Lost In Time When in Rome…

Can the gladiator and his slave girl ever escape the Colosseum?

We who are about to die, salute you!” Everyone on the Colosseum tour grinned appreciatively at the guide who was giving it his all. Mia too, though she’d been reading last night that the gladiators never actually said that.

Her friend Sharon nudged her. “He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?”

Mia agreed that yes he was, though she’d have preferred a little less playing to the crowd and a bit more accuracy.

“The gladiators were big celebrities,” continued Lorenzo. “Their fans worshipped them. On the way out I will show you the gate where Calgacus, the most famous gladiator of his day, was held at bay when he tried to escape with the slave girl who won his heart. The girl’s owner, a wealthy Roman matron whose attention Calgacus had been foolish enough to rebuff, discovered their plans and set a trap. They say it took over ten men to bring him down.”

“That’s awful!” said Mia. “What happened to the girl?”

Lorenzo grimaced. “Escaping slaves were shown no mercy. Calgacus had to watch her die before he too was killed. Many have claimed to have seen them running through the arches, fleeing for their lives, never making it to freedom.”

The floor of the arena was long gone, revealing a maze of tunnels and rooms that had once been underground. Mia stared down, trying to imagine what it must have been like for all those men, fighting for their lives…

Something caught her eye – the sun glinting off metal in one of the tunnels – and she leaned out to see. Too far. She nearly lost her balance and grabbed the stone to steady. “Oh!” “Are you OK?” asked Sharon. “Yes.” Mia rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know what happened. Just felt dizzy for a moment.” “It’s hot. I told you to wear a hat.” “I know.” Mia shook her head. For a second there she had felt… well she didn’t know what she’d felt. “Actually I think I’ll find some shade for a bit.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” offered Sharon. “No, it’s OK. I’ll wait downstairs.” Quickly Mia headed for the steps. They were steep and she placed her hand on the wall for balance. Instantly she felt herself pushed and jostled by invisible crowds. She staggered and only just made it to the bottom of the steps where she stood, eyes closed, gulping in air.

What on earth had just happened? She shook her head to clear it and as the dizziness passed, she vowed she’d definitely wear a hat tomorrow.

She looked around. Another flight of steps led down. Was that right? How high had Lorenzo taken them? But she couldn’t see an exit and so, with no one around to ask, she continued down the second steep stairway.

At the bottom it was immediately obvious that she had come too far. Maze-like tunnels spread before her and her over active imagination filled them with men, prisoners, wild beasts…

She turned to retrace her steps and suddenly froze when she saw a man lurking in the shadows.

Not so very far away the Colosseum was jam packed with tourists and ➙

guides but suddenly Mia became acutely aware of the gloom and the silence surrounding her. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest and she backed up a step.

Then he walked into the light and she saw he was dressed as a gladiator.

It took a moment for that to sink in but when it did she laughed in relief. Lorenzo had warned them about the costumed “gladiators” posing for photos with tourists. They weren’t allowed past the security gates but somehow this one must have sneaked in. No doubt he had noticed Mia slip away from the others and was about to give her the hard sell. “I’m sorry, she said. “I think I’m lost.” He replied – a question from his intonation. The only word Mia could make out was Lucia, a woman’s name.

“I’m sorry,” she said again. “I don’t understand. I’m looking for the exit?”

He spoke again. Once more all she picked out was the woman’s name. She shrugged helplessly. “Lucia.” He enunciated the word slowly and carefully, in the time- honoured way of making a foreigner understand. “Serva,” he added.

Serva. Did that mean servant? Wait… slave? Ah. Lucia was a slave girl? The penny dropped. This gladiator was seriously into his role. “Calgacus, I presume?” she grinned. When he returned her smile her heart gave a little skip. Seriously, it did! Mia doubted there was a woman in Rome who wouldn’t crawl over hot coals to have a photo taken with him.

Calgacus. The star-crossed lover looking for his slave girl. Just wait till she told Sharon!

Suddenly he cocked his head, though Mia hadn’t heard a sound. With a snarl of rage he drew his sword and rushed into the tunnels. Well! Whatever Mia had been expecting, it wasn’t that! She trotted back up the stairs and once more looked around for the exit. A young woman dressed in a flimsy tunic and sandals, peered around a stone arch.

“Excuse me, can you show me the way out?” Mia called. “Calgacus?” the girl whispered. Mia was getting a little bit tired of this now but she played along. “Lucia?” The girl nodded warily. It was so hot. Mia really needed a seat and maybe a cool drink but she supposed the pair were just trying to make a living. “Hang on.”

Going back to the top of the stairs she yelled, “Calgacus?” The gladiator appeared almost instantly. Was that

The guard was almost UPON them and Mia DECIDED it was time to GO

fake blood on his sword? Mia blinked in consternation. “Er… Lucia’s up here.”

Calgacus took the stairs two at a time. The way he embraced Lucia you’d think they hadn’t seen each other in centuries. Mia didn’t know where to look. “Guys? The exit?” she prompted.

Sudden movement caught her eye. Turning, she saw half a dozen Roman soldiers creeping up the stairs. She could have sworn there had been no one else down there. And then several things happened at once…

A uniformed security guard spotted Mia and called to her in English. “I’m sorry, miss, those stairs are prohibited.”

He began to hurry towards her just as a large group of American tourists rounded a corner. They bustled around the guard, asking for the toilets and slowing him down considerably. Mia saw the exit. How could she have missed it before? She thought fast. When the guard reached them, Calgacus and Lucia were sure to be in trouble for sneaking in and harassing people.

Seemingly oblivious to the guard or the milling tourists, Calgacus was still facing the stairway where the soldiers had almost reached the top.

Now that Mia thought about it, why weren’t the Americans madly snapping pictures of him and the soldiers? It was a fantastic photo opportunity.

The guard was almost upon them and Mia decided it was time to go. Swiftly, she linked arms with Calgacus and Lucia and started marching the startled pair towards the exit. A second later they were through the gates and out into the sunshine.

When Mia looked back the guard was fastening a red cordon over the stairs and the Roman soldiers were nowhere to be seen.

“That was close.” She grinned at Calgacus and Lucia and pulled her phone out. “Do you mind?” she said, snapping a quick selfie. “Sharon is going to freak out,” she told Calgacus happily. “Thanks for an interesting morning!”

The two turned and, hand-in-hand disappeared into the crowds.

“Where did you get to?” demanded Sharon, making her jump. “Look!” Mia held up her phone. Sharon peered at the photo. “What’s with the goofy pose?” “What goofy pose?” Mia looked at the screen. There she stood, Colosseum in the background, with her arm in the air at a weird angle. She was completely alone!

No. That wasn’t right. She’d had her arm around Calgacus. “I… I don’t understand.” ‘Don’t understand what?’ Mia didn’t answer. She looked at the crowd, at the costumed gladiators touting for business… No slave girls and no Calgacus. “Anything,” she said weakly, and made up her mind to buy a hat!