Chapter 5 Chapter 4
The people Eleni had first seen were walking towards them now.Dimitri said nothing, looking down at his feet, while Eleni held out her hand to the man who had come to greet them.It was a gesture that she had accepted that this was her new home.She found herself holding a hand bent like a shepherd's crook, so deformed and twisted by leprosy that the elderly man could barely grasp Eleni's hand.But his smile said it all.Eleni replied politely, "Good morning."Dimitri took a silent step back, the startled look he kept for the next few days.
Spinalonga has formed a custom that whenever new members arrive, they will be received with considerable courtesy.Eleni and Dimitri are welcomed as if they have finally set foot on a distant, long-dreamed-of destination.For some lepers, this is reality.The island warmly received these wandering lives and provided them with shelter; many lepers lived outside society for months or even years before coming here, sleeping in shacks and living off petty theft.For these leprosy victims, Spinalonga was a place of relief, rescuing them from the abject misery of being cast aside by society.
The man who greeted them was Petros Kintumaris, the leader of the island.He, and a few older men, are elected by more than three hundred residents in the annual general election; Spinalonga is a model of democracy, and the island is regularly elected to ensure that people's dissatisfaction does not ignored.It was Kentumaris' job to greet the newcomers, and only he and a few designated people were allowed to walk through the tunnel and come out.
Eleni and Dimitri followed Petros Kintumaris through the tunnel, their hands clasped tightly.Because of Giorgis' first-hand knowledge, Eleni probably knew a little more about Spinalonga than most of the inhabitants of Crete.Even so, the scene that greeted her took her by surprise.In front of them, there were some people in the narrow street.Looks like a market day in Plaka.People came and went with baskets full of produce, a priest appeared at the door of the church, and two elderly women sat on the backs of donkeys, which seemed very tired and struggled to walk up the street.Someone turned to look at the newcomers and nodded in welcome.Eleni looked around, worried not to be too rude, but couldn't satisfy her curiosity.The long-standing rumors are true.Many lepers looked just like herself: no outward signs of symptoms.
A woman, with a turban covering her head so that she could not see her face, made way for them to pass.Eleni glanced, but saw that her face was covered with walnut-sized bumps, and her entire face was deformed.Eleni shuddered.She had never seen anything so terrifying, and she wished Dimitri hadn't seen the woman.
The three continued walking along the street, following an old man.Petros Kintumaris led two donkeys, which carried their luggage."We'll give you a room," he said to Eleni, explaining, "It was vacated last week."
In Spinalonga, there are only spaces available for death.People keep being sent in without even thinking about space, the island is overcrowded.Since it is government policy to encourage lepers to live on Spinalonga, it is entirely in the government's interest to reduce unrest on the island, and the government has occasionally provided funds to build new houses or agreed to restore old ones.The year before last, just when the existing houses were nearly full, an ugly but functional apartment building had been built.The housing crisis is resolved and each resident regains their privacy.Kentumaris made the final decision, stipulating that all newcomers must have accommodation.He felt that Eleni and Dimitri were in a special situation: they were considered a mother and child.For this reason, he did not think it would be suitable for them to live in the new apartment building, and gave them the house that had just vacated on the main street.Dimitri may live here for many years.
"Mrs. Petkiss," he said, "this is your home."
At the end of Central Avenue, there are no shops, and a house stands not far from the road.Eleni felt that it was very much like her own home.But she immediately told herself that she couldn't think like this anymore - don't mention her own home, the stone house in front of her is her home now.Kentumaris unlocked the lock and let her in.Even on such a sunny day, the room was dark, and her heart sank.Her limited courage was tested nearly a hundred times that day.Without a doubt, this is the nicest house in the area.She has to pretend to be happy.Her showmanship at its best, a showmanship formerly devoted entirely to the noble cause of education, is now in demand.
"I'll let you move in first," Kentumaris said. "My wife will come to see you later, and she will take you around the entire quarantine area."
"Your wife?" Eleni cried in surprise, not wanting to sound so loud.But he was used to this kind of reaction.
"Yes, my wife. We met and got married here. You know, it's normal."
"Yes, yes, of course I do," Eleni said awkwardly, realizing that she still had a lot to learn.Kentumaris nodded slightly, and backed out.Eleni and Dimitri were left alone now, standing in the darkness of day and looking around.Apart from a frayed rug, all the furniture in the room consisted of a wooden chest, a small table, and two slender wooden chairs.Those flimsy chairs were like two souls in the gloom, and they seemed to shatter at the slightest touch, let alone bear the weight of a person on them.What was the difference between her, Dimitri, and those flimsy pieces of furniture?Once again, she forced herself to pretend to be happy.
"Come on, Dimitri, shall we go upstairs?"
They walked through unlit rooms and up the stairs.There are two rooms upstairs.Eleni opened the one on the left, went in, and drew the shutters.The sun shines in.The windows are facing the street, and from here you can see the glistening waters in the distance.A metal bed, and another old chair, were all the furniture in this bare little room.Eleni left Dimitri, and she went into the other bedroom, which was smaller and darker.She went back to the first small room, where Dimitri was still standing.
"This room is yours," she announced.
"My room?" he asked in disbelief, "me alone?" He used to share a room with his two younger brothers and two younger sisters.There was a little expression on his little face, this was the first time.Completely out of the blue, he discovers at least one thing in his life that is better than it was before.
As they came downstairs, a cockroach scurried across the room and disappeared behind a wooden cabinet in the corner.Eleni will find it later, and now she will light three oil lamps to brighten the dim dwelling.Then she opened the box—and inside were some books and other things Dimitri might need to teach.She got out paper and pen, and began to make a list: three pieces of cotton cloth for curtains; two pictures, some cushions, five blankets, a large soup plate, and some of her favorite pieces of china.She knew the family would love the idea that they would eat from the same cauliflower platter.Also important is that she needs some seeds.Although the room was dark and gloomy, there was a yard in front of the house. Eleni was very happy to see the yard, and she had already started planning what to plant.Giorgis will be back in a few days, so in a week or two she will be able to furnish the place however she wants.This is the first list for Giorgis and there will be more to come.Eleni knew he would satisfy her with every letter.
Dimitri sat looking at Eleni's list of necessities.He watched with a little awe at the woman who had been his teacher yesterday and who now took care of him not only from eight in the morning until two in the afternoon, but at all other times as well.She will be his mother, his meetera.But he never called her by any other word than "Mrs. Petkis."He wondered what his mother was doing now.She was probably stirring the big cooking pot for dinner.In Dimitri's eyes, his mother cooks most of the time, while he and his younger siblings are always playing in the street.He wondered if he would ever see them again, how he wished he could be there now, playing in the dust.But if he missed them so much in the past few hours, how much would he miss them every day, every week, every month?Thinking of this, Dimitri's throat tightened for a while, and tears flowed down his cheeks in discomfort.Mrs. Petkis stood beside him, hugged him tightly, and whispered, "There, there, Dimitri. It's going to be all right...it's going to be all right." If only he believed it up.
That afternoon, they opened the box and took it all out.Having a few familiar objects around should lift their spirits, but every time a new item is brought out, it reminds them of their past life and keeps them from forgetting it.Every new trinket, book or toy reminds them more strongly of the past that has left them behind.
One of Eleni's treasures is a small alarm clock, a wedding present from her parents.She placed it in the center of the fireplace, and the soft ticking immediately filled the long silence.It strikes the hour, and it is exactly three o'clock.Before the chime had completely disappeared, there was a knock on the door.
Eleni opened the door wide to let the guests in.The visitor was a small, round-faced woman with graying hair. "Good afternoon," said Eleni. "Mr. Kentumaris asked me to wait for you. Come in."
"This must be Dimitri," said the woman at once, walking up to the boy.The child rested his head on his hands and sat there without moving. "Come," she said, holding out her hand to him, "I'm going to show you around. My name is Elpida Kentumaris, but please call me Elpida."
There was a forced gaiety in her voice, the kind of enthusiasm you only get when you're taking a terrified child out for a tooth extraction and trying to pull yourself together.They came out of the dark room, stood in the bright afternoon sun, turned to the right, and took a step.
"The most important thing is the water supply." She said in a flat tone, it was obvious that she had shown newcomers many times before this.Whenever there was a new woman, her husband sent her to meet her.But this is the first time she's speaking with children, so she knows she'll have to embellish some of the things she usually reveals.In describing the island's facilities, she had to restrain herself from letting the mean words come out of her mouth.
"This," she said cheerfully, pointing to a large reservoir at the foot of the mountain, "is the place where we store water, and it is also a social place. We all stay here for a long time, chatting and exchanging news with each other."
In fact, they have to trek several hundred meters down the mountain to fetch water, and then walk all the way back with the water.She couldn't express the anger that this incident had brought her.She can still handle going down the mountain to fetch water, but some people are more disabled than her, and they can hardly even carry an empty jar, let alone fill it with water.Before Elpida came to Spinalonga, she had never brought a glass of water. Now, carrying a bucket full of water can be said to be a daily torture in her life. It took her several years to get used to it.For Elpida, the situation may be more dramatic.She was born in a wealthy family in Hariya. Ten years ago, before she came to Spinalonga, she was completely new to manual labor. At that time, the hardest job she ever did was embroidering a bed sheet.
As usual, Elpida put on a brave stance when introducing the island, showing only the positive.She showed Elaine Petrakis a few shops as if they were the best in Heraklion, told her where the fortnightly market was held, where they did their laundry.She takes her to the pharmacy, which to most people is the most important building of all.Tell her on which days the baker's oven is on and the tavern is hidden in some alley.Tell her the pastor will be visiting later, but at the same time she points them out to where the pastor lives and takes them to church.She was warm to Dimitri, telling him that once a week the town hall put on a puppet show for children.Finally, she pointed out where the school was. It was empty today, but three mornings a week, the few children on the island came to class.
Elpida told Dimitri about the children around his age, described the games and fun they had together, tried to get him the reward of a smile, but no matter how hard she tried, his face remained expressionless .
There were some unsettling things about to happen in Spinalonga, and Elpida refrained from mentioning them today, especially with the children around.Although many lepers were initially grateful for the refuge the island offered, they soon came to their senses and felt that they were abandoned and that only a small fraction of their needs were being met.Elpida could see that Irene would soon realize that misery had consumed many lepers.Misery is in the air.
As the island owner's wife, she was in a difficult situation.Petros Kintumaris had been elected leader by the inhabitants of Spinalonga, but his most important task was to act as a mediator or intermediary with the government.He was sensible and knew the authority of the island of Crete, but Elpida saw him constantly arguing with a few people in the quarantine area, sometimes even fighting with quite radical people.Some felt they were being mistreated, while others were constantly inciting riots demanding improvements to the island's facilities.In the years since Kentumaris took office, and despite everything he could do, some people still think they are just temporary residents on the ruins of the Turks.Under his negotiation, the government gave each resident of the island twenty-five drachmas a month, agreed to build new apartment buildings, open decent pharmacies and clinics, and send regular visits from Crete doctors.Kentumaris also developed a plan to allocate land to each resident on the island, because they want to grow their own fruits and vegetables, eat them themselves, and sell them in the weekly market.In a word, he had done all he could, but the Spinalonga always wanted more.Elpida was not sure that her husband would live up to their expectations.She worries about him every day. Like her, he is in his fifties, but his health is not good.In the battle for his body, leprosy began to gain the upper hand.
Elpida has witnessed the great changes here since she came here, and most of the changes are the result of her husband's hard work.Yet voices of dissatisfaction persist.The water problem is the most disturbing, especially in summer.The water supply system of the Venetians was built hundreds of years ago. They erected pipes to draw down rainwater and store it in underground tanks to prevent evaporation.It's neat and simple, but now the pipes are starting to break.At present, fresh water is sent from Crete every week, but it is not enough for more than 200 people to drink and wash.Even with the help of a donkey, it was a daily struggle for everyone, especially those who were elderly or lame.In winter, electricity is what they need most.Generators were installed on the island a few years ago. From the cold November to the next February, everyone looks forward to the warm happiness and the light in the dark.But this is not the case.The generator had been used for less than three weeks, and it was broken and unusable; requests for new parts to be replaced were always ignored, and the machine was abandoned there, almost completely covered by dense weeds.
Water and electricity are not luxuries but necessities, and everyone understands that an inadequate supply of water, in particular, may shorten their lives.Elpida knew that while the government had to make life easier for them, promises to improve them were half-hearted.The residents of Spinalonga were furious, and she was just as furious.Why do they limit water in a country where mountains soar into the sky and snow-capped peaks are clearly visible in winter?They want a steady supply of fresh water, they want it right away, and they quarrel.Men and women, some of them crippled, were arguing about what to do.Elpida remembers a time when one group said they were going to blow up Crete, and another group suggested taking hostages.At last they realized what a wretched, undisciplined lot they were, without boats, arms, and, at least, little strength.
All they can do is try to make their voices heard by the world.Petros' eloquence and diplomacy became their most valuable weapon.Elpida tried to keep a certain distance between herself and the rest of the people, but there were still people chattering in her ears, most of them were women, and they used her as a mouthpiece for her husband.She was so fed up that she privately pressured Petros not to run again in the next election.Didn't he give enough?
Elpida took all these thoughts to heart as she walked Eleni and Dimitri around the island's streets.She sighed secretly when she saw Dimitri holding tightly to Eleni's skirt, which had been blown away by the wind, as they walked together, as if it would be more comfortable that way.What will be the fate of this boy on the island in the future?She even hoped that his life would not be too long.
Eleni found Dimitri's gentle tug on her skirt reassuring.It reminded her that she was not alone and that there were people who needed her care.Just yesterday she had her husband and daughter, and the day before yesterday a hundred hungry faces looked up at her at school.They all needed her, and she glowed for it.This is a new reality that is difficult to grasp.For a moment, she wondered if she was dead.This woman was Chimera, and she was shown on a tour of Hades, where the dead washed their shrouds, and where they bought imaginary rations of food.However, her reason told her that this was all reality.It was not Charon but her husband who sent her to hell and left her here to die.She stopped, and Dimitri stopped too.Her head dropped to her chest, and she felt big, big tears welling up in her eyes.It was the first time she lost control.Her throat was tight as if to keep her from breathing, and finally, she gasped desperately, sucking air into her lungs.Elpida turned to her in such a practical and businesslike manner, grabbing her arm.Dimitri looked up at the two women.He saw his mother cry for the first time today, and now it was his teacher's turn.Tears meandered down her cheeks.
"Don't be embarrassed to cry," Elpida said gently, "the child will see a lot of tears here. Believe me, tears flow freely in Spinalonga."
Eleni buried her head on Elpida's shoulder.Two passers-by stopped to look at them.Not out of curiosity to see a woman cry, but just out of curiosity about the newcomer.Dimitri looked away, embarrassed by the sight of Irene's crying.He wanted the ground beneath his feet to crack open like the earthquake he'd learned about in school and swallow him up.He knew that there were frequent earthquakes in Crete, but why not today?
Elpida could see how Dimitri was feeling.Eleni's sobs had affected her, and she was sympathetic, but she wanted Eleni to stop crying.Fortunately, they just stopped outside her house, and she took Eleni inside without hesitation.The moment she entered, she realized how different the size of her home was from where Eleni and Dimitri had just moved into.The home of Kentumaris, the official residence of the island owner, was built when the Venetians invaded the island. Its balcony can be described as "magnificent", and there is a colonnade on the front door.
Elpida and the others have lived here for six years. She is sure that her husband will win the majority of votes in the general election every year, and she has never imagined what it would be like to live elsewhere.Now, of course, she doesn't want her husband to be re-elected, and if Petros decides not to be re-elected, this house is what they will give up. "But who will take over?" he asked.This is true.The few people who heard that they wanted to recommend themselves had no supporters.One of them was the leading instigator, Theodoros Majridakis, and while his goals sounded reasonable, it would be disastrous for the island if he came to power .His lack of diplomacy means that some things promised by the government may be undone, and some benefits are likely to be quietly withdrawn by the government rather than increased.There was also a contender named Cypros Kazakis, a genial but weak man whose only interest in the position was to secure his coveted house on Spinalonga.
The layout of the house is very different from other families on the island.Floor-to-ceiling windows let in the sun on three walls.A gorgeous crystal chandelier hangs from a gray chain on the ceiling, and the irregular small patterns of multicolored crystals are projected on the light-colored wall, like a kaleidoscope pattern.
The furniture was old but comfortable, and Elpida gestured for Eleni to sit down.Dimitri walks around the room, looking at the pictures in the frame and at the glass-fronted cupboard, which houses the memorabilia of the Kentumaris family: an etched silver jug, a row of Spools of lace, a few pieces of precious china, more picture frames, and most charmingly, rows of little tin soldiers.He stood there staring at the cabinets for several minutes, not looking at the items through the glass but fascinated by his own reflection.His face was as strange to Dimitri as the room in which he stood, and he met his own with a slight unease, as if he didn't recognize the black eyes that looked back at him.The boy, whose whole world was San Nicolas, Elounda, and a few small villages where his cousins, aunts, and uncles lived, felt as if he had been transported to another galaxy.His face was reflected in the polished glass, and behind him he could see Mrs Kentumaris, Mrs Petkis embraced by Mrs Kentumaris, Mrs Petkis weeping, Kentomaris Mrs. Tumaris was comforting her.He looked at it for a moment, then looked into his own eyes again, and studied the tin soldiers in order again.
When Dimitri turned to face the two women, Mrs. Petkis had regained her composure and held out her hands to him. "Dimitri," she said, "I'm sorry." Shocked and ashamed by her crying, it occurred to him that she might be missing her children as much as he missed his mother.He tried to imagine how his mother would feel if she were sent to Spinalonga instead of him.He took Mrs. Petkis's hands and squeezed them tightly. "Don't be sorry," he said.
Elpida disappeared into the kitchen to make coffee for Irene and lemonade for Dimitri with sugar water and a few drops of lemon juice.When she returned to the living room, she found the guests seated and talking quietly.The boy's eyes lit up when he saw his drink, and he drank it down in one gulp.Eleni, on the other hand, couldn't tell whether the coffee was sweet or weak, but she felt wrapped in Elpida's warm care.She used to always show sympathy to others, but now she finds it harder to receive sympathy than to give.She had to accept the challenge of this transition.
The afternoon light slowly dimmed.For a few minutes they sat there, each with their own thoughts, broken only by the careful clink of glasses.Dimitri sipped his second glass of lemonade slowly.He had never been in a home like this, where the lights shone like rainbow patterns and the chairs were softer than the beds he'd slept on, and it didn't feel like his own home at all.Even every bench in my home is a place to sleep at night, and every carpet is a blanket when it is rolled.He also thought that everyone lived like this.Not here.
After they finished their drinks, Elpida spoke.
"Shall we take another walk?" she asked, rising from her chair. "There is someone waiting to see you."
Eleni and Dimitri followed her out.Dimitri didn't want to leave.He loved it here and hoped to come back someday, sipping his lemonade and maybe working up the courage to ask Mrs. Kentumaris to open the cupboard so he could take a good look at the tin soldiers and maybe pick up a few more.
There's a building down the street that's hundreds of years older than the island owner's mansion.The clear and straight lines make it lose the classic beauty of the mansion they just left.This practical building is the hospital, their next stop.
Eleni and Dimitri came on the day the doctor came from Crete.The reform of the hospital and this building were the results of Petros Kintumaris' struggle with the government to improve medical care for lepers.The first hurdle is to persuade the government to allocate funds for this project, and the second is to persuade the government to send a careful doctor to come and help them without infecting himself.In the end, the government showed mercy and agreed to all the requests. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the doctor would come from San Nicolas.Dr. Christopher Lapakis volunteered himself for what many of his colleagues considered dangerous and reckless.He was a jolly red-faced guy in his early thirties.His colleagues in the hospital's dermatology department loved him, and Spinalonga's patients loved him too.His large size is a reflection of his hedonism, his belief that this moment is all you have, so you better enjoy it now.Dr. Lapakis was still a bachelor, and his singleness was a great disappointment to his family in St. Nicholas.He himself knew that working in a leprosy colony would not help his marital prospects.But he won't be too bothered by it.He can bring some changes to the lives of these poor people by doing this job, even if it is limited, he already enjoys it very much.In his view, there is no rebirth, no second chances.
Dr. Lapakis on Spinalonga mostly treats wounds, advises patients to take special precautions, and tells them how exercise can benefit their health.Whenever a new patient arrives, he always conducts a comprehensive examination.With the introduction of Doctors' Day, and as the community became more aware of the disease, morale on the island improved and the health of most patients improved.He emphasized cleanliness, hygiene, and physical therapy, waking them up early so that they felt that getting out of bed wasn't about making things worse.When he first came to Spinalonga, he was shocked by the living conditions of many lepers.He knew that to maintain good health, the most important thing was to keep the wounds clean, but when he first came, he found a feeling like apathy pervading the group.They felt abandoned, which was fatal, and the island was taking far more psychological toll than the physical toll of the disease.Many people no longer worry about being alive.Life has stopped harassing them.Why should they be like this?
Dr. Christopher Lapakis takes care of both mind and body.He told them that there must be hope and they should not give up.He said decisively and bluntly: "If you don't clean the wound, you will die." He was pragmatic, telling them the truth calmly and expressing his concern with emotion.He has experience telling them exactly how important it is to take care of themselves. "This is how you wash your wounds," he'd say, "and this is how you exercise your hands and legs if you don't want to lose your fingers and toes." And when he told them these things, he demonstrated the movements.He made everyone more aware than ever before of the absolute importance of clean water.Water is life.For them, it's the line between life and death.Lapakis is an ardent supporter of Kentumaris, and when he lobbied the government for fresh water, he gave it his all, because that could change the entire island and give hope of healing to those who live here in the future.
"This is the hospital," Elpida said. "Dr. Lapakis is waiting for you. He just finished his outpatient visit."
Eleni and Dimitri found themselves standing in the cool, white space like a tomb, and sat down in a long row of chairs against one wall of the room.Not long after, Dr. Lapakis came out to receive them.Eleni and Dimitri took turns examining them, showing the doctor their marks.Lapakis studied them closely, examining their bare skin himself, looking for signs of worsening conditions that hadn't even occurred to them themselves.Pale-faced Dimitri had several large, dry patches on his back and legs, indicating that his nodular lesions were not dangerous at this stage.Dr. Lapakis was even more concerned by the shiny patches of infection on Eleni Petkis's legs and feet.There was no doubt that she had that fatal form of nodular leprosy.She may have had the disease for some time before showing these symptoms.
The boy might well be cured, Lapakis mused, and the poor woman, her time on this island was numbered.However, his face did not reveal his thoughts at all.
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