The next morning was bitterly cold. The kids left early for the waterfront and Ulysses and Cress made a start on the stone benches. So far, so normal. Then all of a sudden, into this routine sped a spanking new Land Rover packed to the hilt.
Well I’ll be— said Cress. And even Claude flew down from the statue of Cosimo R. to have a peek.
The Land Rover skidded to a halt. Des clambered out from behind the wheel and adjusted his driving gloves.
Des! said Ulysses and Cress.
Hello, lad. Hello, my old friend Cress. Must have done a hundred all the way.
And Pete! How on earth did you two—？
Long story, said Des.
Pete fell into Ulysses’ arms. Oh, it was a lovely journey, Temps. No drama at all.
What are you both doing here? said Ulysses.
We’re the coordinated disaster relief team, said Des. You can’t rely on that president in Rome—
Des met him at a conference once, interrupted Pete.
Right tosser, said Des. So here we are.
And he moved to the back of the vehicle and flung open the doors.
I’ve got manual bilge pumps, gas masks, wet-weather gear, wellington boots, waders, kerosene lamps, candles, blankets, woollen socks, transistor radios and batteries, moisturiser for the ladies, powdered milk, cream for foot rot, bleach, sponges, shovels, brooms – what else, Pete?
TCP, he said.
Gallons of TCP, said Des. First aid kits, and as much food and mineral water as we could get our hands on. Right, Pete?
Pete gave him a thumbs up. Pete had never looked happier.
I feel bad we couldn’t have got the vaccines, though, said Des quietly.
What vaccines? said Ulysses.
Typhoid and tetanus, whispered Des. Contact was arrested at the border.
Sorry to hear that, Des.
Right then, Ulysses, lad. Any chance of a—？
Coffee with a touch of grappa?
My kind of man, said Des. Lead the way, comrade.
Pete bunked in with Ulysses and Des got the guest room to himself. I like the new touches, he said to Cress. Ceramics are definitely the way to go.
Afterwards, they each took it in turns to pump out the cellar – These waders have already paid for themselves, said Des – and Cress made a start on the jukebox now that he had proper industrial cleaning fluid.
And across the river, Alys and Jem descended the stairs of the library, down into the murky underworld where the air was poisonous and gas masks were worn. The water had gone but the mud about them was still boot height and frozen. They stopped at their allocated positions and Alys gave Jem a thumbs up. The first bucket came through and then the next and the next at a cracking pace. A book now blackened by sludge. Book after book after book, the written patrimony of Western civilisation. And sometimes through the mud, a glimmer of gold or a glimmer of blue stilled their breath. Made them humble, that shy glimpse of ancient holy.
Bloody hell! said Des.
Jesus, Temps, said Pete. It was two days later, and the men were in Piazza dei Sapiti where the rotting debris from the flood stood 5 feet high. A stinking oily mass of furniture, broken globes, books, clothing.
I managed to save a couple of moulds, said Ulysses.
Well, that’s plastic for you, said Des. Indestructible.
It’s calamitous, said Pete. They clear the mud and more appears.
Sisyphean, said Des. But people are tenacious. If evolution has taught us anything—
Thousands of homeless already, said Ulysses. Many of them old.
The keepers of history, said Pete.
All those craftsmen gone.
Changes things, doesn’t it? said Des. Soul of the community goes. You boys need any money?
Nah, we’re good thanks, Des. Cress had another little moment.
What was it this time?
World Cup, said Pete. Not only to win but—
The Geoff Hurst hat-trick? said Des.
The two men nodded.
Man of vision, said Des.
And at that moment, the man of vision himself appeared. Brand new waders up to his armpits. Bright eyes, mouth quivering with anticipation. Clearly Cress had something important to say.
I’ve got something important to say, he said. We can flush the toilets again.
A small mercy, said Pete.
And … said Cress.
And he gestured for them to follow.
They stood on the bank of the river, back to its normal level but full of crap – a right old junkyard in which people had tossed wrecked cars and mattresses. But that wasn’t what Cress wanted them to see. Look, he said. Over there!
A long procession of heavy trucks entering the city, each one loaded with a crane or a tractor or a generator and cheers went up around them. The rumbling sound and heavy clank as the first of the wrecked cars was towed away.