At the age of 32, I was a hardened traveller at the time. I went through many places in Africa, Asia, South America and some of the Middle East. But this time, the task seemed much simpler, as my destination was in Western European territory : Italy. Surprisingly, I never went there before, and could barely get through with how little of the language I knew. But this wouldn't scare me from reaching my goals of chasing a silly legend : the one they called the 'All-seeing Sage', Andello.
My journey began like a tourist's week would have, simply arriving at Naples International Airport. Since I was mostly going to explore a first world country, I didn't bring much luggage, and my main asset was mostly money and an Italian crash course book, that I was too tired to read on the airplane anyway. The only reliable hint I managed to get was that the village was located around Naples, slightly to the North.
Being the brave and confident guy I was, I didn't even hesitate and started asking the locals on I was on site. It was easy, I simply needed to read their faces after hearing the name "Andello". Or at least, it was easy when I had this idea. Many of them didn't even stop, too busy with their own life to help me. All I got was, at best, a bunch of "Non lo so", that I rapidly learned meant "I don't know". In a way, this was understandable, but it still left me with a lot of frustration. How was I going to make progress if no one was willing to help me with it ?
As much as I disliked those places, I tried my luck at the nearest tourist center to see if there were people knowledgeable about this subject that I could discuss with, in English if possible. I eventually found one receptionist who managed to talk in a language I understood.
"What can I help you with ?" she said.
"Did you hear about someone called Andello ?"
Judging by her reaction, she clearly knew who I was talking about. However...
"I'm sorry, but this is a legend. He doesn't exist."
I wasn't very please by her answer, but I didn't expect to hear anything remotely useful from those goddamn scammers who tried to sell tours to anyone who came in their in their visitor center. I then tried another approach.
"Do you know about any small villages up North ?"
She just shrugged. "There are only residential towns up there, and this is a vast area anyway. I don't think you will find what you want."
Clearly, she didn't want to help me with it. I don't know if she was hiding something or was just annoyed by a seeming large affluence of people who came in Naples to see Andello. I still pushed through my idea of exploring North, so she ended up helping me get bus tickets towards a more rural area. I really regretted not asking for more details when I heard about this legend a couple years ago. I still remembered the scene, sharing experiences with a fellow traveler from Finland when I was hiking through Tibet. He told me all about small legends he heard during his trips, but this one really stuck to me as extraordinary and unrealistic it was. Why did I even believe in it anyway ?
"I will need your name to make a reservation for the tickets" she said, interrupting my inner monologue.
"Billy McDonald's."
She looked at me with clear confusion in her eyes.
"Just kidding. Mark Dawson."
Clearly, she didn't like my funny bit about my home country. Were Italians known for a poor sense of humor ? This joke always worked with girls when I was abroad… Anyway, I finally left the tourist center and went to get my bus. The trip was quite pleasant, but as we approached the rural area, I started to realize that… it was just so vast, and I had no idea where to start looking.
As I got off, only a few people stepped out of the bus with me. Once last time, I tried to ask them about Andello, but nothing. The more I tried, the more I felt like this was just a dumb legend anyway. Now began my favorite moment of any trip abroad : departing towards the unknown with my backpack. And so I started walking, as if nothing could stop me, going through many small villages, sometimes asking for a place to stay for night, sometimes just pitching a tent in the wild.
After a week that felt like a month, I was just... bored. What started as an adventure was mostly a boring bad tourist trip now. I hadn't learned anything. Sure, I met nice people and all, but this time, that wasn't what I was looking for. However, this night, I felt like my luck was going to turn around the next day. There had to be a small village somewhere, right ?
In the morning, I wasn't woken up naturally, like I normally would. I woke up with something gently shaking my body to get me awake. I opened my eyes, peaked my head out and saw this little girl probably around 10 years old, looking at me. She just stared at me for a moment, so I asked "What do you want ?". She didn't respond. I let her stare at me for a moment, then when I went back inside to pack up my stuff. She was probably just a nosy local girl, not worth the effort. Then I heard her finally talk.
"Sei venuto per incontrare Andello ?"
Andello ? Well, she had my undivided attention now. I immediately went back outside and asked her "What did you say ?" but she just repeated the same sentence that I didn't understand. At least, I heard what I wanted to hear. 'Andello'. I tried to get her to bring me to Andello, but it looked it was her plan anyway. Why would a little girl do this ? Isn't it dangerous for her to be like this alone ?
We walked together for two days. But actually, what actually happened is that I was the one following her and struggling along the way. She was just so energetic, nimble, and very knowledgeable about all the places we went through. We passed through forests, tiny villages and generally abandoned areas, all of them either too labyrinthic or vast for any normal person to find their way out. Thinking back, how was I even supposed to find the right place on my own aside from using blind luck ?
Along the way, I learned that the little girl's name was Giulietta. That was the only thing I knew about her, and we never really talked because of the language barrier. But even then, I felt myself getting attached to her. She was truly one of a kind. Even though we didn't have any common language, she always tried to cheer me up as she could. Sometimes, she pointed on a map she carried to make me realize the progress we made. Often, she would also give me helping hand when I was too weak to continue, or sat waiting for me to rest. Giulietta was really an amazing and very special girl.
At the end of the second day, as we were navigating through another dense forest, I started seeing lights from a distance, inside the forest itself. I didn't need more confirmation to realize that we were arriving at our destination. When I arrived at the village, it was surprisingly active. At first, I kinda expected some ruins with Andello sitting on top, like it was some kind of memorial. But instead, this village was like a busy downtown, expect much smaller and modest. Not like a tribe either, just mostly people enjoying their time, away from the big city.
As soon as we arrived, Giulietta left me immediately running off somewhere, just giving me a quick look back as we parted. Even though I knew I would see her again soon, that made me a bit emotional for a moment. Also, this made me reflect on my past experiences as a traveller a lot. All this time, I managed to pull through with no one to thank but myself. But in this one trip, I didn't know where I was going to, and I truly felt lost for the first time, this little girl as my guide. As I sat there thinking, a person appeared in front of me, I looked up.
"I can't do anyting to help you Mike. I am sorry you went through the trouble of coming here."
Before I even had a chance to say anything, the man turned his back on me and starting leaving. Instinctively, I stood up and asked the man the question I've wanted to ask for more than a week.
"Are you Andello ?" I said. The man stopped.
"I know why you came here. I am sorry to say that you are the only I can not help."
I could not believe it. I went through all this trouble, only to be greeted like this ? This was unacceptable. I started going to talk with him some more. Immediately, some of the villagers came to stop me in place. But I was not giving up.
"I didn't even tell you anything ! What's your problem ?"
As I said this, an angry villager grabbed my arms and told me "Non toccare Andello il saggio." Once again, I didn't understand what was said, but it was confirmed. This man was the rumored Andello. So in the end, Andello was a real person, but it's his description that was fake ? I was furious. But then, before I could do anything, Andello looked at me in the eyes and said :
"You are here to find a cure for your wife's disease, right ?"
"How do you know that ?"
"So you believe I really am who you came here to meet, after all."
"You're not as they told me you were. They told me you could do something !"
It was only half the intention, but what he said looked like it hurt. Andello looked on the floor, as if he was feeling shameful. Then he eventually left for good. Then, I realized that I was wrong when I thought he was a fake. Instantly, he saw through me and knew the reason of my visit. But also, I realized something else. All this time, I forgot the reason why I came here in the first place. My wife was still suffering and all I could think was adventure. She was right about me, I never grew up. But now, I felt like on the right path.
I left the tiny room they offered me for the night, and was headed to find Andello once again and settle things out. As soon as I stepped out, I saw Giulietta. There was no one else around, she was just waiting for me. "Vieni", she said, as she started walking. This time, I trusted her immediately and just followed her. Eventually, we arriver at what looked like Andello's house. I entered, and suddenly felt this very serene atmosphere. Andello was simply sitting at his table, and he offered me to sit in the other chair in front of the table. Without hesitation, I did.
"Why did you tell Giulietta to guide me if you couldn't do anything ?"
"I am sorry." he simply apologized. "I hope you do not resent me for this."
"Actually, I do ! What am I going to do now for my wife ?"
"You can't do anything to cure it. It's impossible."
I was just… floored. Andello, the sage, a man blessed with incredible powers was just sitting in front of me, basically telling me to give up. In an instant, it felt like all I've ever done in my life was useless after all. I looked at his face in disbelief for a moment, but he was definitely serious. I started to cry a bit. Most of all, I felt miserable. Me, the hardened traveler, fearful of nothing, daunted by nothing, was just incapable of thinking straight at this revelation. For a moment, I didn't know who I was anymore. Was I Dawson the adventurer, or Mark the husband ?
But something I didn't expect happened. Andello was smiling. Was he making fun of my emotional distress ? Was he that kind of man all along.
"What are you going to do now ?" he asked me.
I hesitated, then I answered the only thing I had in my mind. "I just want to go home and spend time with my wife, before she… passes away."
Andello chuckled, then looked at me with a wider smile. "I am glad it worked out as expected."
"What do you mean by that ?" I asked in confusion.
"The reckless man that landed in Naples ten days ago left his spot to a caring man, sitting in my chair right now. With this, I accomplished my task."
I didn't understand. Was all of this an elaborate scheme to reconsider my life choices ? I expected to face a sage as they described him in fantasy books, but Andello was something else.
"How did you know I would change this much in so little time ? Do you read the future"
"I didn't know if it would work. That is why I sent Giulietta to fetch you."
"Was she supposed to make me change ?"
"Not really. But I know you were a good person inside, because otherwise she wouldn't have told you her name."
This discussion went on with Andello for hours. All along I expected to see a wrinkling old sage with stellar knowledge, but Andello was better than any of this. In the end, I could not even tell his age. When it was time for me to leave, and after I thanked him for everything, he mentioned a special request.
"Could you please not spread the tale about my existence ?"
"Why ?"
"Because we have something in common. We want to have the answer to the same question. But I guess even an All-seeing sage can't see things that don't exist."
The atmosphere suddenly went heavy, as I realized what he meant. I just tried to make my exit as soon as I could, thanking Andello again. As I expected it, Giulietta was waiting for me outside. She looked at me, and before she even tried to say anything, I just nodded. She smiled and little, for the first time, and then started to walk.
In less than three hours, we arrived near a bus station. What, we were this close to a road all this time ? Wow, I really am bad at finding places. We waited a bit at my bus stop, in total silence. When the bus arrived, and I was about to board it, I looked back and saw Giulietta, waving at me.
"Come… back… soon… Mark."
It had been a long time, but I eventually reached in my bag, and grabbed my Italian book that was collecting dust during my whole trip. I knew exactly what I was looking for, and after finding it. I just looked in the direction of Giulietta, just before the bus door closed.
"Molte grazie, Giulietta !"
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