Piano D’Arta Terme – A small town to its very core. Everyone knows everyone else and their personal business. There are no secrets in small towns like this. However, on top of the typical small town woes, Piano D’Arta suffers from a distinct lack of youth. Many of the younger families have moved away to be closer to work; the school and daycare sit half empty. In this small town it seems that many are waiting for death.
In addition to ringing in the hour and chiming for mass on Sunday, the church’s bell tower is also used to announce deaths in the town. Similar to the way NASCAR fans sit around waiting for a good crash, the townsfolk here wait for the bell to ring. It rang this morning for an elderly woman who had been sick for quite some time and it signalled for everyone to come to the church tonight to pray the rosary for her soul.
In a town with residents as old as this one has to wonder: how long will the ringing continue? How long can it continue?
Hemingway?? :)
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