Francesca

Illustrated

I was born below the gentle rolling hills of Mount Subasio and I was blessed beyond imagination but only in the hindsight of my later life did I realize that paradise was here on earth in my much beloved village of Spello.

But now my heart is breaking into a million pieces as my only daughter Lutetia is dying and I must rush to Manaus on the other side of the Amazon rainforest to be with her.

Inside my cabin on Brazilian flight 501 to Manaus there is the acrid smell of burning metal then suddenly the plane lurches downwards and we are plunged into darkness. Outside my window the lightning flashes violently across the tropical sky. I am so scared and just want to be back in Mama’s kitchen where I felt safe.

I am filled with guilt, what if my daughter dies before I get there? I would have failed as a mother. I love her so much but it has been so long since I told her.