Duccio’s Omen and Marco’s Betrayal

This thread follows Duccio from a frightening prediction through his friendship with Marco, the fatal flight, and Marco’s costly decision to publicize their escape.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Prediction on the Course

A Prediction on the Course An ominous remark Before a race, Duccio says that Tavella will fall and be badly hurt. Duccio then wins the heat, and Tavella suffers a severe accident on the fogbound course. A reputation takes hold The episode makes Duccio the feared “Unspeakable,” a boy thought to bring bad luck. The story follows him rather than proving any supernatural power: rumor becomes an identity imposed by others. That identity provides the background against which Marco’s later loyalty, and eventual betrayal, acquire their force.

A Friendship Built at the Tables

A Friendship Built at the Tables Shared escape Duccio introduces Marco to gambling, first among friends and then at horse races and casinos. The two win often, and the game gives Marco a glimpse of life outside his family’s decorum. Unequal attachment Marco retains other friends and interests, while Duccio increasingly abandons music, books, and ordinary relationships. The friendship survives partly because Marco enjoys the thrill and the freedom of refusing the crowd’s superstition. Their bond thus grows beside a widening difference in how each imagines his future.

The Doomed Journey

The Doomed Journey Fear in the cabin Marco persuades Duccio to fly despite his fear. Once aboard, Duccio panics at the passengers and confronts a group of Boy Scouts, forcing Marco to claim that his friend is having a seizure. A last-minute departure They leave the plane at Pisa before it takes off. The aircraft later crashes near Larnaca, killing everyone aboard. The escape saves both men, but it also leaves them holding knowledge that seems to confirm Duccio’s reputation.

The Story Told Wrong

The Story Told Wrong A chance to confess Irene guesses that Marco and Duccio had been scheduled to take the crashed flight. Marco denies it, then waits for her to ask again; she does not. Publicizing the curse Unable to speak openly with Duccio, Marco tells two old friends about the escape. He presents Duccio’s fearful words as a supernatural warning, apparently seeking understanding but instead reinforcing the stigma that has followed his friend. The revelation makes Duccio’s social exile harder to escape and burdens Marco with guilt that he will repress for decades.

A Warning in the Gambling Room

A Warning in the Gambling Room An unexpected reunion Duccio reappears, worn down and working as a paid bearer of bad luck. He warns Marco that Luigi Dami Tamburini has hired him to make Marco cry. A friendship acknowledged Marco refuses to flee, apologizes for having helped ruin Duccio’s life, and says he does not believe in the curse. Duccio’s warning nevertheless makes the night a test of whether Marco can face an old failure without repeating it. Their meeting turns a damaged friendship into a belated encounter with responsibility.

The 1970s, during a ski race at Zum Zeri–Passo dei Due Santi

Late 1970s, during Marco and Duccio’s gambling years

1979, on the way to Ljubljana

Summer 1979, after news of the crash

February 29, 2016, at Dami Tamburini’s house