Azzurrina: The Ball on the Stairs

In Montebello’s legend, two guards watched the little girl. Neither could explain where she went.

Her name was Guendalina. The castle knew her as Azzurrina. She had a small ball and a rainy afternoon to fill.

Outside, a storm gathered over Montebello. Inside, the ball rolled farther than she meant it to.

It bounced down the stairs toward the icehouse. Guendalina followed.

The guards heard a cry. They ran toward it.

At the bottom, there was no child. They could not find the ball either.

The story gives the summer a date: 1375. It gives the child a name. It leaves the bottom of the stairs empty.

Centuries later, people listened to recordings made inside the castle. Some heard a child. Others heard weather, or nothing they could name.

Listen closely enough, and wanting an answer can become part of what you hear.

But the old question needs no recording. Where did the little girl go?