There is a town that was happy
this town had a king who got sick
in the room of illness, queen mother and their two sons sit by the king
the oldest and the little son
the oldest is really bad, in fact he has red hair
the little one is light for our eyes, voice of flute
Doctor's opinion is terrible
"Your Majesty, there's nothing medicine can do
"you are dying", we were born, we live then we die, nothing can save you"
except one thing, a Grifone bird quill that you can find on the other side of the island, upon the snowy mountain spitting fire
but every time there's a Grigone bird quill, it gets dark
so, we have to give up, you are dying,
Goodbye!"
He leaves the room and everybody is a little bit sad, apart from the little son
"Can a Grifone bird quill save my father?"
Thus, he leaves the dark room of illness, crosses the long corridor, goes down from the castle, gets out from the high main door
and runs towards the green wood in front of the castle
and he runs and runs..
..going up and down from Cuccio Mountain
...and runs and runs, dodging black dogs..
going through the stone desert, sand desert, glass desert, he runs and runs...
and at last he reaches the snowy mountain spitting fire and goes on running...
he arrives to the top of the snowy mountain spitting fire and..
There's nothing and nobody
So, a little bit tired, the young son falls down while two tears sail his eyes and fall down piercing the snow and...
..a Grifone bird appears high in the sky
"Why are you crying?"
"Because I need one of your quills, otherwise my father will die"
"But do you know that every time there's a quill of mine, it gets dark?"
"Yes..."
and as the last October leaf falls down, dancing through the air...
the quill leans on young son's hand
and when he gets it, it's joy..
as it was April in his face and kissed by the spring sun
"Oh..Thank you, now I have to go or else my father dies"
and holding the quill in his hands he runs and runs..
goes through the deserts, dodging the black dogs and goes on running..
up and down from Cuccio mountain
goes on running, he reaches the green wood in front of the castle when he meets his brother, the oldest, the bad one
"Where have you been, nonentity, we were worried"
"Look, I found a Grifone bird quill, dad is save"
"Let me see it" says the oldest brother
There is a Grifone bird quill that means that my father can get well and that my little brother is that one who makes my dad feeling better
and it can't be
and as it was a pain, he opens his hands and lets the quill fall down
"Are you crazy? If we loose the quill our dad will die!!"
and down on his knees, the young son takes the quill, when..
a black stone, that the oldest son was holding in his hands, is hurled upon little son's head, killing him
in front of them there is a white and dried tree, ideal for burying someone
The oldest buries the little brother...but..
"the Grifone bird quill can be useful"he says..
He holds the quill, goes in the castle
he enters the room of illness
"Dad, look what I found, take it!"
He gives it to him and immediately the illness flies away from the windows
He gets well
but nobody is happy
where is the little son?
light for our eyes, voice of flute..
because of her pain, queen mother lockes herself in the room of loneliness
the king loses the power of speech because of his pain
the oldest brother inherits the kingdom
and it gets dark in Palermo as it was an uninterrupted November
One day, a sheep owner loses a sheep in the wood
"Masino" says to the dog
"It's Licietta, what a miserable sheep, she likes doing that, when I get her I will beat her up"
He enters the wood "Licietta, where are you?I won't punish you..I promise..maybe..Licietta"
He finds her...
and he sees that Licietta is eating some grass
by a white and dried tree
that has only one fruit.. a bone flute
the sheep owner was amazed because he had never seen a fruit like that
then, so curious he got it and immediately he carried it to his mouth and he played the flute..
"Sheep owner who are holding me in your mouth..
hold me and do not leave me...
because of a Grifone bird quill my brother has been a traitor...
he killed me and buried in the wood"
"What an oddity!" the sheep owner wonders
He remembers that his cousin is a piper player
So he starts running to reach him, he knocks at door...
"Take it" ...the piper player took it, and thought it was a flute he had never seen during all his life
So curious played the bone flute and...
"Sheep owner who are holding me in your mouth..
hold me and do not leave me...
because of a Grifone bird quill my brother has been a traitor...
he killed me and buried in the wood"
"That's what happened" said the sheep owner and without saying anything else..
he gets out of his house to reach the castle where he asks for the permission to talk with the king and meets him...
"Your Majesty, here is the solution for all problems, do as you like, but, please, play the bone flute!"
With no hesitation, without thinking about, the king took the flute and played...
"Dad, dad, dad, hold me in your arms and do not leave me...
because of a Grifone bird quill my brother has been a traitor...
..and he killed me and buried in the wood..
and he killed me and buried in the wood"
Silent, as only pain knows and must be,
the king goes through the castle and enters the room of loneliness
he opens the door... here is the queen mother
"Take it and play!"
The queen mother, with no questions, took the flute and almost out of breath blew and the bone flute played this song..
"Mom, hold me tight and do not leave me..
because of a Grifone bird quill my brother has been a traitor...
and he killed me and buried in the wood..
..and he killed me and buried in the wood!"
The oldest brother was asked to come..
"What happened to your little brother?"
"I don't know anything"
"Really?...Why don't you play this flute?"
The oldest brother took the flute and played by his bad breath.. and that's the its song...
"Brother, you are holding me in your mouth, hold me tight and do not leave me..
because of a Grifone bird quill you have been a traitor...
..and you killed me and slaughtered..and buried in the wood..
..and you killed me and slaughtered..and buried in the wood"
The oldest brother was sent into exile on a distant island far away from Palermo
The queen mother locks herself in the room of loneliness, the king becomes mute because of his pain
and it gets dark in Palermo, an on-going November darkness,
High in the sky, a Grifone bird was observing everything
..a town, its hurts and then flies away..
A little bone flute is left in Palermo
with a littler writing on it..
"Dear, be careful because every time you face the darkness, the darkness will look in your eyes too."