Lost Tales: the story of Scaurus - the umbrella thief

Often it occurs to me, when walking along country roads, to take secondary and secondary roards which become narrower and narrower, lost in very isolated country zones. At the end, I get lost: and I lose something more than just the direction...

When I walk on a narrow isolated country road for many km without meeting anyone also my fantasy gets lost in these places. And with my "walking fantasy", these places are animated by fantasy people...

The Story of Scaurus

After having walked for a long in this country road, I realized that, after so many crossroads, I got lost. I have met nobody during my walk and I have not seen any house around here. I have also tried to go back but after some attempts I realized that I was going around in circle always going back in the same crossroad. Of course my cellular phone had no signal...

So, after the last attempt, I realized that close to me there was a narrow road I have not noticed before. Maybe I arrived from there. So I decided to try also considering that I was going around in vain for too long and, being afternoon, I didn't want to be catched by darkness here.



I started to walk and while walking I realized that this road is getting narrower and narrower becoming just a strict muddy lane which seemed to end in a field. There was nobody and no houses around.

Nonetheless, looking carefully, I could notice, just behind an olive grove, a old house which seemed abandoned. I decided to knock at that door anyway ; maybe someone is living there...



The door is ramshackle and the house is in very bad conditions. After knoking at the door many times and just when I was about to leave, a nasally voice asked from the inside:

- Who's there?
I replied that I was lost and I needed some directions to go back home. After some key clac clac, from a narrow door glimmer, two small eyes and a long nose were looking at me.

- Excuse me. May I use your telephone please?
- A telephone? I don't know whatta do with a telephone! - He replied.
So I asked again for some directions to go back to the main road. The door opened slowly and a rather thin, black curl hair little man appeared on the doorstep.

- Here there are only main roads. Above all this road. Anyway, come in. I'll explain to you how to go back to the village.

Inside, the room seemed small with a low roof: the windows were closed so it was quite dark inside. After a while I started to see something in the darkness and I noitced that the room was full with stuff left around at random. Pots, bottles, shoes, hats, books and above all, umbrellas. many umbrellas. I understood that I was in the Scaurus' home, the umbrella thief.

- I have always thought that the "umbrella thief" cannot exist, just a fairytale... maybe I was wrong... - I whispered
- Uhm! I'm not a thief! I pick up what people lose. And here the umbrella people leave around end up - Scaurus replied
- What do you do with this stuff? - I answered
- Mind your own business! Just remember that if someone loses his umbrella I immediately arrive and I get it and I'll keep it here forever.

In the meantime, Scaurus came close to a small bottle from which he freed a butterfly.
- Follow her. she will bring you to the main road. When you turn back you won't find this road - he said

I gave thanks to Scaurus for his help and I went out the house. The door quickly was closed behind me. I followed the butterfly who soon took the little road and after a while I realized that the road began to be wider and wider. I turned back but the Scaurus' home has disappeared.

So I decided to keep on walking and soon after also the butterfly disappeared. I have reached the road I know and I could go back home. But I realized that I have forgotten my gloves at Scaurus' home.

What a pity! It was a very nice pair of gloves...