scrutinized it: she must distract the two gossipers and make lose each their interest for that room or for her mistress big troubles would have stayed.

What do?

" Nothing, I have only remembered I must call my sister: my nephew has had a child yesterday night, and so... deh, today I feel good: goings to amuse you tonight!"

The maids thanked her and went before Presea could change idea.

The house was almost desert. Presea smiled again to herself: her mistress would not have had anybody to be worried about that night.

 

    The two loved each other for all the winter like no lover had never done and their happiness seemed to be made for the eternity.

 

    The first buds were on the cherries when the three brothers returned home and their sister had prepared a cheerful welcome back for them: all in her showed a secret joy that was difficult to don't notice.

" You seem very happy dear Fuu." The brother medium asked, "Does something have happened while we were by?"

Fuu nodded. And she lay.

 "Ah-ah: each your phone call has done me happy. And then Mr. Ferio has accompanied me at theater to see "La Traviata"! "

The three widened their eyes and launched amazed glances to their secretary. Ferio cleared his throat and admitted:

" She has threatened me to go there alone... and to burn my collection of sailing ships in miniature."

Everybody laughed to that answer. The party continued up to slow evening and the guests spoke above the good business that the masters of house had done in Europe and in the United States, the fabulous collection of sailing ships of the secretary and the delicious beauty of the girl - matter that made the three brothers much more that proud.

 

    Some days after the holder brother, while he was checking some documents, noticed a shade going around the house and he followed it to discover whoever it is. He threw a sigh of relief when saw that it was Fuu, he looked his watch:  1: 24 AM. Why did Fuu standing awake in that hour at night? Perhaps couldn't she fall asleep? He saw her go in garden and thought about give her some company, but while he was being approached her he saw her meets anybody and embrace him. It was Ferio.

Without noise he followed them up to the dependance where the secretary slept, he saw the truth and thought continuously about the become: initially he thought about storm and kill them both, but he was given an account of the stupidity of the gesture- the good name of the family and the business would have suffered -, he meditated for a long time and finally decided to find a definitive solution with the others two brothers.

The day after, closed in their office, the holder brother told to the other two how Fuu and Ferio has spent the night together and after a long discussion they deliberated that, so that any infamy doesn't fall on them and on their sister, it was owed pretending don't know and attend the opportune moment of set end to such shame. So the brothers behaved like always, joking and laughing with Ferio and being very fonder with the sister.

 

    It happened that the three brothers decide to go for a walk city out and they carry with them Ferio, who didn't suspect anything.

Reached a solitary place the three young killed their secretary and buried it under a tree so that nobody could notices some. They returned in city and scattered the voice that Ferio had left for any urgent matters, thing that was easily believed.

 

    Not seeing return Ferio, Fuu asked continually of him.

" Why don't he come back? Usually each three days he phones for tell you how the business goes, or he sends a fax or an email: it is past already a month and he has not been made to hear. Are you sure that doesn't something have happened of serious? If he is been ill, it is not better that he come back home where could we take care of him? Why you do that faces?  Aren't you too worrie..."

 "Enough!" one of her brothers said a day" What mean this? What do you have to do with Ferio if do you so thick of him? If you will ask still we will give you the answer you deserve!"

The young girl went her in room and there cried uselessly consoled from her nurse. Presea tried to convince her that there was a good reason for the lack of his news and for the unusual delay.

 "Child my, he will return soon: he has promised you -and I was witness- that as soon as possible he would have asked your hand, and Mr. Ferio is a man who maintains his promises. C'mon, don't cry little one: you won't want him to become angry with you, you know he doesn't want you to cry!"

But her words seemed to have the opposite effect.

It happened that one night she having weeping much Ferio that didn't return and having falling asleep crying, Ferio appeared her in dream, pale and all upset and with the uncorked and rotten clothes and he told her:

" Oh Fuu, you don't do anything else other than call me and grow sad by my long absence and with your tears you accuse me: that's why you must know that I could not return, because the last day that you saw me your brothers killed me."

And pointed out the place where he was buried he told her to don't call him more and disappeared.

When she waked up, Fuu believed to the dream and cried bitterly and she proposed to verify what had seen in the dream.

 

    In company of Presea she went in the place and dug there where the earth seemed softer and little after she found the body of her lover not yet rotted and tightening the dead body to the breast she cried. Presea laid a hand on her shoulder and told:

" Miss, it is made delay and we must go... and this is not place for cry a corpse."

" You are right. Help me to bring it home: we will bury it under the quince tree, Ferio loved so much that place."

" Miss, it aches me tell it: but we could not carry this body with us, if your brothers discover us..."

" Presea how could you tell me such a thing! Want to deny me give him a worthier tomb than this? Want to deny me of spend each day that I stay of this miserable life close to his grave? Never!"

" But think about it, I tell it for your good: if you desire I will carry you each day here and so..."

" No! I want him always be to my side, as he had promised me: you have told it the same that Ferio maintains his promises!"

" A corpse could not maintain promises!”

" No!" Fuu repeated tightening the body more tightly" If I could not carry his body with me let me hold at least his head, so that have something to cry on!"

Told this, Fuu took a knife and detached the head of Ferio from the bust, wrapped up it in a towel of flax and gave it to Presea who hide it under her ample skirt and they returned home.

 

    Closed in her room Fuu cried long on the head until her tears washed it and covered it with kisses. Then taking a big and beautiful vase, in which the sweet marjoram or the basil are planted, and there she put the head bandaged in a beautiful cloth of silk and covered it with earth she planted many plants of basil which she watered only with water of roses or of orange-blossoms or of her tears. Fuu took the habit of spend her days near the vase longing, she poured on that vase all the love she felt for Ferio and after have longed she cried bathing the basil.

The basil, thank to the many tears and to the fertility of the earth for the head that there was hidden, became very handsome and very fragrant. And the young girl continuing to behave in this way, she was sight more times from the neighbors that were amazed by her beauty in decline and they told to the brothers:

" We have noticed that Fuu each day behaves in this way."

The three brothers reproached the sister but uselessly; then a day they made surreptitiously carry by the vase and Fuu, doesn't find it, wanted she had returned it but she didn't find again it and she got sick for the pain and in the delirium didn't ask anything else other than her vase.

 

   The three brothers were surprised of this asking and they wanted to see what was inside: and versed the earth they saw the cloth and in that the head not yet at all rotten and they recognized from the hair be the head of Ferio. They marveled so much and feared that it could be known in city: and buried the head they left Tokyo.

Fuu not having anything else other than cry and continuing to ask the vase, she died and as her unlucky love had term; but after any time the circumstance was made notice to many people and there was anybody who wrote a song that sang:

     Qual esso fu lo malo cristiano              *Whoever was the wicked person

   che mi furò la grasta, etc.                 who stole me the vase, etc.*

 

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    All is right? I hope warmly that you have liked ^_^

If you want to send me your comments my email is:

Patchan83@hotmail.com

CIAO!!