The town is abuzz today, albeit in a quiet and decorous sort of way: a man down my street has been found hanging in his cellar. In his mid-forties, he used to be the cheer of every party. He was a friend of many. Since a year or so ago he had been confined to his home. Something to do with his legs. He used to drink too much. One of his two brothers had found him this morning. This brother lives in Novigrad, half-an-hour by car from Motovun. The reason he came here was that they were repainting the house. They lost their mother about a year ago. Difficult death. Apparently, this was a traumatic experience for the three brothers. His house was on the same side of Borgo as mine, but all the way down the street, near the so-called Gothic gate. This is the sum total of what I have managed to learn about the unfortunate fellow, whom I have never met. Yes, the town is down this evening. The pain of it all notwithstanding, hanging oneself is not the way out of choice. God’s country, this.

Addendum I (September 7, 2003)

This morning I learned a few more things. Miljenko Beletić was the fellow’s name. He was suffering from diabetes. It must have been pretty debilitating, as he could barely walk. There was no-one to take care of him. They found nine cigarette butts and two empty wine bottles on the floor of the cellar. It took him an hour or maybe two to make up his mind. He must have done it the afternoon or evening before he was found, as he was seen earlier that day. There were fingernail gashes on a nearby wall. Perhaps he had changed his mind about the whole thing just before he let out the ghost. More likely, he had thrashed about as he slowly suffocated to death. His funeral will be this afternoon. Practically everyone from our town will be there.

Addendum II (September 8, 2003)

About hundred-fifty people showed up at the funeral yesterday afternoon. Many of them were far from young. There were very few children. To my surprise, I knew only a small fraction of those assembled at the cemetery. Beletić is a common family name in and around Motovun, and it is possible that many of Miljenko’s distant relatives made their appearance on this occasion. One way or another, it became clear it would take me several years to get to know my new hometown and its countryside. At first I panicked a bit, but then I took it as a welcome challenge. Motovun may be small, but it is still a town.