The foliage of the trees overhanging the bridge was so thick that it prevented the sun's rays from penetrating that thick green barrier. Although it was not even May, many plants had already put on leaves, and only a few still showed up with simple flowers and buds. After the sad monotony of winter, with the arrival of spring the park had become an explosion of life.

Reaching the center of the bridge Alessandro approached the parapet on the right side, and after slipping the small backpack he was carrying off his shoulders he slipped his hand into it. Since it was practically empty, it took him but a handful of seconds to feel under his fingers the smooth metal surface he was reaching for, but just as he was about to retract his arm, an unexpected peal jolted him.

A bicycle straddled by a man in a runner's outfit passed him just after he turned to check the origin of the sound, however, aside from that warning, the cyclist did not seem to show any interest in his presence there. He crossed the bridge and continued along the path until he reached the end of the narrow road about fifty meters ahead, at which point he disappeared from view behind some trees.

Not wanting to make a second mistake Alessandro checked in both directions for anyone else coming, but seeing no one he decided to proceed.

The metal sphere he found in his hands once he had taken it out of his backpack was little larger than a tennis ball. Although it was originally the size of a soccer ball, by using force he had managed to compress it into that decidedly less bulky shape so that it was easier to carry. At first glance it did not seem to possess anything special, yet it was to that seemingly insignificant object that he owed his condition.

Alessandro was undecided whether to be more intimidated or disgusted by it. Either way, it was something that would make his task easier.

Dropping his backpack on the ground, he leaned over the stone parapet and looked below. The murky waters of the Lambro flowed placidly inside the channel. At a rough guess there should not have been more than a meter between the muddy bottom and the surface.

Having satisfied himself for the second time that the path in either direction was clear, Alessandro took one last look at the probe and threw it into the river. The sphere broke the surface of the water with a thud that raised high splashes, then disappeared, blending into the muddy bottom.

There, she was gone forever.

Perhaps it would have been better to leave it buried in that field, but since he could not foresee if one fine day someone took it into his head to turn the land into a shopping center, he had finally decided to opt for that solution. That way the whole thing would be concluded without involving others.

Birds chirped in the foliage above him, and Alessandro pulled his Smartphone out of his pocket. Having selected the keyword via quick search, he then ran his finger across the display, scrolling through the various news sites until he could locate the one he usually used.

The page that opened before him as soon as he clicked on it he knew all too well.

SLAUGHTER IN MONZA

Slaughter in an apartment building on the city's southern outskirts, bordering Villanuova sul Lambro. The four dead are known drug dealers in the area with priors for assault, robbery and drug trafficking. Multiple homicide is being investigated against unknown persons.

It was pretty dated news, but fortunately for him, the link to the most recent article he was looking for was right next door.

SLAUGHTER IN MONZA

Published the sketch of the main suspect. He is a very tall man with impressive strength. Under the lens gyms, bodybuilding clubs and athletic clubs.

Nothing new. Although almost two months had passed, there seemed to be no further developments.

Alessandro breathed a sigh of relief, and without even putting his cell phone away, he absentmindedly scanned the river below. The thoughts crowding his mind were so numerous and pressing that even the lapping of the water or the chirping of birds seemed to fade until they were reduced to nothing more than a distant echo.

"Hey.

Coming out of the sort of trance he had fallen into, Alessandro raised his head again abruptly and turned in the direction of the voice.

Alice stared at him standing in the middle of the bridge, but despite the small distance between them, his recent mental escape had prevented him from hearing her approach. Who knows how long it had been.

''Hello,'' he told her before turning back to look at the river.

She walked toward him, and when they were next to each other, she imitated him by leaning against the stone parapet. She was wearing light pants paired with a short-sleeved T-shirt, and as usual she wore her long black hair loose, letting it fall behind her back and to the sides of her face.

At first he just stayed close to him, admiring the view of the river flowing between the two rows of trees, but as soon as he noticed Smartphone his brother kept holding tightly in his right hand, his attention seemed to awaken.

''How is the cell phone?" he asked nonchalantly. ''You know, I helped mom choose the model.''

''That's fine, thank you,'' Alessandro replied, putting his cell phone back in his pocket.

A brief silence followed, interrupted only by the lapping of water and the song of sparrows.

''Beautiful day, eh?" commented Alice affably, watching the golden rays filtering through the canopy of leaves above them.

''Yeah,'' confirmed Alessandro nodding, ''very beautiful.''

Silence fell again between them, but once again it was Alice who broke it.

''Mom says we're going to eat soon,'' she warned him in a practical tone, ''but if you want to be alone...''

''No,'' he interrupted her by meeting her gaze. ''No, stay.''

Alice nodded, and Alessandro pointed his gaze toward the small waterfall from which the river flowed a hundred meters ahead. For several seconds neither of them said anything.

''Do you think the world can improve?" asked Alessandro point-blank.

Caught off guard by the question Alice peered in his direction out of the corner of her eye, her forehead slightly furrowed in an expression of genuine curiosity. Eventually, however, since her brother did not seem intent on meeting her gaze again, she decided to simply answer without giving it much thought.

''I think dreaming costs nothing,'' he said with a hint of irony, ''realism is sometimes too depressing.''

''What is it that is missing, then?''

''The will, to begin with.''

"What if one has it?" urged Alessandro.

''He lacks the power to put it into practice,'' explained Alice patiently.

"What if one does?" insisted Alessandro.

''He would lack the will.''

In response, Alessandro gave her an eloquent look, but instead of showing embarrassment, Alice sported a smirk.

''Don't look at me like that, I didn't write the rules of the game,'' she said amused.

Alessandro rolled his eyes and sighed.

"But what if one has both?" he asked a little impatiently.

Alice twisted her mouth into a grimace as if she were thinking about it, and then resumed scanning the landscape beyond the stone parapet.

''That would be a really nice coincidence,'' she admitted quietly, ''but then it would remain to be understood what her concept of improvement is.''

"What do you mean?" asked Alessandro, frowning.

''In the sense that things appear different depending on who is looking,'' replied Alice calmly. ''What is good for you is bad for others, and vice versa.''

He emitted a sound that could have been a stifled giggle, and then shook his head weakly.

''There are no objective ideals,'' he concluded in a bitter tone. ''Although he seems to forget it very often, Dad must have repeated it at least a thousand times.''

''Improving from the point of view of a good one,'' Alessandro pointed out. ''A classical good one.''

Alice turned around, and after leaning her back against the parapet she looked her brother straight in the face.

''When you say classical, do you mean antiquity or are you referring to Mickey Mouse?" she asked him wryly, raising an eyebrow.

Alessandro's lips rippled into a tugged smile.

''Democracy, human rights, Spider-Man, Albus Dumbledore!" he blurted impatiently, spreading his arms wide. ''That kind of good, okay?

Although the smile his sister gave him was a little too sympathetic for his taste, Alessandro still decided to let her answer without intervening.

''Well, in that case, I guess so,'' she admitted with a shrug. ''Maybe he could.''

''And you would approve it?" Alessandro asked her, softening his tone.

The girl arched her eyebrows and peered at her brother in silence, but in spite of the all-too-quiet attitude with which she faced that inquiring gaze, Alessandro began to fear that he had gone too far. Who knows what was going through her mind at that moment.

That he suspected something? Or was he simply wondering if the beating two months earlier had ended up making him dumb?

Whatever the truth was, eventually Alice broke eye contact with him after only a few seconds, and as she returned her focus to the river she gave him her own answer

''I doubt that a Spider-Man or an Albus Dumbledore will come along anytime soon to get us out of the mess.''

Alessandro was not even in time to address a mental thanks to the stars for the narrow escape when his sister turned back to look at him.

''But why are we talking about this?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. ''You suddenly became Superman and didn't tell me?''

Ignoring the cold shiver he felt going up his spine, Alessandro assumed an expression of mock astonishment and clapped a hand on his forehead.

''I'm sorry,'' he said flaunting contrition, ''I forgot.''

Alice smiled, and after brushing a black lock from her forehead she leaned slightly toward him. When she spoke again her voice was reduced to a whisper.

''Think about what you can do in your own small way for yourself and those you care about.'' She laid a hand on his shoulder in a brotherly gesture. ''Forget the world, it's broken, and we can't fix it.''

Having broken contact she then began to head in the same direction from which she had come, but when she reached the edge of the bridge, she found that her brother was not following her and so she was forced to turn away.

''So are you coming or not?" she asked testily.

Alessandro detached himself from the parapet and once he picked up his backpack from the ground, he put it back on his shoulder.

''Yes, I'm coming.''

At that point, he went after her. However, even after he caught up with her, the echo of his sister's last words kept buzzing in his head, just like the question he had been struggling to answer for weeks.

Or yes?