Reading Time: 2 minutesGio is hiding out in a cave deep in the forest of an Italian village. He ran away, leaving behind a mass of confused chaos. Gio was bullied, treated terribly by his blatantly homophobic high school classmates. Feeling alone in the world, he decides to leave it behind and start a new life in the cave, shrouded by darkness. He’d been there for eight days when Mirko stumbles upon him. Mirko is both scared and intrigued, surprised that he has accidentally discovered the missing boy from his high school. The two strike up an unlikely companionship, Gio becoming more and more reliant on Mirko’s visits, both for practical reasons, such as increasing his supply of food, but more importantly, for company. As the weeks go by, the two grow close, sharing sheltered moments in the isolation of the cave. In the outside world, the frenzied search for Gio rages on; news campaigns galore implore the public to help find the missing boy, search parties scour the village and its surrounds, TikTok booms with Gio and Mirko’s peers obsessing over Gio’s mysterious disappearance. Gio feigns annoyance at the attention, but the moment it starts to wane, he and Mirko cook up another means to keep the crowds searching. Their small world within the cave appears to suck the two of them in further and further as they grow closer, sharing intimate secrets, growing dearer than either of them seemingly expected to.
