Trifariam, The Lost Codex (2012) Read Free Page B

problems with some indecent proposal they had made to him.
    He had an enviable body, rare for somebody approaching their forties. His eyes were brown but in summer they lightened to a honey color, his brows very thick and his styled shoulder-length locks made him seem several years younger. He was rather tall, around six feet, with a strong but well-defined build. He loved any kind of sport, especially basketball, which he had played since he was a boy and which had turned him into an extremely competitive person.
    A traffic jam in the city center had had a massive impact on nearby traffic, to the extent that the taxi did not move but jump in fits and starts through the streets of Florence. A young woman had run a red light and two cars had collided into her from the side, one of which had then ricocheted off a fire hydrant from which copious amounts of water flowed down the road. Meanwhile, the other cars did not stop beeping, adding to the chaos of the situation.
    “Sir, it looks as if the road is blocked. Do you want me to make a detour and drop you off at the back?”
    “No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll get out here.” He opened the back door after giving the taxi driver a fifty euro bill. “Keep the change. I hope it makes up for the twenty minutes I kept you waiting.”
    The taxi driver seemed to catch on to the subtle sarcasm in James’ voice and he started the car, cursing repeatedly at the stupid Yankee.
    The street brought back old memories of one of his trips to Venice in the rainy season. On that occasion, he had been unable to leave the hotel for two days due to a flood that had devastated the city. Fortunately, the hotel did not charge for the extra nights he had to stay there.
    The museum could be seen in the distance. There didn’t seem to be many people waiting, so he took advantage and quickly moved behind a small group of primary school children who were carefully listening to the instructions of a young tour guide. He was probably a university student making a bit of extra cash between exams. It reminded him of his own university years, that rare energy which pulsed through his body and that unquenchable desire to share what he had learned, making people see the grandeur of architecture and ancient art. He would gladly tell the young tour guide just how difficult that job was, though he thought it best not to disillusion him.
    “Good morning. How many tickets would you like?”
    “One, please.” James couldn’t suppress a giggle as he mused how he was the last in the queue, so it wouldn’t take the sharpest tool in the box to realize that he was alone. However, he knew that he had to be polite and perhaps his sneering laughter had been uncalled for.
    The Gallerie dell’Accademia was practically the same as when James had last visited. It is undoubtedly one of the premier sights in Florence to appreciate pre-Renaissance art, and especially the sculptures of Michelangelo. The collection is displayed across eight different rooms: the first room corresponds to the fourteenth century Florentine school; the second, third and fourth rooms are dedicated to Renaissance art; whereas the fifth, sixth and seventh rooms are devoted to all those artists who produced most of their work during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries; in the final room, the eighth, are pieces from the mid-sixteenth century. After those, visitors move onto the Prisoners’ Gallery, in which are gathered all the works of sculpture which Michelangelo left unfinished between 1521 and 1523, and which were destined for the tomb of Pope Julius II. However, the most momentous and significant point of the visit is without question the majestic David. Originally intended for the Piazza della Signoria, it was later substituted for the replica which can be seen today.
    A visit to the museum usually lasts about one and a half hours which allows sufficient time, more than enough, to take in the magnificence of the works on display. And