Italo Calvino
t in place by a piece of stuff tied round tle boo tretc to balance tered turtiums as if pouring out coffee and milk, until t t of eac dissolved into a soft black patc enouged tering-can and passed on to t plant. Maria-nunziata cc a nice calm job gardening must be. iced, till long opped he window.
quot;; she called.
ta and smiled. S ly because s on o a on laug ture uring back to explain t so wash.
But ted at ts of daing at ta opened t .
quot;s up ?quot; she asked, and began laughing again.
quot;Dyou to see somet;
quot;s t ?quot;
quot;Somet;
quot;tell me ;
quot;Ill give you it. Ill give you somet;
quot;But Ive to ;
quot;Do you it or dont you? Come on, no;
quot;ait a second,quot; said Maria-nunziata, and s the window.
tcill tering turtiums.
quot;; said Maria-nunziata.
Maria-nunziata seemed taller ty to stle face looked like a cs mass of black curls, and oo, t hers or she herself said.
quot;; said t was dark brown; perhaps because he was always half naked, as now,
quot;s your name ?quot; asked Maria-nunziata.
quot;Libereso,quot; said the gardeners boy.
Mafia-nunziata lauged: quot;Libereso... Libereso ... ;
quot;Its a name in Esperanto,quot; ;In Esperanto it means liberty. quot;
quot;Esperanto,quot; said Maria-nunziata. quot;Are you Esperanto?quot;
quot;Esperantos a language,quot;explained Libereso. quot;My fato.quot;
quot;Im Calabrian,quot; exclaimed Maria-nunziata.
quot;s your name ?quot;
quot;Maria-nunziata,quot; she said and laughed.
quot;;
quot;o ?quot;
quot;Not Esperanto, Libereso.quot;
quot;;
quot;a ?quot;
quot;It is ter ter Saint Josep;
quot;Senjosef?quot;
Maria-nunziata burst out laug;Senjosef! Saint Josep Senjosef, Libereso!quot;
quot;My brot; said Libereso, quot;is called Germinal and my sister Omnia.quot;
quot;t nice tioned,quot; said Maria-nunziata, quot;s.quot;
quot;Come on, t; said Libereso. doering-can and took he hand.
Maria-uunziata ated. quot;tell me is first.quot;
quot;Youll see,quot; ;but you must promise me to take care of it.quot;
quot;ill you give it to me ?quot;
quot;Yes, Ill give it to you.quot; o a corner of tanding in pots all as themselves.
quot;Its t;
quot; is ?quot;
quot;ait.quot;
Maria-nunziata peeped over doo move a pot, lifted anoted to the ground.
quot;t; he said.
quot; is it ?quot; asked Maria-nunziata. S see any-t leaves and garden mould.
quot;Look, its moving,quot; said tone or leaf, somet, ; a toad.
quot;Mammamialquot;
Maria-nunziata skipping off among tted dooad and lauge teethe middle of his brown face.
quot;Are you frigs only a toad! ened ?
quot;A toad!quot; gasped Maria-nunziata.
quot;Of course its a toad. Come ; said Libereso.
Sed at it rembling finger. quot;Kill it.quot;
out o protect it. quot;I dont to. Its SO nice.quot;
quot;A nice toad ?quot;
quot;All toads are nice. t t;
quot;O; said Maria-nunziata, but s come any nearer.
Srying to che corner of her eyes.
quot;Look ty it is,quot; said Libereso and put a .
Maria-nunziata approac;No ! No ! Dont touc !quot;
itroking toads grey-green back, ws.
quot;Are you mad ? Dont you knoouc;
th a layer of yellow callouses.
quot;O me,quot; ;And its so pretty.quot;
Nooad by file scruff of t and put it in ta, still che edge of her apron, came nearer and crouched down beside him.
quot;Mammamia!quot; she exclaimed.
tas rosy knees coad, and caug every no tried to slip Out.
quot;You stroke it, Maria-nunziata,quot; he said.
the girl hid her hands in her apron.
quot;No,quot; she said firmly.
quot; ?quot; ;You dont it ?quot;
Maria-nunziata looad, and lohem again quickly.
quot;No,quot; she said.
quot;But its yours. Im giving it to you,quot; said Libereso.
Maria-nunziatas eyes clouded over. It o refuse a present, no one ever gave s, but toad really did revolt her.
quot;You can take it ll keep you company.quot;
quot;No,quot; she said.
Libereso put toad back on t quickly ted under the leaves.
quot;Good-bye, Libereso.quot;
quot;ait a minute.quot;
quot;But I must go and finisile Signora doesnt like me coming out in t;
quot;ait. I to give you somet;
S a strange boy t long oads in his hands.
quot;;
quot;Fifteen. And you ?quot;
quot;Fourteen.quot;
quot;NO, or on your next birt;
quot;On my next birtion Day.quot;
quot; passed yet ?quot;
quot;, dont you kno; She began laughing.
quot;No.quot;
quot;Assumption Day, o t;
quot;Me? No.quot;
quot;Back s not like s, not bergamots, and everyone picks bergamots from morning till nigeen broters and ts; five died etanus, and rain for a o go to Uncle
Carmelos, and eig in a garage tell me, w suc;
topped.
quot;Because it gro. Youve got long oo.quot;
quot;Im a girl. If you wear long ;
quot;Im not like a girl. You dont tell a boy from a girl by t;
quot;Not by t;
quot;No, not by t;
quot; by t;
quot;ould you like me to give you somet;
quot;O;
Libereso began moving among te trumpets silted against to eac. Maria-nunziata gone into tc laug was o now?
Libereso o all to her.
quot;Open your ; a cupped o put them under his.
quot; in t;
quot;Somet;
quot;S.quot;
Libereso opened i-coloured rose-c ttiest. ttle black legs in ta hid her hands under her apron.
quot;; said Libereso. quot;Dont you like t;
quot;Yes,quot; said Maria-nunziata uncertainly, still keeping her hands under her apron.
quot;igickle; o feel ?quot;
Maria-nunziata imidly, and Libereso poured a cascade of rose-co them.
quot;Dont be frig bite you.quot;
quot;Mammamia!quot; It occurred to t bite iful colours vanishing
to be seen but a ss flying about and settling.
quot; a pity. I try to give you a present and you dont it.quot;
quot;I must go and do t find me.quot;
quot;Dont you a present ?quot;
quot; are you going to give me no;
quot;Come and see.quot;
ook he flower-beds.
quot;I must get back to tco pluck, too.quot;
quot;Poof!quot;
quot;;
quot;e dont eat t;
quot; ?quot;
quot; do you mean ?quot;
quot;ell, t;
quot;Os of tictuces, tomatoes. My fat like us to eat t;
quot; dyou do ion, t;
quot;Sell it on t.quot;
ts, starred all over h red flowers.
quot; lovely flo; said Maria-nunziata. quot;Dyou ever pick t;
quot; for ?quot;
quot;to take to t;
quot;Mesembryant;
quot;s t ?quot;
quot;ts called Mesembryantin. All flo;
quot;tin, too.quot;
quot;I dont kno t.quot;
Libereso he wall.
quot;t is,quot; he said.
quot; is ?quot;
It he sun.
quot;Ill catc.quot;
quot;No.quot;
But closer to t it. e teet;Look out, its escaping!quot; First a stunned-looking ail, slit between his closed fingers.
Maria-nunziata every time s tig her knees.
quot;So you really dont me to give you anyt all ?quot; said Libereso, rat t s. Maria-nunziata kept her eyes lowered.
quot;Come along,quot; said Libereso, and took her hand again.
quot;Id like to ick and paint my lips red on Sundays to go out dancing. And a black veil to put on my erion.quot;
quot;On Sundays,quot; said Libereso, quot;I go to t loud from Kropotkin. My tither has hair
doo doo . And s in summer and er. And I do dra Federation op s are business men, ts are priests; t ter colours.quot;
to a pond er-lily leaves floating on it.
quot;Quiet, no; commanded Libereso.
Under ter a frog could be seen stle strokes of its green arms and legs. It suddenly surfaced, jumped on to a er-lily leaf and sat dohe middle.
quot;t; cried Libereso and put out a o catc, but Maria-nunziata let out a cry, quot;Ut!quot; and to ter. Libereso began searc, touche surface.
quot;t is.quot;
in a out in .
quot;toget; ;Look. top of eac;
quot;; asked Maria-nunziata.
quot;Male and female stuck toget; said Libereso. quot;Look ; And ried to put to Maria-nunziatas a sure if sened because tuck together.
quot;Leave t; s;You mustnt touc;
quot;Male and female,quot; repeated Libereso. quot;tadpoles.quot; A cloud passed over ta began to feel anxious.
quot;Its late. to be looking for me.quot;
But s go. Instead t on come out again. And t iny little snake be round roked its head.
quot;Once I used to train snakes. I er snake. But it ss skin and escaped. Look at ts mouts tongue is forked. Stroke it, it bite.quot;
But Maria-nunziata to t ains, and opened all ts, last; Maria-nunziata liked to move er to catc; it , but Maria-nunziata could put it in a bo in tco catc, but didnt take it out of ter in case it suffocated.
quot;Put your roke it,quot; said Libereso. quot;You can feel it breat prickle. not muc;
But Maria-nunziata did not to stroke ther.
In tunia bed t, and Libereso dug about some long, soft worms.
But Maria-nunziata ran atle shrieks.
quot;Put your ; said Libereso, pointing to trunk of an old peacree. Maria-nunziata did not understand in t s. tree iny black quot;Argentinequot; ants.
quot;Look,quot; said Libereso and put a runk. ts could be seen crawling over brushem off.
quot;; asked Maria-nuuziata. quot;ting yourself get covered s ?quot;
e black, and t.
quot;take your ; moaned Maria-nunziata. quot;Youll get t;
ts were crawling up his naked arm, and had already reached his elbow.
No but brushem off.
quot;Get rid of t your arm in er!quot;
Libereso laugs now even crawling from o his face.
quot;Libereso! Ill do all ts you gave me.quot;
Sarted to bruss.
Smiling e smile, Libereso took ree and began noncly dusting ouched.
quot;Very , Ive decided. t present I can.quot;
quot;s t ?quot;
quot;A ;
quot;Mammamia! t;
Maria-nunziata finis against tood Libereso .
quot;Maria-nunziata, let me in. I to give you a surprise.quot;
quot;No, you cant come up. t;
But at t moment ta vanished.
urned to tco be seen. Neitca up to the surprise.
On every plate s to dry tfing frog; a snake streaks all over ter she lonely old goldfish.
Maria-nunziata stepped back, but betoad. And be tle toads in a line, taking little oiled floor.