Syracuse smelled of the sea. Bathed by Mediterranean waters, the city reveled in the feeling of freedom in the air while being embraced by the hot sun that transformed the twilights into magnificent works of art worthy of being portrayed by the finest painters. The shade created by the buildings was tricked by the beautiful street lamps that continued revealing the secrets of the mysterious street corners. But not everything was in plain view to the inattentive eye. Sometimes only the knowing gaze of someone wise in the ways of the city was capable of lifting the cloak of obscurity that protected those enigmas forgotten with the passage of time.
The plaza was quite simple. Highlighted by the beautiful Fontana di Artemide*, the rest of the plaza could easily be described in two words: road and buildings. While it was true the area around it retained the classic flavor that marked most of the city, the plainness of the location was still quite striking.
"I was expecting something more impressive. I don't know, really spectacular," Claudia remarked, titling her head.
"Wow..."
"It could be one of the buildings around us."
"None of them looks like a church. You hardly need to look at those buildings too closely to realize that not much effort went into making them anything more than functional. They were certainly conceived with that in mind originally."
"The only beautiful building is the fountain," noted Claudia.
"That's exactly what I find so interesting."
"The fountain?"
"No, the fact that it is so unique."
"Do you think the church is the fountain?"
"No, but it is possible we were mistaken right from the start.”
"What are you talking about?" asked Claudia.
"It's very simple. From the start, we set out to find a church. The question is, should we be looking for something else?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like a duck without feathers," Nino sighed, hanging his head.
"Look, I know it's kind of a stupid question, but that's no reason for you to make fun of me."
"You're right. I'm sorry," he apologized, taking her hand. "It's just that I'm tired and a little disappointed, that's all. But I shouldn't take it out on you."
—...
"Know what? To make up for it, I'm inviting you to stay in the city tonight. Maybe when we look everything over again in the morning with our minds fresh, a new theory will come to us. How's that sound?"
"OK, but separate rooms."
"Oh, come on, you know very well I don't exactly have a lot of money. Besides, after spending this much time together, you should trust me more."
Claudia gave him a sideways glance.
"That's exactly the reason why, because I know you too well," she answered, but she didn't refuse to share a room, either.
*
The space separating the two twin beds felt like an ocean between two continents. When they registered, Nino didn't want to aggravate Claudia or pressure her into sharing a room with a double bed and simply requested a room for two. Even as forward as that was, he knew he shouldn't step over the line or he would lose a good friend for the sake of scoring a one-night stand. And she was much more than that to him. The very first day he met her, he wound up losing himself in her beautiful deep green eyes that recalled springtime in Tuscany.
Claudia, Claudia, Claudia, whispered over and over in his mind.
He had trouble breathing thinking about how close she was, but how far away with that enormous space in the middle between them. It was barely one meter wide, but it separated the two of them every bit as much as an immense cliff in the middle of the desert. Sometimes he held his breath just so he could listen to the sound of the air escaping from her lips. Those full lips that looked like two sponges soaked with the fluid aromas of her mouth. His eyes wide open, he dreamed of her silken skin and the scanty clothing covering her naked body at that moment. Black panties covered her sex while a tight bra strained to keep her voluptuous breasts safe from lascivious eyes. His eyes.
An ocean of one meter separated him from the loveliest and most intriguing woman he had ever known, and an ocean of one meter would always stand between them until the day she invited him to cross it.
*
The next morning, Nino was eating breakfast alone in front of the fountain. He had decided not to wake Claudia up. He hadn't been able to sleep very well anyway, not with his head spinning from amorous thoughts mixed in with the mystery they were working on. In spite of that, he would never forget that night. The first night he had spent together with Claudia.
"What did you order?"
Nino turned his head and smiled.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," he greeted Claudia. "You don't look so hot."
"I couldn't get comfortable on that mattress."
"Of course. Exactly the same thing happened to me. I wasn't going to tell you now that I spent the night awake because I never stopped thinking of you. Go ahead, sit down. I recommend a cappuccino with a slice of homemade sponge cake for you. At least the server told me it was homemade."
Claudia sat down next to him, hiding how happy she was.
"I'll take your advice," she replied, "and I'll have the same thing as you."
"As soon as we finish with breakfast, we'll go back home. How does that sound?"
"Can't we take a walk over by some of the places near the wall? It's a wonderful day to enjoy the sea."
"Good idea, but I don't want it to get too late. We have a long drive ahead of us later."
"What a shame we didn't find the church," Claudia said, her tone betraying her disappointment. "I guess it's logical."
"Of course. If you think about it, it sounds pretty ridiculous to go searching for a church in the center of a city expecting that nobody has seen it for centuries."
"Yeah, it does sound absurd, although it was really nice to let ourselves be caught up in the excitement".
"We had a good time together... that's what counts."
Their subdued mood became a silence that brought their eyes together. They remained lost in their thoughts, absorbed in a seemingly endless series of emotions they weren't capable of understanding. Their hands brushed together and time split in two. In that moment, in that loop, you found the outsiders, who came and went unaware of the existence of everyone else, and the two of them, paralyzed by the desire to know one another.
*
"Where are you coming from?" the old man seated at a nearby table asked another man approaching him.
"From cleaning the tunnel," he replied.
"Which one was it this time?"
"The one that comes out underneath the castle. Lucky for me, they built them big."
"Yes, they knew how to make things right back in the old days," continued the first old man, "not the way they do today."
"Right, yeah, you're right about that. I mean you could fit my house, your house, and my cousin's house down there... come on, it's huge. OK, I have to go now. If my boss finds out I'm not working, he'll write me up."
"Don't work too hard now," the old man joked.
*
The magic of the moment that passed between Claudia and Nino was lost.
"Are you thinking the same thing I'm thinking?" Claudia asked.
"I seriously doubt it."
"I don't mean about the two of us."
"I know what you're talking about, I was just kidding," said Nino. "The truth is that wouldn't be a crazy idea at all."
"The church isn't in the plaza, it's underneath it."
"Without any building foundations in the way, no works, no complications. A space big enough to hide a building. It makes sense."
"Now we just have to find the way to get down there," Claudia added, staring intently towards the fountain.
Nino raised his hand to catch the waiter's eye.
"Excuse me, the check, please?
"Right away, sir," the server said pleasantly.
"One other thing, could you tell us where we could get a guided tour of the underground areas of the city?"
"We don't have that kind of tour here. Only the professionals go down there. It's very dark and damp, although it does have its mysterious side."
"Oh, really?" Claudia interjected. "And how would you know?"
"Ahh, okay, I'll tell you a secret because you seem like a really nice couple. You see that old building over there to your right? There's a trap door there that leads to the tunnels. My boyfriend and I go down there every once in a while, you know what I mean, right?" she concluded, with a knowing wink.
"Thanks for sharing your secret," Nino smiled. "Keep the change."
Their minds were made up when they stood up from the table. They headed over towards the old, seemingly abandoned building and began to explore inside. They were excited all over again, but failed to realize that the old man was intently following their every move, never letting them get out of sight.
"You're not going to believe this," the old man said into his cellphone, "but there are two kids searching for the entrance to the tunnels underneath the plaza. The worst part is I have the feeling they're not just looking for some place to have sex. Something else is going on, they act like they know something that they shouldn't know about. Don't waste any time and warn the others."