بانگو ریپولی

CHAPTER FIVE

Bagno a Ripoli

After I read this strange, sad story, I understood the mystery of Allegra. Was she still alive? No. But her ghost was still in the world. The little girl in my room was the ghost of Claire Clairmont’s Allegra. She was unhappy and she couldn’t rest because she wanted to be with her mother. But she couldn’t find her. She knew that her mother was at Bagno a Ripoli, but she didn’t know how to get there, So her unhappy ghost lived and waited in the body of Allegra Henderson, Chiara’s daughter. At night it left Allegra’s body and came to my room for help. Then poor Allegra died of fever, just like Claire’s Allegra. But the ghost couldn’t rest; it had to find another child’s body.

‘Who is the child,’ I asked myself. ‘Who is the next Allegra - Allegra Three?’

But I already knew the answer. My Italian family in Florence had a little daughter. Her name was Allegra, and she would be five years and three months on April 21st.

It was now the evening of April 20th.

I left the bar quickly and ran back to my family’s house. When I arrived, the mother was crying.

‘Allegra is in hospital,’ she told me. ‘She’s got a bad fever and the doctors aren’t sure what it is. Oh, I hope it isn’t dangerous! I hope she’ll get better soon!’

‘She’ll be all right,’ I said. ‘She’ll get better.’

But that night in my room I said to myself, ‘Oh, please - no, no!’

I walked round and round the room and I thought of my dear friend Allegra Henderson. I was afraid that Allegra Three was going to die the next day. But what could I do about it?

‘No - This Allegra must not die,’ I said angrily.

Then, suddenly, I knew what to do. I waited. Ten o’clock, eleven o’clock, midnight. ‘Please, please, come,’ I said.

I looked at my watch. Twelve fifteen.

‘Will she come, will she come,’ I said again and again.

And then she was there: the ghost of Lord Byron’s daughter! Pale, beautiful, with big blue eyes and hair like gold. She was smiling at me.

‘Are you going to take me to Mama?’

‘Yes, Allegra. We’re going to Bagno a Ripoli, But we must hurry. Come on, let’s go!’

She laughed happily, ‘Oh, thank you! You’re so kind!’

I took her cold little hand. We went out of the house and got into my car. I drove very fast through the night.

‘Oh, I’m going to see my dear Mama,’ Allegra said. ‘I’ll be with her after all these years, We’ll be so happy! I loved her and she loved me. But Papa took me away from her and he sent me to a convent school, I didn’t like it there. It was so cold and quiet! Mama didn’t come and Papa didn’t come. Why didn’t they come?’

But then she laughed and began to sing an Italian song.

When we arrived at Bagno a Ripoli, she jumped out of the car and looked around.

‘Where is Mama,’ she cried,

‘Follow me,’ I said.

We went into the cemetery and I took her to Claire Clairmont’s tombstone.

‘She’s here,’ I said. ‘Your Mama is here.’

Allegra read the name on the tombstone.

‘Mama,’ she called. ‘Are you here? It’s me, Allegra. I’m here, your Allegra is here.’ She was crying with happiness.

I was happy too, but I was also afraid. The cemetery was dark and silent, there was a soft wind in the trees, and in front of my eyes was this little child’s ghost in a white nightdress, calling for its dead mother.

‘Yes, I hear you, Mama,’ Allegra cried. ‘I’m coming, I’m coming–’

And very slowly the ghost of Allegra began to disappear. And her voice was slowly going away.

‘Wait for me, Mama! I’m coming – I’m coming–’

And then the ghost wasn’t there. Allegra was with her mother at last.