12 June 1503
05:19 a.m.
The horizon began to turn orange around the small village, and the moon left space for the sun. The animals began to wake up; and hungry they complained.
From the huts, there were men coming out, followed by women, the latter being followed in turn by children:
The men headed for the fields with hoes or buckets full of water in their hands, while the women and children hurried to the cattle stables.
In one of the narrow streets that traced the village, you could see Agata. She was holding a covered basket, and walking towards what appeared to be Lucrezia's house.
She reached the door, stopped and knocked, shortly after the door opened and went out Lucrezia, in her arms she had Ofelia sleeping tight to her chest: she was bandaged from head to toe, leaving only her face uncovered..
"Good morning Agata," said Lucrezia; smiling.
"Good morning. How are you?" Agata asked, "well, I'm just a little tired and sore." replied Lucrezia, lulling her child.
"Here, it's for you," Agata said, and stretched out her hand holding the basket to Lucrezia; revealing its contents. Carrots and cabbages. " They will make you fat, so you will have enough milk for the baby", Agata continued, Lucrezia took the basket, and with her eyes shiny she thanked "Thank you so much Agata, but how will you? We had so little harvest this year".
"My husband told me to give them to you. And then..." she continued as if she were remembering the past: "your husband helped us a lot with cattle and work in the fields; we owe you a lot".
After leaving the basket, Agata greeted Lucrezia and walked towards her hut. Lucrezia placed Ofelia on the basket full of rags, then returned to retrieve the basket outside the door and returned to the house. Once the door closed, she walked to the kitchen, and put the vegetables on the table. And she began to prepare lunch, waiting for her husband to return.
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The hut had three rooms:
The kitchen, where the meal was prepared and consumed: it was a small room, in the center there was a hearth where you could cook meals and at the same time warm up, next to the wall there was the table, and next there were shelves, full of bowls, wooden ladles, and steel cookware fitted with a hook, to be fixed on the hearth, above the flame of the fire.
The second room was the pantry, very small, where were stored the meager quantities of vegetables, cereals and a few condiments: such as oil and salt. While foods such as fish, meat, cheese and eggs were eaten very rarely, only once a year.
The last room was the bedroom: where the whole family slept. The walls, like the floor, were made of straw mixed with mud. The bed was double: the mattress was made of many pieces of cotton; all sewn together, the latter stuffed with straw and dry leaves. To cover themselves, and keep warm in the evening, they used padded bags, also like the mattress; sacks filled with straw and leaves. There slept in three: Lucretia and her husband Matteo on the sides, in the middle Ofelia.
They did not have a bath, for that there was a latrine, located behind the hut, below it they had dug a deep pit to collect all the excrement.
The water, taken from the well in common with the other inhabitants, was in the middle of the village.
12:42 a.m.
The door opened wide, and from there a man entered: he was in his forties, no more than six feet tall, a robust physique caused by work in the fields. His hair was short and black, with a few strands of gray and on his forehead there were small droplets of sweat, which went down continuously to his lips. The eyes were green, full of fatigue. The beard was dirty and unshaven.
He had a cotton shirt, sweaty on his chest and back, above it he wore a brown sleeveless jacket on top of it. Made of goat skin.
He wore long, dirty, worn-out copper pants, also made of cotton. They had been mended so many times, they seemed to be polka dots. At his feet he wore rudimentary wooden clogs.The head was covered with a straw hat, to shelter from the sun.The callous and dirty right hand of the man held a hoe, he laid it on the ground and approached Lucrezia. With a long and slow step.
Lucrezia, attracted by the noise, came out of the kitchen and noticed Matteo.
"Welcome back Matteo, how are the fields?" asked Lucrezia, "Nothing, it's always the same story! , this year we will have little harvest!" he said with a frustrated and bitter tone. " You know dear, this morning she came to see Agata, and gave me a basket of carrots and cabbages," Lucrezia said smiling and trying to change the subject.
Matteo went to lay the hoe, but he stopped and turned to look into her eyes.
"And what did she ask? , did she ask if her husband Peter needed help or something?" he asked, "No, she just wanted to knew how my health was," she replied. Matteo wiped the sweat on his forehead and went to the kitchen to clean himself of the mud and dirt. Lucrezia followed behind.
Once finished, Matteo entered the kitchen and sat down at the table.
"How's the baby? Did she gave you trouble?" Matteo asked in a tired tone. " No, she's been quiet today, she often sleeps... even now she's sleeping in the basket... Ahh. You should have seen her this morning.. She always slept, looked like an angel.. Agata said that it is normal and that even her children when they were young always slept, so they grow strong and healthy." said Lucrezia assuming an expression of serenity and joy at the thought.
"Matteo...?" Lucrezia drew his attention, seeing no reaction from him.
Matteo looked again at Lucrezia:" Yes? - Ah.... I'm sorry. What were you saying?".
"Nothing...nothing, I was just thinking of Ophelia," she said; not surprised by her husband's behavior.
Lucrezia brought the lunch on the table. And they had lunch together.
She got up and started to clear the table. Once it was done, they sat at the table.
"Sorry Lucrezia for yesterday, Pietro and I had gone to check the traps in the forest, but nothing.. It's like the animals don't want to come out of that damned forest!!", exclaimed Matteo hitting the table. She flinched from the noise.
"And then.... if this situation continues, what will happen to the village.... and what about us!?" he continued in an irritated tone, She stood up and approached him, took his hand, and stroked it in an attempt to calm him down. And it worked.
"Sorry, it's just that.... there's never enough food. I don't want to starve you ... lucrezia. And then Ofelia needs you, you and her must be healthy and her have to grow well." said Matteo in a sad tone of voice.
"Matteo.. It's not your fault, and then who knows what the future holds. This is enough for me: me, you and Ofelia, and it's all I need to be happy". Lucrezia said caressing his face.
He put his head in her arms and embraced and comforted each other....