Page 42 of The Slug Crystal
The words tumble out before I can stop them. "Would you help us find her?"
Jake makes a small, strangled sound beside me. Ben's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. Luca's grin widens to Cheshire cat proportions.
"Emma," Jake says quietly, a warning in his voice.
I rush on, unable to stop myself. "It's just, you seem to know Venice, and you obviously know about snails, and we're kind of flying blind here. Only one of us speaks Italian, and we have no idea how to find Sarah."
Dr. Rossi considers me for a long moment, his head tilted slightly. "You're collecting quite the entourage for your quest," he observes, glancing at the three men. "May I ask why this Sarah is so important?"
I swallow hard, not ready to explain the whole spell situationto a stranger, even one who just saved us. "It's complicated. But it's important, life-changing important. For Alex."
"Alex?" Dr. Rossi repeats, confused.
I point to the terrarium. "The snail. His name is Alex."
Understanding dawns in Dr. Rossi's eyes, followed by something that might be amusement or might be concern. "I see. Well, a named specimen suggests quite a personal attachment."
Ben lets out a short laugh. "You have no idea."
Dr. Rossi strokes his chin thoughtfully. "I was planning to attend a department meeting tomorrow, but I suppose my colleagues can manage without me." His eyes light up with sudden enthusiasm. "A search through Venice's esoteric circles could yield fascinating ethnographic observations. The intersection of modern mysticism with historical practices is an underexplored area of research."
"So, you'll help us?" I ask, hope bubbling in my chest.
"I would be delighted," Dr. Rossi says, adjusting his glasses with scholarly precision. "Though I should warn you, Venice's secrets don't reveal themselves easily, even to locals."
"Great," Jake mutters under his breath. "Another one."
Dr. Rossi either doesn't hear or chooses to ignore Jake's comment. "We should start in Dorsoduro," he says, already shifting into planning mode. "There's a small shop near the Accademia that caters to the more... mystically inclined. The owner is well-connected in those circles."
I catch Jake's eye, trying to convey a silent apology for adding yet another stranger to our bizarre quest. His expression softens slightly, but the tension doesn't leave his shoulders.
Ben steps forward, clapping Dr. Rossi on the back with forced camaraderie. "Welcome to the chaos, Doc. Hope you don't regret it."
"I rarely regret pursuing knowledge," Dr. Rossi repliesserenely. "And this promises to be an educational experience, at minimum."
Luca pushes off from his column, gesturing toward the water taxi stand. "Then it's settled. Five tickets to Venice, one blue snail, and a search for a missing witch. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke or a great adventure."
As we make our way toward the taxi stand, I feel a strange mix of hope and trepidation. Our group keeps growing, the dynamics shifting with each new addition, all circling around me and my snail ex-boyfriend like planets around a very confused sun.
The water of the lagoon stretches before us, Venice rising from its surface like a dream. Somewhere in that maze of canals and ancient buildings is Sarah DeMarco. Somewhere is the answer to undoing what I've done.
And now we have a fifth companion on our increasingly complicated journey.
While Luca and Marco work together to find us a taxi, I pull out my cell phone and type up a quick text to Alina. I let her know Jake and I are in Venice and add the pasta emoji. I press the send button, but the message doesn't move to show delivered. Groaning, I notice my signal bars show SOS with no service. Sighing, I turn my phone to airplane mode and return it to my pocket.
I adjust my grip on the terrarium, watching as Alex presses himself against the glass, his blue shell catching the Italian sunlight. "Almost there," I whisper to him, not sure if he can hear me, not sure if he understands. "We're going to fix this. I promise."
As we board the water taxi, Venice sprawls before us, beautiful, mysterious, and hopefully holding the key to Alex's transformation. If we can just find Sarah before our fragile alliance falls apart.
11VENICE IS GIVING ME CLAUSTROPHOBIA
Wednesday,12:28PM. The water taxi delivers us to a Venice I never could have imagined from pictures. It’s not the postcard version with empty canals and perfect light, but a living, breathing city in the midst of celebration. Boats fill every channel, their hulls knocking against one another and creating a cacophony of sound, like wind chimes made of wood and water. Banners stretch between buildings, and the air smells of salt, wine, and something fried and delicious.
"Is it always this packed?" I ask, narrowly avoiding a collision with a man selling carnival masks from a tray strapped to his neck.
"Only during festivals," Marco replies, his scholarly demeanor somehow unruffled despite the chaos. "This is the Festival of the Gondoliers. It is a local celebration that lasts about a week. The gondoliers compete in races and demonstrations of skill. It's quite a spectacle."
I've never heard of the festival, but it seems to have drawn half of Italy into these narrow waterways. I clutch Alex's terrarium tighter to my chest as our group steps onto the crowded stone embankment. I’m wondering how we'll ever find one woman in this floating circus.
