Then who?

"Please, not here."

"I know I haven't always been completely clear-headed. But have I ever said anything this crazy?"

"Paolo..."

"Answer me."

"No."

"So why would I start today?"

"Because today is Uncle Corrado's funeral, and you're telling me he's not dead."

"Because he's not."

"Paolo, please. Look at the coffin. Just look at it."

"I'm looking at it."

"So?"

"So, you tell me what's inside."

"You know perfectly well what's inside."

"Did you see it?"

"No, but..."

"Ah."

"But Mom saw it. And the doctor too."

"And did you see Mom see it?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Did you see anyone open the coffin? Were you there when they closed it?"

"Paolo, stop it."

"Just tell me yes or no."

"No."

"So? What's stopping me from thinking it's all a mistake?"

"The fact that everyone here is crying."

"Or the fact that everyone here believes something that isn't true."

"Paolo, this isn't the first time you've seen things that aren't there."

"And it's not the first time you've decided they can't be there."

"Paolo..."

"I saw him."

"What?"

"I saw him this morning."

"No."

"Yes."

"You think you saw him."

"No, Alice. I saw him. He spoke to me."

"That's impossible."

"He asked me how I was. He asked if I was sleeping better. He asked if I was still taking those damn drops."

"Paolo... he's known about that for years."

"Exactly. And today he wanted to know if I was still taking them."

"It's your mind..."

"Alice, he looked me in the eyes. He was there. He was right in front of me."

"Where?"

"At the newsstand."

"At the newsstand"

"Yes."

"And what was he doing?"

"Browsing the newspaper."

"He talked about the weather. He said the rain is good for the back."

"He always said that."

"Exactly."

"And then?"

"He smiled at me."

"And?"

"He said, 'See you later.'"

"Paolo... this ends here. We breathe, we sit down, we greet everyone, and then we go home. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Look around you."

"What?"

"Look around you. Look at everyone."

"See you later, now cut this crap."

"You're still pale."

"That's normal."

"You saw him, didn't you?"

"I saw something."

"What was it?"

"A shadow."

"A shadow with Uncle Corrado's face."

"Paolo..."

"Tell the truth."

"It was a suggestion. After what you said, my mind..."

"Sought a plausible explanation?"

"I told you something absurd. I told you Uncle Corrado isn't dead. And yet, instead of laughing in my face, you looked behind a column and turned white as a sheet."

"It doesn't mean anything."

"No? Then why won't you look me in the eyes?"

"It can't be true."

"Why not?"

"Because that's not how it works."

"And you know that from firsthand experience?"

"Paolo, please."

"What? Are you scared?"

"I'm angry."

"Why?"

"Because I love you. And I don't want you to get sick again."

"So that's what you choose."

"What?"

"My stability, instead of the truth."

"Don't talk nonsense."

"It's not nonsense."

"You've always had an obsession."

"What?"

"Putting things back in order. Fixing me. Fixing the world."

"Yeah, as if I could fix the world."

"But you've tried with me."

"What if you're the one who's wrong this time?"

"See you later, think about it."

"Most people have left."

"Good."

"Mom..."

"Hmm?"

"Paolo says he saw Uncle Corrado... Says he spoke to him this morning."

"This isn't the time."

"I know."

"Paolo has... these kind of things going on."

"Yes, I do know, Mom."

"Is he taking his medication?"

"Yes."

"Then you know what you have to do."

"Mom."

"Alice."

"I saw him. Or something like him."

"No."

"I didn't—"

"No, Alice."

"Mom, listen—"

"No."

"Paolo is fragile. You shouldn't indulge him."

"I'm not indulging him."

"Then why are you telling me these things?"

"Because... because I'm not Paolo."

"I've never had hallucinations. I've never had... problems."

"So?"

"So... if I saw him, it can't just be in his head."

"If you start believing certain things, Alice... there's no going back."

"I just want to know the truth."

"The truth? What if the truth hurts?"

"I didn't want to tell you right away, Mom."

"What?"

"What do you mean, what? You know what your brother's like."

"I know."

"So? Why echo him?"

"I'm not echoing him, it's just that... Mom, he's never said anything like this. Ever."

"It's a difficult time, for everyone. Maybe for him more than us."

"Sure. But did he just make this up out of thin air? Just like that?"

"Listen, Alice. Certain things can't be said."

"I'm not saying them, I'm asking. Who saw Uncle last?"

"He was at his house. Giuseppe saw him first."

"And how was he?"

"Serene. That's what they told me. I don't know exactly what it means, but he was calm. Very calm, for someone who... dies suddenly."

"So?"

"So, nothing. He's dead. End of story."

"I want to see him."

"No."

"Mom."

"I said no. It's better this way. Why do you always want to know everything?"

"If Uncle isn't dead, who's in the coffin?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

"It's not nonsense. Paolo said he saw him this morning. This morning, Mom."

"Your brother is not well."

"I know. But who saw him last? Before Giuseppe arrived?"

"Alice, stop."

"I won't stop. Who saw Uncle before Giuseppe?"

"I don't know. He was alone."

"Nobody saw him the day before?"

"I don't know!"

"But then how is it possible? How is it possible, Mom? Did anyone recognize him? When they took him away? Did you see him?"

"No."

"What do you mean, no?"

"It was late. They said it was better not to see him."

"They said who?"

"The paramedics. They found him lifeless, they called Giuseppe, and then the funeral home. They said it was better this way."

"And you believed them?"

"Alice."

"Did anyone see him? Anyone in the family?"

"Giuseppe."

"Only him?"

"What if it wasn't him?"

"Will you stop it?"

"No, I want to understand. Why didn't anyone see him? Why was it all so fast? Why does Paolo say he spoke to him this morning?"

"Because your brother is sick."

"He says he's not. Mom, this time it's different..."

"Your brother..."

"Mom, what if Paolo's right?"

"What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing. About Paolo."

"Did he say something to you too?"

"He said Uncle isn't dead."

"He says he saw him this morning. That he spoke to him."

"I know."

"What?"

"I know he said that. He said it to me too."

"So?"

"He's sick."

"I'm not interested in Paolo right now. Answer me: are you sure Uncle's in the coffin?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"It's a simple question."

"It's absurd."

"Did you see the body? Did you see Uncle Corrado, Giuseppe?"

"No."

"Then who saw him?"

"The doctor."

"Which doctor?"

"The one from the funeral home."

"The funeral home has a doctor?"

"I don't know. Damn it, he was dead. Maybe he was from the hospital."

"Maybe?"

"Alice, stop it."

“What’s wrong with you? Fuckin’ hell…”

"Giuseppe. Who saw him last? Who recognized Uncle? Paolo said something crazy, yes. But so far, nothing you've answered has convinced me otherwise."

"Alice..."

"I want to see him."

"You can't."

"Did you sleep?"

"Have you ever tried to sleep with someone talking in your head?"

"Paolo..."

"Dad. Please. Let's skip the scene, okay? I know what you think. I know what's about to happen."

"And what's about to happen?"

"You're going to tell me I'm tired. That I need to rest. That I'm getting carried away."

"Are you tired?"

"Not enough."

"And are you getting carried away?"

"Have you ever been in a room with a dead person?"

"Yes."

"And have you ever heard them talk?"

"No."

"What if they said something to you? If Uncle walked through that door right now and greeted you like nothing happened? What would you do?"

"It won't happen."

"But if it did? You're scared?"

"I'm worried about you."

"I know. But it's not necessary this time. I'm not the problem."

"Then what is the problem?"

"The problem is I'm right."

"And how are you so sure?"

"Because he spoke to me, Dad. This morning. And it wasn't a dream, it wasn't a hallucination. It was him."

"What did he say?"

"He asked me why we were doing this."

"Doing what?"

"The funeral."

"Paolo..."

"I know it sounds absurd. I know it's the kind of thing that... that I shouldn't say, because it sets off all the alarms. But I'm just asking you this: have I ever said anything this crazy before? Ever?"

"There have been difficult times, yes."

"But have I ever said I spoke to a dead person? Have I ever confused reality with something else?"

"No."

"So why would I start now? Why right now, right today?"

"Then who's in the coffin, Paolo?"

"Good. That's the right question."

"Giuseppe, we need to talk."

"This isn't the time, Alice."

"Yes, it is. Now. I don't care about your opinion, Giuseppe. I just want to know what happened."

"You know perfectly well what happened."

"Oh, do I? Then tell me. Tell me everything. Because nobody knows anything."

"Alice... we can't do this now."

"We can't or you don't want to?"

"It's not the same thing."

"Oh, really? You have me talking about Paolo, about his messed-up head, and then you tell me 'it's not the same thing'?"

"This isn't the time to talk about it."

"When will it be? After everything's over?"

"It's not what you think."

"Then tell me what it is. Because the truth is, nobody saw anything. Nobody set foot in that room before you. Before the funeral home arrived."

"It's not like that Alice. And I guess is not easy for you."

"It's never easy, is it? Neither for you. Always a step behind, always making excuses. What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything. Come on, just stop it!"

"Then why won't you tell me? Why did Paolo see Uncle Corrado this morning, but you, who were there, didn't say a word?"

"Because there was nothing to say."

"There was nothing to say? And that serenity you talked about earlier, didn't that strike you as strange?"

"I didn't say he was serene. I said they told me that."

"And you believed them."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Look at him. Look at him closely."

"It wasn't the time."

"Yet it's the time now."

"You don't know what it's like to be in that room."

"And what do you know about me, Giuseppe?"

"I don't want anything else to happen, Alice."

"And I want to know the truth."

"I don't know how to say it."

"Just tell me who saw him. Who, Giuseppe?"

"I don't know."

"How do you not know?"

"I didn't see him, Alice. I didn't see him."

"But you were there."

"And I saw him in his bed."

"But..."

"I wasn't talking about that."

"What does 'I wasn't talking about that' mean?"

"That there are things you can't understand."

"But I do understand them. Because you've already forgotten them, while I've never stopped looking."

"What do you think is happening?"

"I don't know, but it scares me. Everything seems... out of place."

"I know. But it's not what it seems, is it?"

"And how do you know that?"

"Because if it really were like that, we'd know something by now. Don't you think?"

"Yet it seems like nobody's talking. There are no answers."

"It's not that there aren't any, maybe they're just... hard to find."

"Hard to find or hard to listen to?"

"Don't get any ideas, Giulia. This isn't the time for assumptions."

"I'm not making assumptions. But does this seem normal to you? Does anything seem normal?"

"We just have to wait. Things will clear up, you'll see."

"And if they don't?"

"Then we'll have to ask some questions. But now isn't the time."

"It's never the time. It's always 'not now.' But in the meantime... everything remains suspended."

"I know, I know. But we can't force things to change."

"You know as well as I do that things never fix themselves."

"Yet... sometimes it happens."

"Sometimes? Sometimes we close our eyes and wait for things to go on."

"It's not like that. It's just that... sometimes we can't do anything else."

"Sometimes, yes. But not today. Not today."

"What do you mean?"

"That today we can still do something."

"What are you talking about?"

"Something! Our children are losing their minds, and you're just standing there, like this... doing nothing!"

"I want to see him."

"Alice..."

"I want to see him."

"It's not a good idea..."

"It's not a good idea?"

"Because he's already been prepared. Because he's not himself anymore."

"Then who is he?"

"Alice, stop it."

"No. If there's nothing strange, why can't we open the coffin? Why do we have to accept it like this, without a doubt? Without even looking at him?"

"We can't."

"We don't want to. Please Alice, stop... I beg you."

"And I do want to."

"Let's open the coffin."

"Alice, please, stop."

"No. No, I'm not stopping. Enough. Let's open the coffin."

"Alice, are you out of your mind?"

"What the hell are you saying? There are people here!"

"So? If you're not afraid to bury a man alive, you shouldn't be afraid to look him in the face!"

"Alice, will you stop? This isn't the time!"

"And when would be the time? When it's too late? When they put the dirt on top of him?"

"You're out of your mind."

"And what if it's true? If it's true, who would be out of their mind? Me, or you who leave him there without even looking?"

"Alice, please..."

"OPEN THIS FUCKING COFFIN!”

"It was strange, you know? There wasn't that cold, that silence... like when you enter an empty room and you immediately understand that there's nothing left. It wasn't like that. You were awake, I know. I saw it. But they don't want to look. They prefer to tell themselves stories. Funerals, closed coffins, flowers... it's easier that way, right? But you weren't there, pop-pop."