Work Text:
It is the year 2107 and on a hilltop in Malta you find a dark-skinned man kneeling next to a grave. He is unwashed, and it has been a long time since he has changed his clothes, his beard and hair are long, his eyes are lifeless staring down on the ground. He is barely breathing, and he spends most of the days with his left hand on the grave and has a firm grip on the hilt of his scimitar with his right hand.
The only time he leaves the grave is when there is trouble in the town because it is noisy and disturbs him in his grief. The locals have slowly accepted him as a part of the scenery, and they leave food for him as thanks for keeping their town safe. Some days he eats, other days he doesn’t.
“What is the man doing, Mama?” A little girl asks in a way only a child can do.
The little girl isn't the first child who has asked that question, and she wouldn't be the last child to ask just as her mother isn't the last parent who has to answer that question. There have been many different answers to that question because each family has its own version of why that man is kneeling on that hilltop. Some answers are closer to the truth than others.
“Your Nonna told me that the man is waiting for Death to return.” The mother replied.
The little girl takes an even stronger hold in her mother's hand, who kneels and gives the girl a hug to comfort her.
"What do you mean Mama?" The little girl wanted to know.
“On the day the man's beloved died, he got left behind and has been kneeling over the grave ever since, he buried him on a cold winter day. The man is always watching over his beloved because he misses him with his whole heart and soul. The man is always praying for Death to get him so he once again can be with his beloved,” The mother explained.
They both look up at the man on the hill.
“I feel sad for him.” The girl said.
“We all do," The mother replied. "But he keeps us safe, and we thank him for it by giving him food and by leaving him alone, which you also much promise me you will do. Not every town is so lucky to have a Guardian Angel.”
"I promise Mama," The little girl replied, and they continued with their daily errands.