Youthanasia: A Short Story

Subtle horror for Halloween. In this short story Lidia and Simon Drago are living their last hoorah, a European vacation financed by insurance money they received when their house burned down. On the night train from Paris to Florence they encounter a stranger who directs them to a lovely pensione in Florence. There, a clever artist agrees to depict the Dragos not as they look now but how they appeared in their prime.If only Lidia and Simon hadn't talked to the stranger, or taken his advice about the pensione. If only they hadn't been so vain, wanting to recapture their youth so their unborn grandchild would know how glamorous they'd been in their youth--a younger version of JFK and Jackie. If only Lidia could convince the artist Peppe to give her and Simon another chance. If only ....

About the Author

Loretta Giacoletto was recently named a finalist in the "Soon to be Famous Illinois Author Project." She divides her time between the St. Louis area and Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks where she writes fiction, essays, and her blog Loretta on Life while her husband cruises the waters for bass and crappie. Their five children have left the once chaotic nest but occasionally return for her to-die-for ravioli and roasted peppers topped with garlic-laden bagna càuda. An avid traveler, she has visited countries in Europe and Asia but Italy remains her favorite, especially the area from where her family originates: the Piedmont region near the Italian alps. Her novels focus on characters caught up in problems of their own doing, crime often laced with romance that may not end happily-ever-after.ITALY TO DIE FOR, from her Savino Sisters Mystery Series, shows how too much togetherness can spell disaster for two sisters vacationing in Italy. In LETHAL PLAY a grieving widow is suspected of killing her son's coach, a man with more enemies than friends. FREE DANNER features a cynical young man whose troubled past and deadly encounters hinder his search for the father he has yet to meet. FAMILY DECEPTIONS has two generations of earthy characters who learn to thrive and survive through a series of misdeeds. THE FAMILY ANGEL is a saga about the Americanization of an Italian family of bootleggers, coalminers, winemakers and priests, plus a mysterious black angel who sticks his nose in the family business. CHICAGO'S HEADMISTRESS follows a 1905 Italian street urchin's notorious rise to wealth and power as headmistress of Night School, Chicago's most infamous men's club in the 1920s.  A COLLECTION OF GIVERS & TAKERS is an anthology about the good, the bad, the self-centered and the disillusioned. Loretta's short stories have appeared in a number of publications including Literary Mama, which nominated her story "Tom" for Dzanc's 2010 Best of The Web.

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