Backward stories

Preface

Did it really take me that long, seven years to give birth to this thing... not even that great? Yes, although it may sound crazy...

This is a science fiction book, in fact it's about girls who, without too much hassle, accept to do what their boyfriends ask of them.
G.Dar 2/6/1991

It was born, as a draft, to be a sequel to "A two dreams tale", and had to be a metaphorical sequel to it - but as nostalgic as possible. Then it became the story of changing friendships, serious-but-not-too-serious romances, work and what you'd really like to do in your life. In the end it has largely become nostalgic again, as regards a certain vision of very "adolescent" love, but it has retained, perhaps drifting too much into trivial details, the sense of how memories and longer friendships are to be faced.
What else can I say... I dedicate it to all those who are willing to try and read it.
G.Dar 26/4/1998

Sometimes I wish I had written this story better... Instead, the quality of the text is what it is, and ultimately so is the overall idea. Yet I liked it a lot, I always liked it a lot and again recently, as I re-read it. The main idea is the usual, beautiful, exploited idea of time travel, but with a special introspection like this...
G.Dar 9/4/2005

Chapter 1

He still didn't believe much in the possibility that Sandro would be joining them.
Mixed feelings were going on in his mind: he wondered why it had never been possible in his entire life, much less recently, to be certain about a journey until the very day the journey was to take place. On the other hand, he still tried to imagine how the holiday would even happen without the third friend of theirs; often, then, he mulled over Sandro's way of behaving, who was always saying "yes" to all those who proposed him some ideas, in order to be able later to decide with ease which thing suited him or he liked most.
Roberto was sure that the year before things had gone exactly like this: he, in agreement with two other boys, had proposed Sandro to spend New Year's Eve in Eastern Europe, in Hungary. And until the day before planned departure he had gone on telling him that "perhaps, indeed almost certainly" he would leave with them. That the only problems could come from his job which haunted him even when everyone was partying, but that nevertheless he would try hard to be there, he would even share his own car and so on. Uncertain once again until the end, Roberto then learned from a friend of his that Sandro would be busy for work in the two days preceding New Year's Eve, and that he would then go to the mountains with his girlfriend.
Even though he was leaving for his vacation in Hungary, together with the other two friends, Roberto could not ever remove from his mind the suspicion, indeed the certainty, that dear Sandro knew from the beginning that he wasn't going to leave with them. He could not hate him for it, nor was he too angry, but he often thought about the matter, in order to understand how far his friend's courage could go in telling lies.
In fact, they had known each other for too long now for anything to seriously undermine their friendship. Roberto often claimed to know more about Sandro and his way of behaving than he could say about Federica, his girlfriend for over two years now. They had always had interests in common, although those were always on different levels: they had gone through so many of those experiences together that their so-called cultural background was very vast and above all very similar.
The same could not be said for Giorgio, whom Roberto had met less than one year before as a colleague at work. After having feared for some time that this person had been called by the boss to subtle substitute him, Roberto then realized that this way of behaving was not in Giorgio's character, and a certain friendship had developed between the two. In fact, after a few months Giorgio ended his working relationship with the company where Roberto had been employed for some time, and soon the latter too left due to various incompatibilities of views with the owners.
However, Giorgio and Roberto had been quite friends at work, but they hardly ever met outside. Roberto had tried to convince Giorgio to hang out with his friends, but the latter had only joined a couple of times. He had also tried to organize those classic nights out as a couple with Emanuela, Giorgio's girlfriend, and Federica, but there had never been any hope.
After their relationship ended as colleagues, the two had actually begun meeting a little more often. During those evenings at the pubs, in the last summer the idea had been born to spend New Year's Eve together, in a place to be defined, with people to imagine. This was the jargon with which Roberto expressed himself about things organized between friends, to highlight his skepticism about such events being successful.
Giorgio and Sandro met almost immediately after Giorgio started working with Roberto. The opportunity had been given by a computer program that Giorgio needed and that Sandro had written a few months earlier for his job. The three had met several times and, in the end, Giorgio had solved his problem by working for a few evenings at Sandro's house.
This had happened in the spring. After the summer and holidays, Roberto and Giorgio had started spreading the word among all their friends about the idea of that New Year's Eve together, including Sandro of course. The original plan involved leaving somewhen in the week between Christmas and New Year, with destination Paris or some other town in the north of France. People to be invited to join could be anyone, in fact it was thought of a large group comprising both couples and other friends.
Over time, however, the matter had been skimming as it was taking shape. Of the many friends who had seemed available, almost all had vanished: Sandro, incredibly, seemed quite convinced of joining the group, and this would have automatically led to the inclusion of his Laura in the group of participants. So, in the end, plan of leaving in three couples, all together, around the 27th of December had taken hold.
To tell the truth, a friend of Roberto and Sandro's, Rossella, at Christmas still agreed to leave, but she didn't really feel like going with the three couples. This girl was an ex-schoolmate of Roberto's, who had attended for some time a group of friends where Roberto and Sandro were showing up; then the group was skipped and she and Roberto saw or heard themselves from time to time, alone, and told each other about the various events that had happened to each of them. There was a notable level of friendship between them, which never resulted in a "crush" despite the fact that year after year they felt closer and closer in their ideas and judgments about people. They got along on everything and even when one of them made fun of the other by telling things he or she didn't really think, it was enough for them to look at each other for a moment to uncover the con. Roberto loved to imagine his relationship with this girl inspired by a couple of television detectives, whose adventures he sometimes followed.
It had therefore bothered him quite a lot that his friend could not come just because she was alone: she had in fact splitted up with a boy about five months earlier, during the summer. It was one of the many things Roberto hated in his current life, the fact that there had to be some kind of discrimination between coupled and lonely people, to the point that everyone felt inherently different when transitioning from one status to another or even just when simply going out one night without their girlfriend or boyfriend. He remembered that years before, when girls had just begun to join his group of friends, it hadn't been like this and generally groups remained well blended even when a couple was born. Then, slowly the situation had changed...
In fact, the average duration of each one's relationships with girls had changed too: all three friends had been dating some girl for several years, whereas back in the days of big circles of friends Roberto had never exceeded four or six months, and on average it had been the same for the other two. Also because of this, the three boys had hoped to be able to leave before the ladies, in order to spend some few days alone since, as Sandro always used to say, he felt haunted by the girl's presence to the point of never being able to hang out alone with his friends.
It has be told that Sandro was exaggerating a bit and for the other two guys there was never any problem. Roberto used to go often out with Federica, sometimes even with other couples, but if he happened to spend some time or a few evenings with a friend for one of his many hobbies, then this meant no problems for the girl, as long as he made up for the evening after... Seriously, Roberto actually had more free time than the others because he worked on different computers at home or with customers and therefore had no real specific office hours: therefore Federica gladly stepped aside every now and then to rest, letting him do what he liked best.
If things were more or less the same for Giorgio, Sandro instead had a life full of work commitments, starting with the company of which he was half a shareholder, and which always kept him busy for at least ten hours a day, to finish in the drawings and projects that he often continued at home in the evenings when he had not been too late with work. Consequently, Sandro used to go out with Laura quite rarely, and even on those rare occasions he often talked about work and between the lines of his speeches one could understand that perhaps he'd have rather engaged in some actual work issue than going out and have fun. In spite of everything, the couple had been working this way for three years now.
However, without existing a real need to clash with the girls for this New Year's holiday, it happened that Laura, as Sandro explained to Roberto very happily, could only go on vacation starting from Wednesday 29 at noon, due to her work problems.
- This is how the problem gets solved - said Sandro - we'll leave on the 27th or so and we'll stop in Paris, and the other three can join us on Friday. I don't think Federica and the other one, there... will refuse to accompany Laura, and therefore the issue is gone.
- But... - Roberto pointed out - don't you think they could ask you to wait for your girlfriend?
- Well... no... you'll convince them, come on... and in any case I'll sneak away by the morning of the 27th, to dissolve any doubt!
All right, Roberto thought. If that's how it has to be...
Now he only was only needed to convince Federica to take care of the big mess. In fact, she was the one of the three who knew both of her other friends, and so she had to arrange the whole matter. The important thing was that she wasn't opposing too strongly, then the game would be done because, as far as he knew, Giorgio's girlfriend was quite malleable and she wouldn't have any problems leaving two days later.

* * *

He had succeeded quite easily in the days around Christmas: the three girls had arranged to meet without the boys on the evening of 27th, in order to define the exact details of their trip; in case, they stated, we can meet on 28th too, so as not to stay alone at home. This had been the only dig in reference to the boys willing to leave without them. However, they agreed to go by train and possibly also to return too by train after New Year's Eve.
However, after all these words had been spent, Sandro hadn't assured yet Roberto that yes, the two of them would go together with the other two couples. It was now 27th morning and agreements were that by noon Sandro had to call Roberto to give him a definitive answer. "If by chance he changed his mind ", Roberto thought, and this doubt had harassed him for the whole of Christmas, including Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, "Laura won't come either and we'll have to call the other two girls again in the evening, hoping that they will be able to get their luggage ready, so the overall occupation of our car is changing again and... damn it, he cannot, that cannot be! "
Instead, the call came fairly early and was incredibly positive. The two made arrangements to meet in the evening around dinner time at Sandro's house, who lived on the way to France. Giorgio then did phone Roberto, also telling him to spread the word Emanuela that everything was confirmed as before.
There were therefore still a few hours before departure, time that Roberto used to call Federica, tell her goodbye, and finish the baggage preparations. Generally it was a matter of cramming as much clothing as possible into the backpack that Roberto, despite being 27 years old, was still using for his travels: several times his friends and even Federica had teased him about that container, while everyone had now access to a more professional suitcase.

 Chapter 2

Usually, compared to the given time, they always managed to leave with a delay varying from half an hour to an hour. This tradition has been going on for a long time, indeed it could be said forever. In fact, in all the friends' groups with which he had been hanging out, Roberto had always had the accursed habit of arriving ten minutes later for appointments: it didn't matter what the time was, the ten "academic" minutes were impossible to avoid, unless they resorted to tougher threats. Even now that the companies were more sparse and they were often meeting only with their mates, he had fully maintained that habit of being eternally late: truth be told, his Federica, who was also particularly predisposed, had supported him to these constant delays, even when they were meeting for a simple walk.
Thus, they were beginning to load the car by the time they should have already been on the road for a quarter of an hour. The three friends had not yet established who the driver would be: probably Roberto was to drive for a good distance, since they were using his Golf; then someone else would have switched over along the way.
Among the various cars available, the choice had fallen on Roberto's Golf as Sandro would have preferred to avoid facing a long journey with his own car, already travelling many kilometers for work; Giorgio's Panda hadn't even been taken into account for obvious reasons!
For their return trip, the choice that had emerged consisted of returning, as before, with the boys in the car and the girls on the train, or in sending a couple by train and bringing the other two back by car: they were then to decide at the moment. The return trip was scheduled for the second or third of January without, it seemed, any problems related to job.
As said, Roberto had joined last and the other two had already been cursing him for a few minutes when he arrived. Giorgio then parked his Fiat Panda in Sandro's garage, then unloaded his luggage: at that moment they all realized that two persons were enough to fill the car's luggage van, and that therefore the presence of a third one would have involved overturning at least one backseat.
So minutes kept passing and the party was about to leave every possible second. - Will we need snow chains? - was one of the most sensible questions from the last few minutes. - Possibly - Roberto commented, and so they loaded the chains too.
- Have you taken everything?
The question was repeated several times, and finally Sandro closed the gate of his house and got into the car, alongside Roberto. Unfortunately, after less than a kilometer, Sandro remembered that he didn't like most of Roberto's music tapes very much, and so he wanted to go back and get some more music, in view of the long journey.
- You're such a plague! - Roberto exclaimed - We are already unprecedentedly late and you keep on wasting time - Sandro's answer, certainly not very gentle, echoed from the house stairs but the two guys inside the car couldn't hear it distinctly.
Redirecting the car westwards, the party finally began their journey. It was a road well known by the three friends, at least in the first stretch that led out of Italy through the Montgenèvre pass: in fact that road led to the mountains richest in snow and ski resorts in Piedmont, and all three had driven over there myriads of times. Since there were therefore no problems with maps and reports (unlike, for example, the trip that Roberto had made to Eastern Europe...), the three continued to make fun of each other and joke.
- It is eight o'clock and therefore we can calculate that we'll arrive in Paris by... - Roberto said, but Sandro interrupted him - It's not eight, your onion clock is barely working and it is nineteen fifty-three.
- As I said, it should take us eight hours of travel plus a few to rest.
- Bravo, so you take a nap and we make this grinder run as it should and not in "energy saving" mode - replied Giorgio. He didn't know, however, that this joke was to touch Roberto in depth, because in one of his last trips with friends he had let another guy drive, just to rest for a while: and, as he woke up, he had seen the odometer indicate a disproportionate figure compared to the dense fog that laid on the street! As a result of this, he hoped he could make it to the destination without having to surrender the wheel.
- He never told you the story of a famous New Year's Eve and a girl... did he? - Sandro asked Giorgio at one point - It's quite unlikely, he's been telling that to half the known world, he has been haunting us with this tale for years.
- No, he didn't tell me... wait, let me think... well, it seems to me that sometimes he mentioned it, but he didn't dig into details.
- Ah, well, since we're going the same way as that time, I thought he was already making some revival to himself. Ain't it true, Roberto?
- Well, yeah, a little bit yes, but I kept it to myself. However, if you really insist...
- No, stop... unless Giorgio feels so self-defeating...
- Come on, tell me, you made me curious. But what was she like then?
- Apart from that, the beauty of it is that this other guy was present as well, only he keep repeating that it's only me who still thinks about it - said Roberto. - Since Federica is not present now, maybe we can also talk about it freely.
Sandro's words had made conscious a thought that unconsciously had already taken shape in Roberto's mind: when he was driving on that road he spontaneously used to think about some moments of the past that had had a village in that valley west of Turin as its epicenter. Recently, in fact, he had chosen to confine these memories to subconscious, otherwise he'd have to clash with Federica every time and give her explanations, as it happened at the beginning of their relationship.
Between them, he had begun to talk about it, as is usually done, talking about past "lovers". Over time, however, Federica had noticed that to Roberto this romance seemed to mean something more, than a simple crush of the past: then she had begun to insist on knowing more. "I'm worried since you think about it so often... but if that's the case, maybe it would be better for me to step aside so you go back to her", she said, and Roberto tried to reassure her, to explain that it wasn't the "old“ Stefy that he often thought about, rather about the period of time that immediately followed the days in which he had known her, a period that among other things corresponded to the year in which he had turned 18 and passed his high school leaving certificate.
He had to explain this several times to skeptical Federica, but he cared too much about her to just leave a misunderstanding like that afloat in the air. And in the end she seemed to understand: she realized that in fact Roberto seemed to be more linked to certain moments, of various nature, in his past, rather than to Stefania.
- Stefania, yes... - Roberto exclaimed after a few seconds - well, she was a little taller than me, brown hair, as for her curves I can't say much because I've always seen her on the mountains and in winter, and then...
In that moment Giorgio intervened with a "just cut the story short and let's talk about sex", and then Roberto felt that once again the story would need to be told all over again, so that Giorgio could understand. Roberto also thought, however, that he had hardly been able to explain to anyone exactly what those memories meant: he clearly remembered the feeling that kept lying inside of him after having told the whole tale about Stefy to someone, a feeling of extreme limitation in facts and something at the level of feelings and thoughts that he could never communicate.
So he tried to unload the hot potato to Sandro.
- Come on Sandro, you tell him, so I'm free to drive.
- Wait a moment, Sandro - interrupted Giorgio. - I remember once Roberto told me about a certain Stefy, who wasn't from Turin, whom he met on the mountains... is it that story?
Sandro nodded as he sneezed violently. - Yes, as I said, of course it's that thing, back there on the mountains; it seemed obvious to me that he couldn't help but tell you about it... Well, nothing special, we went to the mountains near Bardonecchia, I introduced him to a friend of the girl I was dating back then, and he, going in order: he managed not to date her after she was obviously willing it as well, he let everyone in the company know, and then he stalked us out thirty-forty times to visit her (because he didn't own a car, poor thing) and when he saw her he spent the whole night talking to her about a bunch of bullshit, only to come to the conclusion that he would never ever kiss her...
Giorgio saw Roberto's head swinging while Sandro was speaking, so in the end he said: - it seems to me that Robi is not very much in agreement on these facts...
- Apart from the fact that you hid in your car and abandoned everyone that evening, and this only to name one of the many reprehensible episodes you were protagonist of - Roberto said - the point in itself is not the girl. There were three of us, all about seventeen-eighteen, and we had gone to the mountains for New Year's Eve: this stunned guy's girlfriend and a friend of hers were waiting for us, as well as some kind of group of people. It's difficult to explain, but when I met that Stefania I immediately felt deeply touched: at first I wanted to date her, she was so nice... well, then things went differently, but the three days spent as a group and close to her changed me a lot. I think these are the changes that happen to everyone around the age of eighteen... yes, oh well...
Naturally Sandro didn't miss the joke and replied. - So, as I said, the fact that there's a girl involved in this case isn't the most important thing. And - he added - let's not even talk about sex, of course.
- Obviously... - Roberto confirmed - but you too changed a bit after those times, like all of us.
That "us", of course, was another concept that used to shake Roberto from his subconscious. It was a group of friends who had meant his first circle, which lasted from a few months before that Eve to a couple of years later. They were the friends, he thought, with whom there had never been problems about work, about couples and so on; they were the friends of the holidays, of the disco, of the first experiences...
So, while Sandro was beginning to answer him, Roberto whispered a "how clear and luminous is the light of those days in 1985, which shines from this valley". Since he often spoke in a low voice, no one listened to him and Sandro went on with his speech.
- Yes, when we got back from that New Year's Eve we were all a bit changed. He for certain, after a few weeks of blackout, began to do crazy things so much that many paople no longer could recognize him. And we all started doing other things around that time: you know, don't you, taking our car for longer trips, going on holidays alone, all those things you start doing at that age. You too - he added, turning to Giorgio - will have had similar experiences.
Giorgio pretended to be absorbed in contemplating the nocturnal landscape, but this only earned him a jolt and an insult on Sandro's part.
- No, no, I've been listening to it all, indeed you were so good at telling that I was getting used to it... Okay, yes, I too remember that at a certain point we started doing things that as "little kids" we didn't, but I don't know if there was a specific moment in which I changed... but I wouldn't say so. I remember that, at school, for a long time we used to go out with other friends and stayed under our homes, in gardens, or spent Sundays at home playing Subbuteo. Then, we started organizing dinners with the girls among the classmates, parties and then we got our driver's license. Later, unfortunately, I started working and thus I started doing a lot less things, even though I have more money.
Giorgio was actually a little younger than Roberto and Sandro, both roughly the same age. Listening to his words, Roberto thought that he was probably two or three years closer to the times he was talking about.
- Yeah, same concept. I don't know, maybe because I, indeed we, have changed more abruptly, we remember that time as the most carefree and most enjoyable of our life. In fact, as neither Sandro nor I haven't yet said, afterwards other things came and the happy season lasted only a little, very little. -Roberto stopped as he saw a sign indicating the town of Susa, and he realized that he had already traveled a long way, as he was immersed in those talks. In any case, he was going at a leisurely speed on that stretch of highway that was to take them to the border with France, after which they would movo onto the highway to Lyon-Paris.
- Soon you'll be able to see the inspiring place of this speech anyway - Roberto continued, turning to Giorgio. On both sides of the road, snow had begun to peep out and continuing with the gaze towards the surrounding high mountains you could see the typical winter scenery: mountain peaks shrouded in clouds, patchy snow along the slopes which then became a blanket as it continued towards the top.
- Ok, then I feel happier indeed... - Giorgio answered.
- Well, let's throw that tape away and let me listen to something better! - Sandro said to Roberto at that moment.
- Why, it's brand new and... - Since Sandro insisted and had already extracted the tape from the car radio, Roberto was forced to come to terms. - No, we can't listen to your metal... wait, then let's leave the radio on for a while.
Sandro was convinced.
The discourse about the past fell away and the three began talking about something else.
- So, Giorgio, have you started your new job? - Roberto said, and then turning to Sandro - 'cause, you know he's a cursed slacker, right?
- But! No, I told you that I am beginning as we get back, on January 11th. They hired me at the bank, you do remember that, I hope, don't you? - Giorgio replied.
Hearing these words Sandro murmured some blasphemy and then began to speak aloud. - No! At a bank! I forgot about it... And, moreover, you're even starting a whole week later: I bet you asked for it, in order to be able to recover after the holidays.
Both Roberto and Sandro had been freelancers for almost two years, and they felt very distant from the world of "normal" employees. The two had always been proponents of the thesis that you have to make your brain fruitful by realizing ideas and projects, possibly also drawing some money from them, so that you can live without working like the others: therefore, and especially Sandro, they criticized those who preferred the simple solution of a job, employee or even worse civil servants, which eliminated all worries and all ideas from the human brain. Naturally, Giorgio's words had hit his thesis fully, and his reaction had sprung from here.
As Sandro had already explained to Roberto, he didn't have a high regard for his friend as he considered him a slacker. They had met for some time during that evening task done at Sandro's home, and he had found that stopping until one o'clock to complete a job, for example, wasn't part of Giorgio's working standards, unlike he, and Roberto, used to believe and stick to.
And even this detail was part of those things that Roberto accepted from his current life, but heavily criticizing them: he couldn't bear that people had to make evaluations only on the basis of jobs or money. He knew that to Sandro a nice friend was important, but he saw that, since only job really mattered to him at the moment, his judgment on Giorgio automatically became negative.
However, Roberto said nothing about it.
- Oh yes, maybe you told me... okay, that doesn't matter. And, over there, do you believe you'll stay a long time? - Roberto mocked.
- Of course, in the bank I think I'll be quite satisfied... - Giorgio replied.
In that exact moment Sandro intervened, noting that the Golf's headlights had suddenly gone out. - Ohu! Check the headlights! This car is tearing to pieces little by little: radio first, then the lights...
Roberto replied, slightly worried: - obviously you can't hear the radio while in the tunnel, and as far as the headlights are concerned, bah... Wait... Ah, that's it, they're back on again. How strange, though...
It had been quite strange, indeed: although the three hadn't noticed it, as the car lights were off, even on the outside there was no light from other cars. Now, however, the tunnel was about to end and the first bollards could be spotted. Sandro was just teasing Roberto and his car for the possible breakdowns they would encounter, when a sharp braking interrupted his sentence.
- What the hell are you doing? - Sandro exclaimed, while Giorgio was climbing up from below the seat where he had stumbled - Why aren't you going through the ring road? Or at least, why don't you think about it for a moment, if you wanna pass through Beaulard, instead of crashing us out?
- But, no! Which Beaulard? - Roberto replied - I definitely wanted to drive to the ring road, but it's closed.
Sandro looked out and saw that indeed the road didn't continue straight after the tunnel, but they could only go to the right. - Yeah, it's closed - he said, and Giorgio agreed with him.
- But I can't even see the bollards or any indication. I'll turn the car for a quick moment so we can check the light... - Sandro interrupted him: - No, no, hurry up, let's leave now, otherwise we'll be in Paris the day after tomorrow. I don't remember exactly what the ring road is like, because I haven't been there for some years: you know, don't you, that Laura gets head over heels if I only approach this region?
- Ah, look who's talking then... - Roberto said, turning to Sandro.
- I was saying, in any case, that we'll analyze the issue more calmly another time.
Roberto did as Sandro ordered him and so they set off again.
- I was joking earlier - he said to Giorgio - but now we're actually going to the place we were talking about before. Usually, driving by the ring road you cut that village off, but today...
- Ah, Beaulard... - said Giorgio - I know it, that is, I've been there a couple of times and I've even skied there. It's pretty cheap, as a ski resort.
- Undoubtedly - Roberto confirmed.
- You are really super lucky! - Sandro said, pointing at the radio. - They're even playing a song suitable as a revival, for you!
After a few turns the three reached Beaulard. Meanwhile the song was over and a radio newspaper had begun; thinking that Roberto wanted to enter the village, Sandro was just beginning to dissuade him, to avoid further delays.
- I don't think it's the case, even if I understand your state of mind, to go through the town. Even if it's almost New Year's Eve and Federica isn't here, you'll show it another time, to him...
But Roberto wasn't listening to him. He had stopped at the closed rail crossing and was looking at the small village, wondering.
- You heard me? I'm telling you it's late, and then we can't wait for the train to come by! - Sandro repeated, shaking him by the shoulder.
- Wait, it's just a check, I know it sounds ridiculous, but... - Roberto kept looking towards the town.
- If you really want to, at least go under the bridge so we can hurry up - Sandro continued, alluding to the other road that led to the village, but Roberto interrupted him.
- Shut the hell out, for a moment, I'm telling you I just want to check one thing and... damn, it just can't be. Guys, we've got problems.
- What problems... car again? - Giorgio asked.
- No, no... Well, I'm not sure, but the ring road disappearing, the old-time songs, some news that I have heard right now on the radio and now that sign hanging up there, near the chairlift... can you see it? -he said, pointing to the facilities - it says 1985. Someone is playing a joke on us, because it almost seems that we are at New Year's Eve nine years ago.
- Oh sure, you've been reading too many science fiction books! - Sandro exclaimed. - Come on, turn this car back on and let's go.
- Nothing more? - said Giorgio - you could have picked a better one, Robi, to introduce me to "your" village.
- I'm not kidding, that is, I think I'm wrong. Listen, I'm going to the station for a moment, or rather, you and I, Sandro, will go there, so we can be sure.
- But sure of what? Did your brain melt out?
- I want to go check something out, just a second. Then we'll leave.
- Alright then...
They got out of the car, leaving Giorgio behind. The train was still late in arriving, so the two jumped over the platforms and soon arrived at the station.

 Chapter 3

Sandro took his glasses off, to be sure of what he was reading: Roberto was in a mixed state of laughter and shock. Both had clearly read the words "Winter 1984/1985" over the train timetable at Beaulard station. As they were standing there, reading in astonishment, Giorgio entered the room.
- I believe Robi wasn't wrong... I don't know how it's possible, but the radio has just made a couple of references to Christmas 1984, and these are facts that I also seem to remember - said Giorgio worriedly.
- Look here, Giorgio - called Roberto, who meanwhile had turned towards the conductor's window looking for anyone. He knocked on the window several times but no one answered him. Then he looked around: he examined the small waiting room of the station, which he knew well enough having been there several times over the years. Unfortunately, there was no detail that could indicate any kind of oddity, except perhaps the public telephone, which looked rather old "but", he thought to himself, "in the countryside it always takes a while to replace telephones and stuff".
Suddenly he heard the sound of a train passing by, and ran out of the station to see if anyone was there, but was disappointed to find it was a freight train. As he watched the train go away, he was summoned by the voices of his two friends arguing inside the small station.
- Well, do you know what I'm telling you, Giorgio? That I am not willing to pay attention to what happens in this place and I beg to leave immediately...
- But... you too saw the date on the train timetable and on the chairlift... I don't know, but it seems that time has stopped here, a few years ago...
- All we can see is that they are having a revival party, as he has been trying to do for years - said Sandro, pointing to Roberto who was coming back to the waiting room. - Come on, come on, our car is parked in the middle of the train crossing.
Roberto stopped his two friends who were walking towards him, and said: - look, Sandro, we all heard the radio. It was playing old songs, old news. I don't think a party at the village level could even include radio broadcasts... I may possibly be stuck with science fiction, but I'm convincing myself that this is 1984 for real, and even if you always make fun of me, you gotta believe me: I wouldn't feel any special pleasure in returning to 1984. Yet everything proves that it happened. It happened in the gallery.
- But everything what? - Sandro exclaimed -...the gallery? Ah, yeah... when the lights went out... well, let's go back to the car and listen to this damn radio. Come on, but let's hurry, it's already three-quarters ten. - Roberto agreed and the three left the station to walk towards the car.
Roberto's Golf had been left with headlights on near the bars of the level crossing, and despite partially obstructing the passage, more than one car had already managed to pass past the rails. The three got into the car and Roberto turned the radio on. Then, as he used to do whenever he felt too hot, he lowered the window: promptly came from Giorgio, who was sitting in the back, an "Hey, are you mad... close this window immediately!", the which thing forced Roberto to partially close the glass.
For a few minutes the radio played only music. It was actually all old music, but that could mean nothing: they could barely receive a few radio stations, in the mountains, and perhaps this one was a station devoted exclusively to dated music. Roberto went to the base of the lifts, to the chairlift on whose top stood that "1985" that seemed so similar to the one from the New Year's Eve nine years earlier. There was hardly anyone around, given the time: however, when Sandro saw two boys approaching from the chairlift in their direction, he got out of the car and asked them why that sign was there. They replied that they used to install it every year, to celebrate the new year.
- See? - Sandro said turning to Roberto - they put it in place every year. They are probably aficionados like you...
- Stop it - Roberto replied harshly. -He said that they put a luminous sign every year, not that they always put the same writing. You seem to be turning into an idiot.
- What do you want me to do, go and ask everyone what year are we in? - Sandro said, now quite upset.
- It'd be the only solution, but... ah, look, the two guys have stopped back here and are looking at our car. I'd like to hear what they're saying. They have probably never seen a Golf like this.
- Well, there are only a few around yet... - Giorgio intervened. - It's a recently released car.
- Best option, would be finding a newspaper - said Roberto - at least we'd have some certainty, or a television. Wasn't there a hotel here in Beaulard... or maybe even more than one? - he then said, turning to Sandro.
- Yes - the latter replied, - but they turned one into a pub a few years ago. We can try the other...
Roberto interrupted him - No, that's perfect, let's go to that hotel you mention, so we can immediately see how things are going. That was the one on the left, right?
- Yep - Sandro replied.
- Okay, guys, then tell me when you're ready to leave, so I'll wake up and call my parents to tell them that we're arriving a little later in Paris. - Giorgio took his leave from the other two and lay down on the back seat.
He was a boy who hardly cared about what was going on, and was always in a good mood, at least until he realized he was in a really serious situation.
As he and Roberto were employed together it had often happened that the two found themselves in open disagreement with their boss, but while Giorgio always laughed at it and used to turn his mind to other matters, Roberto often got angry and had long arguments, without however getting anywhere. So over time Roberto had become more patient and less angry: that evening, in fact, he was particularly calm and it seemed as if that story of the possible journey into the past would even please him; in this way Sandro had a good game in making more fun of him by telling him that it was all his own invention. And, it must also be said that Sandro was one of the few people who still had the power to actually make Roberto angry.
However, Sandro's amazement was great, as the three approached the building which should have been a pub and which was instead a hotel. - But how can this be... I'm sure, I saw it two or three years ago at most and it was named pub... pub... I can't think of it, but anyway that sign wasn't there... - he said.
Roberto added only: - it was gone, you mean. I don't think they've been decorating it like this for the occasion... that is, in our honor. That's the sign, the door, below which we went in spring of 1985. Now, do you believe it?
At that moment Sandro definitively changed his expression. His face betrayed a mixture of anger and helplessness; his voice had grown louder.
- Here... all the shops, and pubs, are closed. Let's go to Bardonecchia, let's go and see what's happening over there - he said to Roberto.
Roberto maneuvered and turned the car again towards the dark main road, then steered left and drove towards the next town.
His state of mind was, unlike Sandro's, quite serene: in reality he too was worried, but concern for the strange fact that apparently had happened to them was overwhelmed by some kind of excitement. In all those years he had often thought and rethought about Beaulard and his romancing Stefania, at the season of his 18s and graduating: especially in the years immediately following he had often come to immerse himself in those memories, because he thought that was the essence of his life, the deep matrix of his way of thinking. When he had been happy because of some positive event he had thought about those years so full of first experiences, and when something had made him sad he had wondered about what mistakes he had been carrying along from those times. Then Federica arrived and hence these states of mind had gone.
Now, the situation in which he had come to find himself with his friends, was leading him to reflect on his life again, in a way he hadn't felt for years: the feeling had just reappeared, but Roberto recognized its taste and felt it increasing by the minute.
As they were now arriving at the gates of Bardonecchia, Roberto realized that neither of his two friends had said anything since they left Beaulard. He then turned to Giorgio, and saw that he was actually dozing, lying on the back seat; then he turned to Sandro and met the gaze of his friend who had turned at the same time as him.
- What are you thinking about? - Roberto asked.
- It's not possible... These things can't happen. There must be an explanation.
- Yes, I think so, too - replied Roberto. - Yet it is happening. Or maybe we are dreaming.
- No, we are not dreaming, unfortunately. All of this is real, indeed real.
- Yeah - Roberto nodded. Sandro stared at him for a while, as if he wanted to say something to reproach him for his excessive calm, but then he let it go.

* * *

They arrived in Bardonecchia in a few minutes. To Roberto and Sandro, however, the road seemed longer and darker than usual.
Here again, the first thing they did was going to the train station: Roberto chose to park in an area a bit distant, to prevent his car from catching the eyes of some passer-by. “It's now midnight” he thought, “but these days, during the holidays, there are people walking around till late”.
Parking maneuvers, in the meantime, had awakened Giorgio. After a yawn and a wrinkle on his face, he called Roberto, who was pulling the keys from the dashboard.
- So, where are we? I've got a feeling of a several-hours-long sleep... Ah, yeah, we stopped to see that centuries-old train schedule, but then we left without any problems, it seems to me...
- You're wrong, problems are clear and present, and if you'll stop sleeping maybe we'll find a solution - Sandro interrupted him.
- Okay, take it easy... But why, are you really thinking we went through a... a... what is it called like, a time travel? Crazy, I feel like I ended up in a Urania novel.
- Giorgio, at the moment everything we've seen has confirmed this hypothesis, - said Roberto, getting out of the car and raising his seat to let Giorgio, who was quite sturdy, come out. Sandro got out of the other door at the same time, and the three walked towards the station.
- Roberto, you forgot to lock the car doors with the alarm, didn't you? - Giorgio asked.
- Well, I just wanted to avoid getting noticed with strange sounds...
- Uhmmm, you're taking this all quite seriously. - Giorgio pointed out. Sandro, who was still staying silent, tried to turn towards him, but then immediately turned his gaze back in front of him.
At the station the three guys found a scene quite similar to that in Beaulard: tables with departure times dated 1984/1985, objects and furnishings that they hadn't seen in years; the only news was that some people were wandering around the bar and the waiting room.
Roberto kept thinking that the only way to be sure of the reality of facts was to ask someone "Excuse me, what year are we living in?", but he realized that it was something implausible and fundamentally impracticable. After a few minutes he decided to leave the station and enter a nearby pub, another place he had known for some time. Sandro and Giorgio followed him without saying anything: the absurdity of the situation had generated a phenomenon by which the two friends had somehow chosen the other as their guide, as if he was the one who knew that place and, above all, that time best.
Roberto was famous among his friends for his very precise memory, and in this regard Sandro used to say that, to be able to remember everything, Roberto spent his days reviewing diaries on and on. Sandro loved to distinguish himself from Roberto by saying that he, in his life, limited himself to generic reports every two or three years, instead of remembering everything in detail from week to week, from month to month, from year to year as his friend did.
At that moment, however, Sandro had been confronted, against his will, with a past he had long since archived with a precise label. He was clashing with a place, a situation, that he had hidden behind a negative opinion of his girlfriend, to avoid thinking about any regrets and be peaceful in his present. Being put in front of those moments again could become a disruptive experience for him. And remembering the facts with absolute precision would have been useful and important in that situation.
As they passed the cinema, the poster that referred to a very old Italian movie only reinforced their certainty.
Finally the three reached the pub and entered it. Giorgio asked Roberto if, knowing someone like he himself had implied, he could perhaps obtain some more information.
- Unfortunately, I'm not able to recognize anyone... - Roberto answered.
The three had taken their seats at a table and were looking around with strange and curious expressions. The place was now populated by few people and soon one of the waiters approached the three boys.
- I'll have a pint of ale! - Sandro exclaimed, suddenly awakening. Roberto looked at him in amazement and motioned to the bartender asking for two. - I'll have a Coke instead, - said Giorgio.
In the minutes that passed waiting for the drinks, the three boys repeatedly looked each other in the eyes and around, looking for a solution or at least an explanation. At a certain point Giorgio stood up and went towards the man leaning against the counter: Roberto turned around as if to ask him what he wanted to do, but he didn't make it in time.
Giorgio took off the watch from his arm and, having reached the man at the counter, handed it to him saying: - Excuse me, could you tell me what's the time? I think my watch took a hit. - The guy looked at him, at first a little surprised and slightly annoyed, but then he switched on a gentle tone.
- Sure - he answered - it's half past midnight.
Giorgio thanked him, however he didn't immediately withdraw his watch but made sure to leave it a little longer under the eyes of the gentleman. His strategy achieved the desired result: after a while, the latter took Giorgio's watch back in his hand, wiped it with the sleeve of his sweater to make sure he could see clearly, and finally told Giorgio it wasn't the watch to be wrong, but rather the calendar.
- Yes, it could be... as I told you, it took a strong blow, - said Giorgio.
- Heh, it's a few years ahead... - replied the bartender. Giorgio at this point hesitated again waiting for his interlocutor to tell him exactly which year was the right one, even though he was convinced he already knew the answer.
- I'll reach half a century next year, - the man continued in a louder voice. - Us born in 1935, we were really great...
- Yeah... - Giorgio said continuing the chat, while he was adjusting his watch at the right time - My father is also from '35, d'you know?
The bartender didn't seem to answer him immediately, as if he were chasing some memory to tell the boy immediately afterwards. Giorgio left after asking the waiter not far away to bring him a plate of chips. Back at the table, Giorgio just said: - Okay my friends, it's a mess!
Roberto, who was initially worried about Giorgio's sudden move, then had to change his mind and took a moment to find the words to express satisfaction to his friend.
He then put his hand to his watch and updated the calendar. - Oh well, now at least we have a certainty - he said, turning to Giorgio. Then, towards Sandro, - So, what are we gonna do?
He knew it wasn't the right tone to address Sandro at that moment. In fact, he was serious and thoughtful from before the three had entered the room: he had limited himself to whistling some of the songs that were radiated from the small loudspeakers placed on the top of the shelves in the corners of the pub. Sandro replied simply, in an angry mood: - ah, just don't ask me.
Meanwhile the elderly bartender reached the table of the three boys with the plate of chips that Giorgio had just ordered: Sandro looked at him and whispered "this jerk, then, he always thinks about eating".
Before he could answer, Giorgio felt a hand resting on his shoulder: at the same time the gentleman of the brewery said to him: - So your father was born in 1935 too? - Yes, indeed, - replied Giorgio. - Where are you guys from? he then asked. - We're from Turin, - replied Giorgio. - We're just passing through because we're... going to spend the New Year's Eve in Paris, - he went on, somewhat uncertain.
Soon Giorgio and the bartender were caught in a discussion about the class of 1935 and about Bardonecchia and Turin... Roberto tried to bring Sandro back to a more constructive position: the two were slightly isolated in the now deserted room, animated only by the voices of Giorgio and the bartender.
- I don't know what you are thinking, Sandro - said Roberto, - but for now let's try to concentrate on this night. I think it is better to stop here and sleep, then tomorrow morning we will calmly evaluate what to do.
- If we're not driving on, then we might as well go home, which is perhaps even better.
- You just don't understand, do you? I meant to say that I think it's better not to continue because crossing the border with that car, documents and everything else seems to me rather complicated and dangerous. But, on the other hand, I don't think we 'd be better off in Turin: if things are as I believe to be, there are... people there who we'd better not meet. It is best to stop here for one night.
- You mean... no, just like in the movies? Could we see ourselves from nine years ago?
Sandro's gaze suddenly took on a strange light: the past had made another big breach in the wall that his mind had erected in front of him, to confine it. Thoughtful, he looked down and remained like that for a few seconds. Roberto waited for his friend to raise his eyes.
- See, I'm not sure of anything. but I am judging the facts that we've found. We're here, and we are the same as last night... that is, we are not rejuvenated: so somewhere, in this year, there must be the other three younger ourselves... If you want, I can explain some of the theories 'bout time and its flows I know... but maybe we can discuss them tomorrow.
Sandro nodded.
In saying this, Roberto felt for a moment happy that his friend was somehow forced to listen to some of his knowledge of physics and related subjects. In fact, Roberto had always been passionate about science fiction, as well as being a lover of physics and mathematics: once he had thought of undertaking those university studies, but then he had given up and devoted himself to something else.
In his spare time, however, he kept on reading and studying these disciplines. Sandro, on the other hand, despite being quite intelligent as well, didn't dedicate much room to reading, as he was entirely absorbed by his work: the only things he kept up to date were magazines about mechanics and technical manuals from the machines he used to use in his job. Roberto often repeated to him that in life you have to carve out a space to think, to dream, to let your mind drift towards other interests: usually, however, his friend never listened to him.
This time it would be different, because their own life was at stake.

 Chapter 4

Federica woke up around ten in the morning, perfectly rested. She and Roberto had been hanging out quite often, during the Christmas holidays, and she felt she had accumulated a lot of tiredness. That night, being left alone, she had been able to go to sleep early and had recovered most of everything.
She prepared breakfast for herself and in the meantime she kept thinking about the three boys who should've arrived in Paris by now; immediately afterwards she also went back to the girls with whom she had spent the previous evening. Yawning, she poured coffee and milk and started eating some cookies. Despite her enviable figure, Federica was very greedy and used to have breakfasts with a lot of ingredients: especially when on holidays, she could stay seated at the table for more than half an hour.
Evening had passed in good mood: Federica, initially, was worried as the other two girls, Emanuela and Laura, didn't know each other or had met once at most. Her task was to organize the trip to Paris with both of them for the 29th.
Initially a bit skeptical about how these holidays had been prepared, Federica then accepted that solution above all thanks to her connection with Roberto. Talking about it together, they both agreed that it was absurd for Sandro to leave earlier, without willing to wait for his girlfriend to finish her shift. In their eyes it seemed like a very strange relationship, that one between Sandro and Laura: every now and then they talked about it but never managed to find a sensible explanation. It looked like Sandro was treating Laura quite badly, and consequently it wasn't clear why she was still dating him; on the other hand, however, Roberto also knew that, deep inside him, Sandro had strong feelings for her, and he knew him well enough to believe that his behavior changed somewhat, from when he was alone with her to when he introduced himself to friends. Federica also confirmed that, in her rare conversations with Laura, she had always told her that despite frequent episodes in which she wanted to strangle him, their union was very solid.
Roberto and Federica, on the other hand, were a different couple: to them everything always moved in unison, in an identity of point of views that had been consolidating for a long time.
She and Roberto immediately found themselves quite at ease together: it was her who first decided that she liked Roberto and after a while they started dating. Roberto often stated that he had been really stupid not to immediately understand that Federica was the ideal girl for him!
However, after a year or so, the things that had made Roberto a truly unique man for Federica began to be an element of conflict and disagreement. Sensitivity and sweetness, combined with intelligence, made him a boy with excellent qualities: however Federica had often started to feel "secondary" in his life, when he immersed himself in some exciting project that kept him up all night or which wouldn't let him out for several nights in a row. Even worse, she felt left in the background when they started talking about their respective moments spent with other friends or other people: Roberto used to remember certain episodes with a wealth of details that sometimes, despite having passed many years, seemed equal to or even superior to the tones with which he remembered their own story.
The worst time they had spent discussing, even bitterly, about what were their real feelings for each other. Only after a long time did they understand that feelings were very strong, and it was only necessary to understand how they were being let out.
Federica had, in fact, become obsessed with not being sure what exactly Roberto had in his head. And she, in turn, had begun to obsess him with a desire to know about him, always wanting to be close to him for fear that something would emerge from that boy's head, to take him away from her. Then he had been on the verge of leaving, because he no longer felt free to do what he wanted: but, even in those moments, he'd had the feeling that that girl's love really was of immense value. A solution was found when she added to her character one thing, which in fact they both lacked, called understanding: from that day on Roberto felt with certainty that they would never break up,
Federica realized that her boyfriend really loved her, but she needed to let his thoughts run free. Initially she did it out of spite, and hence she started to keep her distance from him: she really feared, at that moment, that he was going to leave her, and she was taking a big risk.
Actually Roberto was surprised, at first, that she was no longer obsessing him, and he thought that obviously that couple had no future, since he felt much better when she wasn't around. But after some time he felt that he was missing Federica, that he missed the sweet and sentimental girl with whom he had spent some wonderful moments. It took some more time, but the two came to understand what needed to be improved in them both.
For two people linked by such a relationship, it was therefore difficult to understand Sandro and Laura. Apparently they were still behaving, after such a long time, like Roberto and Federica had behaved at the beginning and during their crisis. Yet this was not the case, because they too had changed from the first year: it seemed, simply, that in the eyes of others they were doing as if to put up with each other, hiding their true feelings within themselves. However, if on other occasions the quarrels between Sandro and Laura had passed at Roberto's side, this time Federica had had proof that Laura was really angry when her boyfriend behaved like that.
The previous evening had in fact mostly seen an animated dialogue between Laura and Federica, while Emanuela had remained quite aloof, after the opening bars. In fact, as Emanuela later recounted, the impression of Laura that she had made up on that first evening was rather negative.
Emanuela was a girl of few words, not shy but always a little in the background, especially when compared to Giorgio who was on the other hand extremely expansive. The two of them never had problems and it was assumed that they always got along well or that in any case they easily solved any disputes between them. Roberto and Federica had met them only recently, but they had immediately thought that if they had known them at the time of their squabbles, their presence could have helped them.
Emanuela had drunk a lemon tea, while Federica had a fruit juice and Laura a beer. Emanuela never ordered the typical pub things when she went out with friends. She was stout enough of her physique, just like Giorgio, and she used to say that drinking fizzy drinks would hurt her.
- So, you girls, are you ready for the holidays? - Emanuela had started talking, after the initial introductions between her and Laura.
- Look, I believe we could even just stay here and go dancing on New Year's Eve - Laura reacted with a grimace.
Emanuela was suddenly frozen. - But... I didn't think there were any uncertainties still ongoing - she replied.
Federica intervened to dampen the discussion: although she had already anticipated to Emanuela what the problems were between Sandro and Laura, she felt that it was better to calm her friend down. - Come on, come on, you'll see that you'll be having fun too...
- He's really stupid, he and his job... and, in the end, I always get involved into it - Laura went on.
- Well, you see, maybe this time he had an opportunity to leave a couple of days earlier and he wanted to rest... - Emanuela said, with that typical conciliatory tone of hers.
- But no! He could leave anytime he wants, but if I am free too then he prefers to work.
- But, sorry, then why don't you let him down? - Emanuela asked quickly reaching to conclusions.
Federica gave her a sharp look, and then intervened as if to offer wise advice. - Even me and Roberto had such problems... but then we solved them.
- Yes, you already told me, Fede, but I've explained to you that with Sandro it's different. He finds all of this completely normal, and in the end he always convinces me that it is me who doesn't understand that he always has so many things to do, that we already apend more than enough time together... and so on. You and Roberto were both convinced that there was something wrong... but I can never prove to him and to myself that something's out of place. But this time he really pissed me off: it only happened one other time, that he walked away on his own...
There was a pause. - I see... - Emanuela said - so, girls, what do we do? Federica, you and I are going anyway, right?
Laura immediately recovered by saying - No, look, I'm coming too: now everything is already planned... - Federica felt relieved: for a moment the discussion had taken a bad turn.
Then they went on to talk about what to bring to spend a New Year's Eve in Paris: Emanuela was undoubtedly the most organized, and she never gave the slightest trouble in deciding what she would need on a trip; Federica, on the other hand, equally meticulous, always showed a certain discomfort for the fear of forgetting something essential at home. In this aspect she was more like Laura.
- But do you still want to go dancing on New Year's Eve? - Emanuela asked Laura.
- In Paris, you mean? Well, we could do that, sure...
- Then you gotta bring a special dress - continued Emanuela - I must remember to pack it. - Not only was she a very organized girl, but she was also always quite respectful of the canons.
Before midnight the girls left the place, with the agreement to leave two days later in the evening.
- The train that leaves at 22:30 arrives in Paris at seven and something. It'll be fine, also because it's the only one which gets straight there without a change, in the evening, - Federica announced.
- So we're meeting on Wednesday for lunch - concluded Emanuela.
- Okay, - Laura said, and after a few more exchanges they all waved goodbye.

 Chapter 5

- So, let's sleep here then - Sandro said to Roberto. He then instinctively turned to Giorgio as if to say "come on, let's go", but he stopped as his friend and the bartender were still chatting. Anyway, after a few more words Giorgio took his leave, stood up, took his anorak and greeted the bartender. The others did the same, and went out of the door.
- Eh... guess what, he's a strange man... So, guys, what are we doing? - Giorgio asked.
- We've been thinking it'd be better, by now, to go to sleep - Roberto replied. - We're looking for a place to hide our car, in order to avoid that tomorrow it becomes a reason of attraction.
- We didn't think of asking the bartender if he knew any hotels... - Giorgio continued.
- No, it's not worth it. It's late and then we thought that there could be problems with the documents, if we go to any hotel.
- So, where do you want to sleep? - As he put out this question, Giorgio seemed to hear the story his two friends had been telling him a few hours earlier, about the New Year's Eve spent on the mountains, and he immediately guessed their answer. - No! You're crazy! I won't be sleeping in a car. You may have done it that time, but I don't buy your idea at all. Whether it was for the money or for any other reason, tonight I have got no will to break my back...
Roberto tried to convince him. - Come on, Gio, we've got no choice, and then it's only for a few hours.
- Don't be scared, you won't die for one cold night... - Sandro added.
After some bickering, Giorgio was somehow convinced too.

So they went to the car and got on, headed for a pitch on the main road. Then they thought that some nearby woods might be better.
- Perfect, everything is as it was then - Sandro exclaimed ironically. -This time, however, the atmosphere will be a little less serene than the past - he said again, turning to Roberto.
- Well, at every age there are tests we must face, Sandro - his friend replied. - That time too we were challenging things that seemed difficult and overwhelming, and now that they are over they seem small and ridiculous.
- Come on, how can you compare graduation or learning to ski with the problems we've got now? Customers, suppliers, business problems all the time... We have a lot of fun even now, of course, but things are much more complicated.
- It is strange that you cannot see things with the proper perspective that should be applied from time to time. I am convinced that the size of the things we do increases every time, but the effort that is required from us is, in proportion, always the same.
Giorgio didn't usually intervene in those speeches. And Roberto knew that his friend was unlikely to ask himself those kinds of questions, but he didn't consider him any less intelligent. He saw him as a coherent person with very specific ideas, whom could be referred to with the certainty that he would be there, everytime. In this regard, he remembered when Giorgio had told him “I'm getting married next year”, with a mixture of fate and security. Even now Roberto felt that he couldn't make a similar statement concerning Federica, even though he was perfectly fine with her: but, more generally, every time he had to make some decision, Roberto saw thousands of alternatives swirling rapidly in his mind with their respective follow-ups. He never reached certainty: Sandro, on the other hand, was much more like him.
Reaching a small road that led to a clearing surrounded by thick trees, the three decided that the place would be fine. Roberto stopped his car after driving a couple of meters off-road, then got out to get his jacket and an old blanket buried in the car trunk.
- Giorgio, do cover yourself up properly... - Sandro said, but the latter anticipated him: - You don't need to tell me, I can imagine how cold it'll be.
- Well, guys, here's a slightly shabby blanket: whoever wants it can take it... - said Roberto, returning to the car. But both Sandro and Giorgio were already settled in their anoraks, so he placed the blanket between himself and Sandro, over the gearbox.
After a while the three friends were settled. - It's three o'clock, let's get some sleep, then we'll go get a coffee as soon as possible and decide what to do - said Roberto.
- Well... goodnight, then... - said Giorgio.
- ...'night - replied Sandro.

* * *

At first, Roberto thought that he would not be able to sleep a wink, given the situation and the many things that were running through his head.
Time, this entity at the same time a mean and an end of itself, forced him to come face to face again, after so many years. A few years earlier, Roberto had been seized by an existential youth crisis at the thought that adolescence was now over and that future years would bring him nothing but nostalgia and memories of those peaceful and carefree years. At that time, Roberto had defined time as his "main enemy" and had seriously engaged in reading to learn more about all the other men who, in history, had fought against this enemy.
The crisis, however, had passed by itself after quite a few months and Roberto had gotten back to be serene as before: he stopped being segregated in those thoughts more suited to an elderly man than to a 23-year-old and judged that gloomy moment as a teenage crisis. and he felt relieved to have matured. Only at random times did he happen to think again that his "enemy" had simply deceived him by giving other things to think about, to avoid being always there on guard against the passing of time.
And now, for some reason impossible to explain, he was there again, in that place which had been the scene of so many significant moments in his age of eighteen. Dragged into that adventure, he was almost convinced, by the enemy time, who wanted to prove him something in some way. "And yet", thought Roberto, "now time is no longer a nightmare for me... I've got my life, I like what I do and I don't feel like I'm in a useless gear... and then there's Federica..."
Yes... Federica! Deep in his intimacy, he thought about his girlfriend, who in two days would be heading to Paris, and wouldn't find him. In two days... no, in nine years and two days! Crazy, Roberto thought. He thought about what Federica could be doing at that moment, on the eve of New Year's Eve in 1985, and he realized that they had never talked about it with precision. Federica used to say that there was nothing from her past that she was interested in remembering with particular pleasure: she often told him about when she was a child, about the holidays she took with her parents. More to the point, she had no particular memories of her stories regarding her previous "boyfriends", and, in some ways, Roberto considered this as a demonstration of love.
But at that moment Roberto thought: “Yeah, nobody remembers things like I do, everyone says that”, and he felt a little more alone in realizing that he didn't know anything about Federica at that time.
Turning his thoughts to her, he still managed, after some time, to fall asleep. Both Sandro and Giorgio had fallen asleep before him: he had in fact noticed them while he was awake. He hadn't even had a chance to talk to them, but it was probably for the best. Sandro seemed really upset: not only angry, but also unable to act, which must have crushed him morally.
Sandro always had an answer to any problem: he was an extremely rational kind of man and nothing could escape his control and his predictions, or at least he affirmed this statement with such certainty that everyone believed it to be true. And the clearest confirmation came from his strength in the game of chess: he was the best among all his friends. Sandro always had a perfect plan for everything he did in his life, including vacations that were only apparently affected by work, as Roberto well knew. Instead, on that occasion, no... there was no order, there was no rationality, there was no way out: Sandro had looked really powerless in facing that situation.
For a moment, summing up those chats, Roberto had glimpsed something that justified a "return to their grounds" for both of them. But then he fell asleep.

* * *

The sun rose at about eight, and the three boys opened their eyes almost at the same time. Giorgio was the first one to speak.
- Ahhhh... I feel pretty rested. What time is it? Mmmh, ten past eight. It's almost time to go for breakfast... ah, wow, I forgot we're not in the right year. How stressful... oh well, let's hope they've already invented croissants...
Sandro listened to Giorgio's entire monologue and didn't consider it a good awakening. He turned over, mumbling something the others didn't understand and went back to lie down on the seat.
Roberto got up and looked around: the area was finally bright, but they were far enough out of the village to see nothing known: only woods and paths. He realized he wasn't feeling particularly fresh, because he obviously hadn't slept much. He noted Giorgio's unfailing good humor and this gave him confidence in facing the new day and Sandro. He then rubbed his face with his hands and immediately began to sneeze, as was his habit as soon as he woke up; then, when the crisis was over, he put the seat back in its normal position, gave his wrinkled clothes a stretch and decided to get out of the car.
At the sound of the door opening Sandro woke up completely. The crisp morning air from the mountains hit him on his face and all this brought to mind a situation he had experienced years before. He realized that he had suffered quite a lot of cold during the night: he was in fact feeling quite bad, with widespread pain in his head and throat. After a few minutes, however, he too settled down and got out of the car. Giorgio was ready and immediately followed him.
- Considering that I feel disgusting, - Sandro began - I think we must find a hotel or a pension or a house to recover at all costs.
- I'm fully supporting this - continued Giorgio.
- Yeah, I agree, but how can this be done? Roberto asked. - We can leave the Golf here, each one will take a bag, but if they ask us for documents, what will we do? My ID card was issued in 1992, two years ago: I believe that if anyone notices it, he'll make a fuss, to put it mildly.
- Okay, then let's try to get someone to host us: you, who have frequented everyone here, in Beaulard, for years, will possibly know someone who can host us for a night like that time - Sandro urged him.
- But then you still don't get it, do you?! I've been explaining you that all these people don't know us yet, right now. We haven't met yet.
Sandro was thoughtful for a while: every time he realized he still didn't know how to master their current situation, he stopped and reflected. Then an idea came to him: - so, if we can't go to anyone we know, we can try to go to that old little hotel, the one we saw last night: there, if I'm not mistaken, there were two rather old gentlemen and maybe they won't even ask us for documents.
- Yeah... and in any case they won't pay too much attention to the dates: they seemed really not very smart that time, especially her husband - Roberto replied.
- We can go, then - Giorgio interrupted them. - I mean, just because if I am not taking a shower straight away I'll go crazy, not to mention the hunger that is strangling me.
- Sure... sure: let's go! - Roberto said, moving towards the trunk of the car. - Pick the luggage, you two, I mean what you want to take with you. We'll leave the car here... hoping that no one comes to snoop around. Perhaps it would be appropriate to remove the plates, so as not to make it easily recognizable... - As he was saying these last words, however, Roberto became aware of the inconsistency of that speech. And in fact Sandro immediately contested it.
- It doesn't make sense: either we destroy it completely, and I don't think you agree because we still need it, or else we leave it here as it is. It is useless to try to disguise it.
- Yes, you're right... - Roberto nodded disconsolately.
The three guys took their bags, and Roberto closed the trunk. They then walked towards the hotel with a determined step, and covered those few hundred meters in a few minutes.
Nine o'clock had gone for minutes and the sun was shining in an almost spring-blue sky. There was very little snow on the mountains, the roads were clean and grass covered the slopes; on the sides of the streets there were small mountain houses, almost all surrounded by a small lawn or a courtyard. Near the ski resorts, some people were up on the chairlift hoping to find some skiable slopes at higher altitudes. “Everything is as it was then” thought Roberto, “even the climate”; then he realized that that time was then.
Almost at the same time Giorgio noticed the view and said: - it seems to me that last night there was a lot more snow over the mountains, right Robi?
- Yeah, this is how we found Beaulard and Bardonecchia that year: and when we decided to learn to ski it was perfect because with the slopes in such bad conditions, it was compulsory to learn quickly not to fall otherwise we would have lost our lives pretty soon.
Sandro didn't say a word: he preceded the two friends by a few meters and seemed eager to get to the hotel early. He probably hoped he could begin to set some fixed point in that incredible story. For the moment, he was only looking around and was focusing again on the places he had last visited four, maybe five years before, on a winter Sunday. It was a Sunday that was supposed to be dedicated to skiing, but due to the bad weather they had had to fall back, he and Laura, on a lunch at the restaurant.
They had started dating only recently, at the time, and Sandro had thought it could be a good thing, also to make sure that the two of them got to know each other more, bringing his girlfriend to Beaulard and tell her a little about some aspect of his passed life. Laura had taken a liking to it and, probably driven by a growing jealousy, she had begun to obsess Sandro from the day following that trip. In a short time, talking about Beaulard or even just mentioning it had become a source of quarrels between the two, even if Sandro was talking about it possibly with Roberto or with others: and as a consequence of this, he never went there again.
However, he wasn't a person too bound to memories, and he was right to say that for Roberto those places had always had a special value, more than for him. Going back to Beaulard would have had no particular effect on him under normal conditions, but it somewhat did under current conditions.
They reached the small hotel in a few minutes.
- Well, let's do like this: I'm going in with one of you two, and will ask him if he has a room for tonight... one night should be enough, right? I don't think we'll stay here much longer, do we? - Sandro asked.
- Well, it depends... I hope not, but it might not go well... - Roberto said, unconvinced.
- But Sandro, are you sure there'll be any vacancy? It's New Year's Eve in three days, everything will be booked... - Giorgio continued.
- No, I mean... have you been watching this "hotel" carefully? It is the most crippled place one can imagine... and moreover here, in Beaulard, it certainly cannot be said that mass tourism is happening. So, then, who's coming in with me?
- I'm in, yup... - Roberto intervened.
Entering the small hotel, Sandro's expression suddenly changed: the certainty of what he was doing was affected by a sudden flow of memories: the counter, the dining room... And when the old lady approached them, he heard a tremor run down his spine. He turned to his friend who was sharing the same emotion.
- This chick will die in five or six years - Roberto murmured. - That's why the place will be sold away and turn into a pub, and her husband will retire. They told me about it one of the last times I saw friends from up here.
Sandro listened in silence.
What a strange and terrible feeling, knowing someone else's future, thought Roberto. But his thoughts were interrupted by the dialogue between Sandro and the lady.
- Do you want a room for the two of you? - the lady asked. She was white-haired and appeared to be between sixty and seventy years old, but her tone and her bearing showed no signs of insecurity.
- No, that's three of us, because another friend of ours is coming soon: do you have a room for us all?
- So... I have a small room that is free until the 31st morning. How long are you staying? - said the lady, turning to Sandro.
- No, sure, we're staying only today and tomorrow, then we're heading to Paris.
- Okay then... Follow me - the woman said, turning towards the rack holding the keys to the rooms, and then walking towards the stairs. When Roberto saw that the lady had taken a key from the last row of the key ring, he murmured - I bet they'll give us that microscopic room on the top floor again, the same as last time: she probably hates us. But you simply can't fit in there in three... - Sandro interrupted him with a - let's be satisfied: she didn't even ask for our documents - and Roberto was silenced.
- So, this is yoour room... please bring me your documents, as soon as you are settled... When did you say that your friend is coming?
- Ah, well... he should arrive by train around eleven o'clock, or maybe even earlier... - Looking embarrassed, Sandro turned to Roberto, who just nodded his head. Then he went on: - Probably he's already at the station: let's go get him in a moment.
- Well, guys, then I'll see you later... - said the lady taking leave.
The two friends entered the room and arranged the luggage as best as they could. Then Roberto rinsed his face and went to the door.
- I'm going to get Giorgio... to keep the game going, I'll take him for a ride, so we'll waste some time - he said, turning to Sandro.
- Yes... in the meantime I'm taking a shower.
- Please... pay close attention to what you do or say - Roberto said as he went out. Sandro nodded his head, and immediately coughed again.

* * *

Giorgio was still there, a few meters away from the hotel door. When Roberto told him that he had to wait a few more minutes because they had put that train story up, Giorgio sat down on a nearby wall and let himself go.
- What a drag, I can't take it anymore...
- Come on, come on... ten minutes and then we'll go. By the way, as for the documents... Sandro and I have decided to give them our driving licenses, where date is less noticeable... and you, what are you doing?
- Oh yeah, I'll give her my ID... who cares. I've got no more strength to think about this.
At that moment, Giorgio seemed really exhausted from that story, but Roberto, who knew him well enough, was more inclined to think that it was hunger causing him to behave this way, rather than any philosophical problems that he and Sandro had already encountered several times since the previous evening.
- So what is this hotel like? Is it how you two remembered it? - Giorgio then asked his friend.
- Yes, that's exactly what it is. Plus, they even gave us the same room as last time...
- Ah, dude, three in a room for two...
- Let's say three in a room for one, because it's a very small attic.
- Perfect... this holiday is getting more enjoyable day by day... - Giorgio joked.

At some point, Roberto decided that enough time had passed, and that they could go back to the hotel.
They crossed the door and, seeing no one, headed for the stairs. Here they met the other owner of the pension, who asked them who they were, but after a moment she remembered that she had already seen that face and, turning to Roberto, she said: - ah, you are the gentleman from minutes ago... please, go ahead, you've been given the room on the top floor, right? Now I remember...
- By the way... - Roberto wanted to intervene to emphasize that that room was not comfortable at all, but when he recognized the lady who was talking to him as the same one from nine years before he stopped.
- What is it, Robi? - Giorgio asked him.
- This one is the lady who gave us the room last time, not the one who greeted us earlier: it seemed strange to me that I hadn't recognized her - he said whispering. Then he continued in his mind: "so her friend was no longer in the hotel the other time, because... in a few months she'll probably fall ill and her husband will take her place..."
This issue about changing tense of the verbs within the same sentence confused and simultaneously fascinated Roberto. “Time is a road, and things and people exist along it like cars and passersby on an avenue. And you can go both forward and backward, just as I always thought ". But how different it was to live this theory compared to just hearing it.
As he was mumbling these things, Roberto kept his gaze fixed on the owner of the hotel. After a while, she asked him: - is there anything wrong, sir? Did you want to point out something to me?
Roberto woke up and answered embarrassed: - no, no... absolutely nothing. Come on, Giorgio, let's move on...
When they were on the threshold of the door, Giorgio turned to Roberto and asked him the reasons why he had stopped a few moments before, but the latter didn't have time to answer him because as soon as they opened the door they saw Sandro walking around the room in his underwear and they laughed at the same time.
- I can see you've recovered - said Giorgio to his friend who seemed to have just returned from a relaxing shower.
- Let's say I'm feeling better - Sandro replied, coughing and clearing his throat. - But I'm not too well. Did you have any problems getting in?
- No why should we? - Giorgio asked candidly, thus provoking a new stiffening from Sandro's side.
At that point Roberto intervened, trying to clarify the matter. - He meant to mention that problem about our documents, Giorgio. He wanted to know if the lady had noticed anything strange in you, since we told her you were arriving by train, and if you have already given her your document and the answer is no. So for now there are no problems. Later, as we go down for lunch we'll give her our two driving licenses and your identity card, and we'll see.
The atmosphere was serene again. Roberto and Giorgio settled in the two remaining beds, placed a part of what was contained in their suitcases inside the drawers and got ready to go to the bathroom themselves.
The room was actually quite small. Roof was leaning or, better said, quite sloping and left a rather low height for half of the room. The three beds were organized into a bunk bed and a normal one, leaning against the two opposite walls of the room: some chairs, a rather old large wardrobe and a small table completed the furnishings. The task of lighting and airing the room was delegated to a single window.
When, half an hour later, Roberto too had finished taking a shower, he left the bathroom and saw that his other two friends had dozed off. At which he decided to get dressed, and then lay down on the bed waiting for the two to wake up, or for sleep to catch him as well.

 Chapter 6

It was almost half past four when Sandro woke up and saw Roberto staring at the ceiling, thoughtful.
- Hey... what time is it? - he asked himself, and when he saw that it was late afternoon and that it was already dark outside he quickly got up, hurling insults against Roberto. - Why didn't you wake me up? Damn, we have a huge and unknown problem to solve and you keep sleeping?
- Calm down mate: it's you who go to sleep, first of all... and then, you said you weren't feeling well, so it was better if you recovered a bit.
At the same time Sandro resumed coughing. - And where has the other one gone now?
- Well, he must've gone out as I fell asleep for a few minutes, right after the shower... I left him asleep too. Let's hope he pays attention to what he does...
- Someone like him can't do anything significant... - Sandro commented.
- Oh please, stop it! - Roberto addressed him. - There's nothing wrong with him going for a ride, and it's no case that you constantly insult him just because we are in a special situation.
It was, again, one of those occasions when Roberto hated that way of thinking himself superior, typical of his friend.
Taking on a more conciliatory expression, Sandro asked Roberto this question: - but, even if he wanted to, what kind of trouble could Giorgio get up to? He wasn't here in Beaulard, with us... in fact, he never was. In no way could his actions change his past, nor does he know anyone here...
- Of course, you are right, but it ain't possible to know if perhaps some of the people who now, in 1984, are here, didn't become part of his life in the future, perhaps even later than the time we come from. And therefore, in all cases, we must pay the utmost attention... being anyway understood that, in any case, what I'm saying has only a theoretical value because I've never performed any other time travel...
Sandro was satisfied with the answer, even if it didn't give him any more security. Shortly after, however, Giorgio returned.
- I can see you're awake... I'm glad. I, on the other hand, ate some toasts and a sandwich... and I feel better. Guess what, Robi? The lady asked me if we wanted to have lunch, and I replied that while waiting for you to come down, I could have a snack. But then, as things were going on for a long time, we both agreed that if I wanted to, it was better for me to eat alone.
- But did you go around in the village too? - Sandro asked him, worried.
- Yes, I took a stroll... but don't worry, I was careful and I haven't been talking to anyone. At one point, in fact, I thought I recognized a boy and a girl, but I couldn't figure out who they were. Then I thought that maybe I had seen them in some pictures at your place and turned away.
- Bravo... bravo... - congratulated Roberto. Feeling his stomach rumbling, he then turned to Sandro and said: -what if we go and eat something too?
- Yes, I'm still somewhat in a bad shape, but I'm hungry. Here we go.
- I guess we can go... I haven't touched food for nearly twenty-four hours. Giorgio, you're coming with us, right?
- Of course, after all, two hours have already passed since I had my snack.

* * *

In order not to risk meeting someone, the three decided to stay in the hotel and have dinner in the dining room. They arrived among the very first, and thus were able to choose a lonely table. The only other people in the room were a gentleman and a lady, probably husband and wife, sitting by the window.
The dining room was, like the rest of the hotel, rather shabby: tables, chairs, the window curtains themselves were rather shabby. But, despite everything, it appeared to the boys more hospitable than it had looked to them the other time: perhaps because it was the first hospitable place they had found since the beginning of that story.
A steaming plate of pasta was soon brought to each of the three friends, and they were finally able to refresh themselves. They had ordered pasta immediately because they were sure they were very hungry, but they reserved to eat many further dishes.
- Now that we are all awake and relaxed, we can think about what to do - Roberto started speaking, interrupting the generic speeches that had taken place during the first part of the dinner.
- You mean how to go back to... to our time? - Giorgio asked him. - Sometimes it seems to me that I am already on vacation, in Paris and I think that the day after tomorrow we'll go and get the girls... and then I realize that it is not like that.
- Exactly. As we have all seen, we are stuck here and in this place and in this time we cannot stay there for long. We have no friends or relatives, we don't have a job...
- Sometimes I just don't seem to realize all of this: do you mean that I can't go, for example, to my parents and talk to them about what happened to me? Or at Emanuela's... or to Emanuela herself... - While he was speaking, this last sentence had provided him with the answer to his own questions. - No, I can't go to her, because at this time she doesn't know me yet, and then she's only sixteen, and I'm twenty-six...
- You get it? And the same goes for your parents: in this time their son, their daughter already exists, and above all no one has ever heard of time travel. You can't show up to them because... you have no reason to exist for them.
Sandro intervened: - but if by chance we did it, since we actually performed a journey through time, and we explained to them how things are: what's wrong with that?
- You forget that there are also three other "us", and we would risk meeting them...
- So what? - Sandro continued impatiently.
- It's very simple: you don't remember seeing yourself ten years older than you, come and talk to you, just before the end of 1984, right? So it didn't happen, in your past as you know it. But if you go now and talk to him, the past you know will no longer exist: your past will change and take the form of a past in which you, at eighteen, saw yourself ten years older. And probably, because of this, you'll make many different choices than you actually made and, ultimately, you won't decide to spend the New Year's Eve with Giorgio and me in Paris. Consequently, you will cease to exist at this time and place.
The speech was becoming complicated. - If it's not clear to you, I'll try to explain again it to you guys... - Roberto said, stopping for a moment. He liked talking about these things a lot, but he was bothered by being a "know-it-all". In these situations he was very embarrassed.
- No, no, go ahead... - Sandro replied.
- So you won't be in my car anymore last night. But, on the other hand, as a consequence of this you will no longer be able to go back in time to talk to your younger self, and therefore, in fact, you will disappear, at least from reality as it is known to you and to us others.
- But did you study these things yourself or did they train you on purpose? - Giorgio asked Roberto ironically, who didn't get too upset because he knew that Giorgio's irony was always rather good-natured, unlike others.
- Obviously, there are no demonstrations of what you are saying, Roberto - concluded Sandro.
- No, of course not, but it all seems logical and I'm not willing to prove the reliability of these theories.
- But it might be interesting to see what happens, right? Aren't you driven by a desire to try?
- I'll tell you: my answer is no. But I really want to see what happened then again, to express a new judgment. I would also like to talk a little with some of the friends of the time, without being recognized, to find out what they really thought of me.
- I understand... But you don't want to intervene.
- Absolutely not. Indeed, since our lives have been rather linked, in recent years, I am inclined to think that any action aimed at changing the history of one of us would affect all three... or rather, on our entire circle of acquaintances. .
- Really? Is it going that far? - Giorgio asked Roberto.
- It's not difficult at all: think, if you went and told your younger self that sooner or later you'll find a job in a bank. Automatically he would stop studying, would therefore hang out with other friends, would be in different places and could no longer know Emanuela or other people. In a more drastic view, the changes made to this chain could result in the death of someone you know, perhaps from a car accident from which you saved him by bringing him into your party.
This picture of the situation, painted in such dark colors, made Sandro pensive again. But this time he quickly recovered by questioning Roberto again: - so, what do we do?
The latter one looked up at the sky. - I really don't know. For now, I have told you what we cannot do, but I don't know much about what we have to do.
- We could go back to yesterday's gallery, to see if there is anything strange related to it. Maybe it's a kind of door that makes you go back and forth in time: in that case our problem would be solved - said Giorgio, hurriedly.
- I can assure you that I have driven through that gallery dozens of times and nothing has ever happened! - Sandro addressed him, this time with the support of Roberto.
- But maybe it became like this after... after the intervention of something, of aliens, maybe... I watched some movies...
- Exactly, you've seen some movies... too many, I'd say - Sandro cut him off.
- Okay, then I'll leave it to your decisions.
- No, sure we can even go to the gallery, but I'm not very convinced that it's going to be useful... On the other hand, there are no other clues as to what happened - Roberto reassured him.
- And anyway, according to what you say, we can't go anywhere, we can't rely on anyone, we only have the money that we have brought with us, after which...
- Yes, Sandro, it isn't a good situation... - concluded Roberto laconically.
Meanwhile the three had finished their dinner. A tasty pasta with meat sauce and a slightly less tasty but equally good second course had helped to put them back in shape, and now they were ready to go out.
- I'm going to get the car keys... - said Roberto; then he added - Will you guys go out dressed like this? It's cold outside...
- What are you saying? - Sandro intervened - Wasn't it you, the one who used to hang around in a shirt on New Year's Eve, ten years ago... You're growing old!
Roberto stopped to think. - That's true... I didn't remember anymore. I stand correct, guys, it's not cold outside! - he tried to get rid of the accident.

The three went towards the car. Giorgio had stated that in the afternoon, when he had gone to check it, he had found it in perfect order. So the hiding place had proved to be valid.
- It does make a peculiar effect, comparing a perfectly normal car like this with cars from ten years ago. I could pass myself off as an expert coachbuilder or mechanic, in this time, and make my money - Roberto said with a little irony. - Of course, I would cause other imbalances over time, and somehow, in the end, I would self-destruct anyway.
Giorgio showed interest in that speech and, getting into the car, continued it. - From what you say, it seems almost possible that someone else has thought about it... I mean, maybe someone else has taken a leap like we did and tried to use it for his personal profit. In your opinion, has he also disappeared in this case?
- I really think so - Roberto replied - disappeared from this reality... I mean... These theories imply that there should still exist other realities, perhaps infinite... to justify... - Roberto stopped, since the speech was turning hazy for him too. He chose to avoid that parenthesis and hoped that his friends wouldn't ask him to continue this explanation.
- And you believe nobody would remember him? - Giorgio continued, taking up the subject again.
- No, exactly, because he would cease to exist from the moment his past and his future meet. The memory of him in the minds of his acquaintances should simply fade...
- Why do you say it should? - Sandro asked him.
- Because I seem to be your spiritual guide... I am just talking to you about some things I know, the way I learned them. I am not stating that the things I'm saying are absolute truth, also because no one has ever verified them.
- No, I meant that if this person would vanish from a certain point on... no, nothing, I was just wondering what would be left of him in the world.
- Nothing, for the rest of people it would be as if he had been kidnapped or missing under unknown circumstances.
While talking, the three had quickly reached the offending gallery. Hesitating for a moment, Roberto pulled over to the right just before the tunnel entrance and then switched on the flashing double lights.
- What are you doing, are you waiting for some other machine from the future to come out? - Sandro asked sarcastically.
- No, I was thinking that we shouldn't go back now, assuming it will work: we left our documents in the hotel... we should take our stuff back.
- You first check if it works, then we'll think about it - Sandro insisted. - I'd rather lose my papers and four rags than end my life imprisoned here. Also because, if the explanations you made so far are correct, we'll find our stuff in the hotel, in our time...
- Yes, in the attic of the pub... or perhaps used as rags in the kitchen - Giorgio intervened.
- He's right, Sandro. You wouldn't find them for sure, and with those documents there could be some problems... Bah, come on, let's try and see.
Roberto turned on the radio, and got back on track. They walked down the tunnel at medium-low speed: the three of them continued to scan the dark walls of the tunnel, and the car radio and lights for any sign of change similar to the one that had started their adventure the previous evening. But the end of the tunnel came quickly without them noticing anything in particular.
- Well, we're out, but I don't think we're back home - Roberto exclaimed.
- I don't know... try reaching for the first town, which is... Oulx, is it it? - Sandro replied.
- Um, okay, I'm going.
It was night now and there weren't many people around. But there was no need for major investigations to understand that they were still in 1984: even in the town, in fact, a large Christmas tree was shining with a message of wishes for the new year written on it... the same one they had seen in Beaulard.
- What are we going to do, are we going to have a drink? - Roberto asked the other two. Hearing no response, after a while he asked again.
- I don't know... I don't know. We have to find a solution, and so we have to think about this big mess. Either we do it here, or we go for a ride, or we go back to the hotel - Sandro replied.
- Let's take a walk, then - Giorgio suggested. - Something has to be invented by tomorrow, because the girls are arriving in Paris the day after tomorrow, and it'd be better for us to be there.
He had been the first to explicitly name the girls, since their holiday trip had taken that turn. It could have been by chance, or it could have been because both Roberto and Sandro had other faces linked to Christmas 1984. But in reality, having to deal with the dark meanders of time, he hadn't realized that the distance between them and that event had become much greater than two days.