William.

Episode 1 : William in the basement

William was bitter about life in general. He was going through one of his periods of unpopularity, which was not unusual. The c****x was reached by the gift of six denarii given to him by a shy aunt, who in this way hoped to buy his good will. With these six cents he bought a balloon decorated with legs and a cardboard duck head. We can blow it to the max and then let it go down. It took him a few minutes to calm down and during those minutes he let out a long, loud moan. The advantage of this method was obvious. Guglielmo could take him to the max in private and let him relax in public, hidden under his coat. Meanwhile, William looked around, as if astonished. He blew it before going to lunch. He then held it tightly and furtively to keep it inflated until he sat on the table. Then he let it down. His mother spilled a cup of coffee and his father cut himself with a bread knife. Ethel, his older sister, suffered a mild form of nervous breakdown. William sat down with a face of surprised innocence. But nothing angered his family more than William's innocence. They rushed at him and he defended himself as best he could. Yes, he kept the ball under the table. Well, he had blown it a while ago. It couldn't hold the swelling forever. It must be letting the air out for a while. He couldn't make a noise when the air came out. That's how it happened. He had no success. He went to school with an air of wounded innocence - and the ball. Seeing an angry old gentleman in front of him, he took a few steps into an alley, unwrapped his balloon and tucked it under his coat. So when he got to the teacher, he threw it. The gentleman jumped into the air and looked around angrily. Looking at the virtuous-looking young schoolboy, he saw an instrument of t*****e on his lips, then focused his angry and suspicious gaze on the upstairs windows. Guglielmo rushed towards the other valley. He had a very pleasant walk to school.

The school was initially equally successful. William opened his desk, immediately inflated the balloon, closed his desk, then looked around with his usual expression of horrified surprise at what followed. It drove the French teacher crazy.

"Get out, it's loud," he yelled.

No one came out and the noise continued at intervals.

The math teacher ends up finding out and confiscating the ball.

"I hope," said the father at lunch, "they got you this infernal machine."

William, sadly, answered yes. He added that some people didn't seem to think that taking other people's things was theft. "So can we expect some peace tonight?" - said the father politely. "I don't care why you go out to dinner. The only thing that eases the boredom of going out to dinner is the fact that you get a break from William."

William responded to the compliment with a shrug and a mysteriously whispered remark that there were still people following him.

While getting ready for school in the afternoon, he read a story book that his neighbor had lent him. Not because he had no work to do, Guglielmo read a book of stories in preparation. It was a sign of defiance to the world at large. It was also a very interesting history book. It started with the hero as a sick boy and mistreated by everyone around him. Then run away. He went to sea and, a few years later, enjoyed an immense fortune in gold mining. He returned in the last chapter and forgave his family, giving him a noble palace and several ships loaded with gold. The idea impressed William - except for the last part. He thought he would rather have the noble house to himself and pay rare visits to his family, during which he would listen to their humble excuses and perhaps give them a morsel or two, but not much, certainly not much for Ethel. He wasn't sure he could ever forgive her. However, in his house there would be rooms full of balloons and blaring horns, leeches and white mice everywhere - things they did a lot in his old house - he always wore dirty boots, never combed his hair or was washing him he himself owned dozens of cars and wouldn't let Ethel out in any of them. He was awakened from this dream by the discovery and confiscation of his history book by the butler and the ensuing fury by his owner. To properly express his annoyance, he threw a small ball of blotting paper soaked in ink at William's back. Guglielmo, trying to get revenge, was ordered to stay at home for half an hour after school. He immersed himself in his history book (in reverse) and his misanthropic view of life. He bitterly compared himself to the hero of the book and decided not to waste a moment of his life in a hostile environment. He made a firm decision to run away as soon as he was released from school.

He moved quickly along the road that led away from the village. He puts the ball in his pocket. He had made the pleasant discovery that his math teacher had left on his desk, so he happily took it. He thought he could reach the coast before dark and reach the gold fields before next week. He didn't think he would make his fortune there. It could be back before next Christmas and... crumb! better make people sit down. On the one hand, he would not go to school, and on the other hand, he would be very careful to whom he gave shoes. I give a little to the butcher, the postman, the piano tuner and the chimney sweep. He did not give it to any member of his family, nor to any teacher at school. He would serve the people as he would serve him. He loved it. The coast road seemed long enough and he was getting tired. He went into a ditch to change, then squeezed through a hedge and took a short cut into a plowed field. Dusk was falling fast and even William's spirit was beginning to weaken. Fortune was very good, but meanwhile I was cold, tired and hungry. He hadn't even reached the coast, much less the gold fields. Something had to be done. He remembered that the boy in the story had "begged" his way to the shore. Guglielmo decided to ask for his way out. But for the moment there seemed to be nothing to look for to drive on, except a hawthorn hedge and a scarecrow in the field behind. Wandering in despair, he decides to start his career as a beggar at the first sign of human habitation.