Several months passed, when one morning, the merchant, returning from Livorno, came forward with the air more cheerful than usual. He says, "You know, daughters? I have some wonderful news for you: The bastion was not completely lost, but arrived at the port with half the cargo. The girls rejuvenated somewhat to hear those words, then, the merchant, continued: "Tomorrow I go back to Livorno to recover my assets. What do you want me to bring you, as a gift, daughters?" Assunta replied: "A beautiful silk dress in the color of the air." And Carolina: "But I want a peach-colored one." While Bellindia was silent and asked nothing. At her father's insistence, she finally replied, "Santa, I would just like a beautiful rose plant. Then the father laughed, while the sisters gave her the foolish and the shunned, and mocked her as much as I can, but she returned to say, "If you want to bring it to me, father, I do not want anything else.
The next day, the merchant went to Livorno and collected all his possessions, and locked them up in a warehouse, then chosen the clothes for his eldest daughters, thinking back to the request of Bellindia, was on the foot to convince him not to bring home anything, because he did not want to go crazy looking for a rose plant, and when it was evening, not to return, rented a horse and left the city, headed home. The merchant was all immersed in his thoughts and did not look after the horse, so suddenly he realized that he had lost his way and found himself in the dark in the middle of the forest, and the more he tried to get out, the more he went into the forest. By force of turning, half desperate, the merchant arrived at a garden and at the end he sees a large building full of light, so he thought to go and ask for information, so, went down on the square, where there was no soul alive. Directed to the door, he climbed the stairs and entered a large room, but the building seemed really uninhabited. At a certain point he found himself disoriented, in that abandoned place, and he no longer knew what to do, when, from a door he saw that in the living room there was a table laid, and since he was very hungry, he was attracted by the smell of the food and sat down at the table, eating with a lot of appetite. He must have fallen right into the castle of wonders, because as he emptied the dishes, they immediately reappeared full of others. But no one could be seen. After he had eaten full, the merchant looked for a room to sleep, and when he had found it, which was easy for him, he undressed and threw himself into bed, and tired as he was, he slept like a dormouse.
The next morning, as soon as he woke up, the merchant thought, "It's time for me to leave and try to find my way home. He stood up and went down to the garden to pick up the horse, which in the meantime had been sheltered in the stable, guarded, groomed and treated with great courtesy. He was about to mount on his back, when, turning his eyes by chance, he saw, at the end of an avenue, a great shed of beautiful rose plants, and said: "Oh, well! I'll take advantage of it to take one to Bellindia." He headed towards the roses, and tore off a plant. Mercy, he had never done it! All of a sudden, he felt a great roar, and from now on, a Wizard, ugly and terrible as the devil, appeared. At that sight, the merchant, frightened, began to tremble, and the magician exclaims, with two red eyes that seemed to splash fire: "Birbone! After all the good I've done to you, after you've used everything in my house, you dare come here and steal my roses! For punishment, I sentence you to death." The merchant then began to apologize and ask him for forgiveness, and told him that he had taken the rose to satisfy a whim of his daughter Bellindia, and the Wizard said: "Well, if all you say is true, for now I do nothing to you. You can go home with the rose bushes, but in eight days you will have to come back here with your daughter, otherwise I will kill you. And be careful to obey me." And so he said, he disappeared. The poor merchant was desperate, imagine how he could feel! He found his way back home, finally came home and told his daughters everything. Assunta and Carolina started to reproach Bellindia, blaming her for what had happened, but she said: "The fault is all mine, therefore, I'll go to the Wizard and you will be happy. And when the eight days set by the Wizard had passed, the merchant left with Bellindia and escorted her to the palace, where they found everything prepared to welcome them, and, going up the stairs, on a door there was written: "Apartment of Bellindia". Nothing was missing; only one could not see a living soul. The merchant was upset, at the idea of having to abandon his favourite daughter in the hands of that ugly Wizard, and did not feel like leaving, but Bellindia gave him courage, reassured him that he was not afraid at all, and in the end the merchant resigned himself to go home. They hugged each other, and Bellindia promised to write to keep him updated on the news.
The continuation should be...