Lives of the Saints

Shortly after Cristina threatens the others to stay away from Vittorio, Vittorio comes upon his mother vomiting in the stable. He runs to get Di Lucci and his grandfather at the bar. When they return, Cristina is sitting on the floor, moaning. She had beheaded a chicken and was collecting its drained blood. Di Lucci and Vittorio’s grandfather take Cristina to the hospital.

Vittorio decides he is going to do the ritual sacrifice Giuseppina recommended to cleanse his mother of the evil eye. He cannot remember the exact details, but he hides the chicken in the woods. That night, he sneaks out, chants, and burns the chicken in a pyre. At daybreak, he takes the chicken’s burned corpse, throws it away, and puts the head under his bed. His grandfather returns from the hospital and assumes the chicken has been taken by a dog.

Since Vittorio’s fight with Vincenzo Maiale, he has been getting to school early to avoid the other boys. His teacher also has him stay late to help her clean up. He thinks the boys have forgotten about him, but a few days after burning the chicken in the woods, he is walking home when he runs into Guido Mastroangelo.