Chapter 6 Chapter 5
Anna was twelve and Maria eleven when Eleni left for Spinalonga.Giorgis single-handedly tackles the housework and, more importantly, raising the girls without their mothers.Of the two children, Ana had always been the more difficult to take care of. Even before she could walk, she was headstrong, wayward and somewhat uncontrollable, and from the day her sister was born, life seemed to drive her into a frenzy.So Giorgis was not surprised at all that since Irene left home, Anna rebelled more and more violently, just because she was the eldest daughter.She refuses to run the house, refuses to inherit her mother's mantle.She made it painfully clear to her father and sister.
Maria is demure.It was impossible for her and her sister's temperament to live under the same roof, and even if she had to resist Anna's oppression by instinct, she became the peacemaker in the family.Unlike Anna, she never underestimated housework and became proficient naturally. Sometimes she even liked to help her father with cleaning and cooking. This kind of temperament made Giorgis silently thank God.Like most men of that era, getting Giorgis to darn socks was like flying him to the moon.
On the whole, Giorgis seems to be a man of few words.Even after a few hours of wandering at sea, when he landed, he had no desire to talk to anyone.He was silent, and in the evenings, when he passed the time at the tavern table—a social event that was required by adults rather than chosen by him—he kept silent, listening to the people around him as he listened to the lapping of the waves when he was out at sea. ship's side.
Although his family knew he had a warm heart and loving hugs, those who had just met him thought he was taciturn, not talkative, and sometimes almost socially awkward.Those who knew him well took it as a sign of serenity and indifference which served him well after such a dramatic change in his situation.
For Giorgis, life is nothing but suffering.His ancestors were all fishermen. Like his elders, long-term wandering at sea has made him strong.The long sea life was usually worn away in monotony and cold stillness, but sometimes whole long dark nights were spent battling the raging waves, nights when the danger was obvious, and the sea might do what it wanted and swallow him up in one gulp.Life is about crouching in a rowboat, but a Cretan fisherman never questions fate.For him, this is fate and he has no choice.
In the years leading up to Eleni's eviction, Giorgis supplemented his family's income by delivering supplies to Spinalonga.Now he has a small boat with a motor, and twice a week he carries wicker boxes full of necessities to Spinalonga, where they are unloaded on the jetty and the lepers collect them themselves.
In the first few days after Eleni left, Giorgis did not dare leave his daughters for a moment.Their grief seemed to grow stronger the longer their mother had been gone, but he knew that sooner or later they would have to find a new way of life.Although well-meaning neighbors brought food, Giorgis still had the responsibility to cook and feed the girls.One evening, when he did it himself, Maria almost had a smile on her lips as he faced the stove and wondered what to do.Anna, on the other hand, would only laugh.
"I won't eat it!" cried Anna, throwing her fork into the dish of mutton stew. "Even starving animals won't eat it!" she said, and tears welled up in her eyes, for the tenth time that day.She rushed out of the room in a rage, and for three days ate nothing but bread.
"It won't be long before hunger breaks her stubbornness," Giorgis whispered to Maria, who patiently munched on an overcooked piece of meat.They sat at opposite ends of the table.There wasn't much conversation, and the silence was occasionally interrupted by the clink of their knives and forks on the china and Anna's angry sobs.
The day finally came when they had to go back to school.There is something magical about going back to school.Once they have something else to think about besides their mother, their grief can slowly ease.This was also the day when Giorgis could turn the ship around again and head for Spinalonga.Curiosity mixed with fear and excitement, he moved forward all the way across this narrow sea.Eleni would not know of his coming, a message had to be sent to inform her.Word always travels fast on Spinalonga, and before Giorgis had tied the boat to the bitts Eleni appeared in the corner of the great wall, standing in the shadows.
What can they say?How can they react?Can't touch, although they desperately want to touch each other.Can only call each other's name, that is the line they have said a thousand times before, but today, their syllables sound like noise, meaningless.At that moment, Giorgis wished he hadn't come.Last week he grieved for his wife.But now, here, she is still the same as before, just as vivid and lovely.This meeting only added unbearable pain to the coming parting.After a while he had to leave the island again and return to Plaka in a small boat.Every time he came here, there was always such a painful parting.His soul was dark and sad, and a thought flashed through him—he even wished they were both dead.
In the first week after arriving on the island, Eleni had a lot of things to do, and the time passed quickly, faster than Giorgis felt.But when she heard that his boat had been seen leaving Plaka, she felt a turmoil in her heart.Since she came here, she has been distracted by many things, almost enough to make her ignore the great changes that have taken place, but now, Giorgis is standing in front of her, his dark green eyes are staring at her, and all she can think of is One thought: How much she loves this strong man with broad shoulders!How it broke her heart to be separated from him!
They asked each other how they were doing, almost formally, and Eleni asked how the daughters were doing.What can he say about the real situation, except to pass it by?They would get used to it sooner or later, he knew, and then he would be able to tell her the truth about the children.The only real thing today is Eleni's answer to Giorgis.
"How about there?" He nodded in the direction of the big stone wall.
"It's not as scary as you imagined, and the situation is okay." She replied, this kind of affirmation and determination made Giorgis's worries about her immediately eased a lot.
"Dimitri and I have a house that's entirely ours," she told him, "not the same as our home in Plaka. It's simpler, but we use it all. We have our own yard, If you'll bring me some seeds, we'll have a herb garden by next spring. The roses are in bloom by our front door, and the hollyhocks will be in bloom soon. It's really not too bad here."
Giorgis was relieved to hear this.Eleni took the folded paper out of her pocket and handed it to him.
"Is this for the girls?" Giorgis asked.
"No, it's not," she said apologetically. "I suppose it's too early to write, but next time you come I'll write a letter and bring it to them. It's what we need in the house here. "
Giorgis notices she says "we" and a wave of jealousy sets in."We" used to include Anna, Maria, and him, he thought.Then a more painful thought crept into his mind, and he was terribly ashamed that "we" now meant to include that damned child who had taken Eleni from them.The "we" of his family was gone, the "we" was divided, redefined, and the rock-solid home was replaced by a fragility he could hardly even imagine.Giorgis found it hard to believe that God hadn't abandoned them.A moment ago he was the head of the family, and in an instant he became the man leading two daughters.The difference between these two states is hundreds of thousands of miles.
It's time for Giorgis to go.The girls were leaving school soon, and he wanted to get back before they got back.
"I'll be back soon," he promised, "and I'll bring everything you ask for."
"We agreed," Eleni said. "Can we not say goodbye? That word doesn't really mean anything."
"You're right," Giorgis responded, "We're not saying goodbye."
They both turned back laughing, Eleni making her way toward the shadowy entrance to the Venetian walls, Giorgis returning to his ship.Neither of them looked back.
When Giorgis returned, Eleni wrote a letter for him to bring to the girls.But when Giorgis took out the letter, Anna was extremely impatient, and when she tried to snatch it from him, it was torn in two.
"It's for both of us!" protested Maria. "I want to see it too!"
But Anna had run to the front door.
"I don't care. I'm older, I want to see it first!" With that, she turned and ran out into the street, leaving Maria weeping in frustration and anger.
In an alley a few hundred yards from their house, only two houses away, Anna, hiding in the shadows, pieced together the letter that had been torn in half, and began to read the first letter from her mother:
Anna read the letter over and over before walking slowly home.She knew she was going to be in trouble...
In order to avoid contention, Eleni wrote letters to the two sisters separately after that time.
Giorgis traveled to the island more often than before, and the meeting with Eleni was his oxygen.He lived to wait for Eleni to come out of the gate in the city wall.Sometimes they sat on the boulders of the bitts; sometimes they stood in the shadow of a pine tree that seemed to have grown out of the dry ground just for this.Giorgis told her how the children were doing, what they were doing, and described Ana's behavior.
“Sometimes it’s like she has a devil in her,” Giorgis said one day as they sat talking. “She still doesn’t seem to be relaxing after all this time.”
"Well, if only Maria were different," Eleni replied.
"That may be the reason why Anna is often disobedient, because Maria doesn't seem to have regenerated bones in her body." Giorgis thought for a while and said, "I think a bad temper means that the child is growing up slowly like this."
"I'm sorry to leave such a burden on you, Giorgis, I'm really sorry." Eleni sighed. She would rather give her all to face the daily battle of wills in raising Anna than to be Bound here.
Giorgis was not yet forty when Eleni left, but hunched with anxiety, he was almost unrecognizable in the next few months.His black hair, once as black as olives, was now as silvery as the yarrow, and he was called "poor Giorgis"--that became his new name.
Savina Angelopoulos helped them as much as she could after taking care of her own home.On a quiet, moonless night, Giorgis knew there might be plenty of fish, and he wanted to go fishing.Now it was common for Maria and Fotini to sleep together, Maria in Fotini's cot and Anna on the floor next to them, two blankets serving as mattresses.Maria and Anna found that they ate more at Angelopoulos's house than at their own. Fotini's house seemed to have a lot of people suddenly, and she finally had the sister she had always wanted.At dinner in the evening there were always eight people at the table: Fotini and her two older brothers, Antonis and Angelos, her parents, Giorgis, Ana and Maria.Some days, if she had the time, Savina would slowly teach Ana and Maria how to clean the room, how to beat the rug, how to make the bed, but mostly she did it for them.They were children and Ana had no interest in doing any chores.Why would she sew sheets, cut fish, or bake bread?She decided she would never need these crafts, and from an early age she had had a strong urge to flee, to escape from what she considered useless domestic drudgery.
Had the tornado caught them and thrown them into Santorini, the girls' lives would not have changed as much.They lived the same day, woke up in the morning with some rigid routine, Ana struggled with everything, always complaining, questioning why things were the way they were; Maria just accepted.She knew that complaining got nothing but made things worse.Her sister was not so sensible.Ana always wants to fight the status quo.
"Why do I have to fetch bread every morning?" she complained one day.
"You don't go every day," her father replied patiently. "Maria picks it up every day. You just go today."
"Okay, why can't she go every day? I'm the biggest, and I don't know why I have to help her get it."
"If everyone asks why he should work for someone else, the world should stop, Ana. Now go and get the bread back. Now!"
Giorgis slammed his fist on the table.He's tired of Anna turning every little chore she's asked of into an argument, and now Anna knows she's cornering his father, too.
At the same time, on Spinalonga, Eleni was trying to adapt, and some things that were simply unacceptable in Crete were taken for granted in the quarantine zone; but she could not, and she found herself wanting to change what she could change everything.Just as Giorgis had failed to keep Eleni from worrying about him, she had, in turn, shared with him her life and future on Spinalonga.
Her first real unpleasantness on the island had been with Christina Krostalakis, the schoolmaster.
"I didn't expect her to like me," she told Giorgis, "but she acted like a cornered beast."
"Why did she do that?" asked Giorgis, who already knew the answer.
"She's a useless teacher who doesn't care about her students — she knows that's how I see her," Eleni said.
Giorgis sighed.Eleni never kept her opinions to herself.
From the moment they arrived, Eleni could see that the school had nothing to teach Dimitri.He came home from his first day of school, silent and sullen.Eleni asked him what he did in class, and he said nothing.
"What did you say? Nothing? You must have done something."
"The teacher wrote a blackboard full of letters and numbers. Because I said I knew them all, I was punished to stand at the back of the classroom. Then I asked the biggest student in the class to do some really simple addition problems. I said answer, and the teacher fined me to stand outside the classroom all day."
After this, Eleni started teaching Dimitri herself, and his friends started coming to her for lessons.Before long, the children, who barely knew letters and numbers, could now read everything fluently and do addition problems. A few months later, five mornings a week, her small room was full of children.Their ages ranged from six to sixteen, and all, except one who was born on the island, had been sent from Crete to the island after showing symptoms of leprosy.Many of the children came with some basic education, but most of them, even the older ones, spent a lot of time in the classroom with Christina Krostalakis, and they didn't make much progress.She took them for fools, and they were fools.
Tensions emerge between Christina Krostalakis and Irene.It was fully understood that Eleni would eventually take over the school and that the coveted teacher's stipend should go to her.Cristina Krostalakis was desperate, refused to give in, and even thought about the possibility of giving half of the responsibility.But Eleni was persistent, and she brought things to a conclusion: not for her own income, but for the benefit of the island's seventeen children, who should learn more than they had learned from lazy Crosstarakis. There is a lot to learn.Education is an investment in the future, and Christina Krostalakis sees no point in spending so much energy teaching children who may not live long.
Finally, one day, Eleni was invited to meet the elders with her lesson plans.She brought the homework the kids had done before and after she came to the island. "But that only speaks of the progress of nature," asserted an elder, well known as a close friend of Mrs. Crosstarakis.For most older adults, however, the evidence speaks for itself.Eleni's passion and dedication to her work paid off.Her motivation stems from the belief that education is not a means to some vague end, but has intrinsic value—education makes children useful human beings.There was a good chance some of them would not live to their twenty-first birthday, but that did not affect Eleni's teaching.
Of course there were voices of dissatisfaction, but most of the elders supported the controversial conclusion that the existing teacher should be removed from her position and replaced by Eleni.Since then, some people on the island thought Eleni was a usurper, but she didn't mind that opinion.She only cares about the children.
The school provided everything Dimitri needed: organized his day, developed his brain, gave him friendship, and he made a new friend, Nichols.He was the only child born on the island who was not sent to Crete for adoption.Because he was still a baby, he had already shown symptoms of leprosy.If he was healthy, he would be sent away immediately from his parents, who, though extremely guilty of having their child infected by them, were also extremely happy to keep the child with them.
Every moment of Dimitri's life is fulfilled, and he no longer thinks about the past.In a way, his life is better than before.This little black-eyed boy used to be the eldest son of an ordinary peasant family with five children, and he had a heavy burden of life, but now he is not as hard-working, anxious, and anxious as before.Yet every afternoon, as he returned from school to his new half-dark home, he felt the undercurrent of grown-up unease.Snippets of conversation can be heard passing the tavern, and whispers of people on the street can be heard walking along the road.
Sometimes new rumors are mixed with old ones.There have been many discussions about whether or not there should be a new generator, and there have been perennial debates over the water supply.Over the past few months there have been whispers of private agreement to build new residences and increase the "annuity" for each member of the quarantine.Dimitri heard the conversations of many adults, and felt that the adults were talking about the same thing over and over again, like a dog chewing on a bone that had been stripped of its flesh long ago.The most trivial things are expected and thought about as well as the big things like sickness and death.One day, when people were unprepared and unprepared, an event happened that had a huge impact on life on this island.
One evening, a few months after Dimitri and Eleni arrived on the island, they were eating dinner when they were interrupted by a banging on the door.The one who came was Epida.The old woman was panting and flushed with excitement.
"Eleni, come on," she said out of breath, "the boat is full of people—ship by boat—and they need help. Come!"
Eleni knew Elpida well enough now that if she said she needed help, there was no need to ask.Dimitri was so curious that he dropped the knife and fork, followed them, and hurried to the street under the sunset, listening to the stories that Mrs. Kentumaris blurted out, and she poured out her words one after another.
"They're from Athens," she gasped. "Giorgis has brought two boats over, and he's making a third. Mostly men, but I see a few women too. They look Looks like a prisoner, a sick prisoner."
Now that they were at the entrance to the long tunnel that led to the pier, Eleni turned to Dimitri and said, "You have to stay here." She said firmly, "Go home and finish your dinner. "
At the other end of the tunnel, Dimitri could hear the man's voice in a low voice, and he was even more curious, what caused such a commotion?The two women hurried away, and after a while they were out of sight.Dimitri kicked stones aimlessly towards the entrance of the tunnel, then peeked behind him, and sprinted down the tunnel, bringing himself very close to the wall.Turning this corner, he could clearly see the chaos outside.
Usually, the new residents are sent one by one, as discreetly as possible assimilating into the community after a calm welcome from Petros Kintumaris.At first, everyone hoped that no one would know themselves on Spinalonga, and most people remained silent when they received their welcome.On the pier tonight, however, there was no such calm.Many of the newcomers faltered as the newcomers rolled out of Giorgis' boat and fell hard to the stony ground.They screamed, writhed and yelled, some clearly in pain.From where Dimitri was in the shadows, it was possible to see why they fell.The newcomer seemed to have no hands, at least no free arms visible on either side of his body.When he took a closer look, he saw that they were all wearing strange coats, with their hands tied behind their backs.
Dimitri watched as Irene and Elpida bent down and one by one unwound the bundled men, freeing them from the thick tar-soaked hemp ropes.These people lay in groups on the gray earth, and they didn't look like human beings.A man staggered to the water's edge, bent down and vomited into the sea.So did another, and then a third.
Dimitri looked at them, bewildered and terrified, as motionless as the rocky wall that stood in front of him.As the newcomers let go of the rope and slowly straightened, they regained a little dignity.Even a hundred meters away from them, Dimitri could feel the anger and aggression emanating from them.Everyone gathered in a circle, and one particular man seemed to want to calm everyone down, and several people immediately started talking, and raised their voices.
Dimitri counted eighteen people.
Giorgis turned the boat around again and headed back to Plaka with a boat full of people waiting to be delivered.
Not far from Plaka Marina, a group of people gathered in the square to study this strange group of people.A few days before, Giorgis had brought a letter from Athens to Petros Kintumaris, informing him that a group of lepers would soon arrive.They decided to keep the secret.The arrival of more than two dozen new patients at the same time in Spinalonga is sure to send the islanders into a panic.All Kentumaris knew was that the lepers had gotten into trouble in the Athens hospital—and had been sent to Spinalonga.
They were transported like cattle from Piraeus to Heraklion after a two-day arduous voyage.Heat stroke and seasickness along the way, and then transferred to a smaller boat and transported to Plaka.From Plaka, Giorgis sent another group of six to see them off for the last time.Seeing such a filthy thug abused, abused, and not treated as human beings, it was clear to everyone that they would not live long.
The children in the village of Plaka were not afraid at all, and they all gathered around to watch.Fotini, Anna, and Maria were among them, Anna asked Papa during his break before starting the last sea crossing.
"Why did they come here? What did they do? Why couldn't they stay in Athens?" she wondered.Giorgis had no answer to her barrage of questions.But he told her one thing for sure.When he sent the first passengers to the island, he listened attentively to them, and apart from their anger and sobriety, he could hear from their conversation that they were well-educated and articulate people.
"I don't know, Ana," he told her, "but Spinalonga will have a place for them, and that's all that matters."
"What about mom?" she pressed. "She's going to have a worse life than before."
"I think you might be wrong," Giorgis said, with extreme patience with his eldest daughter. "These new arrivals to the island may be a very good thing."
"How is that possible?" Anna exclaimed in disbelief. "What do you mean? They look like cattle!" She was right.They were indeed like cattle, shoved into crates like cattle, and treated little better than cattle.
Giorgis turned and returned to his boat.Now there are five more.By the time they got to Spinalonga, the other newcomers had started moving around.For the first time in thirty-six hours they stood up.There were four other women among them, still huddled together in silence.Petros Kintumaris asked them one by one their names, ages, occupations, and the duration of the illness.
As Kentumaris asked, his mind was spinning rapidly.He procrastinates on business, every minute he puts them off here gives him more time to think and find some inspiration.In the name of God, where can these people live?Every second of delay allowed them to be ushered into the tunnel and later discover that they had no place to live.Chances are, they're worse off than they were at the Athens hospital.Each brief meeting took a few minutes, and by the end of it, one thing became clear to him.In the past, when he had asked about newcomers, most of them had been no more than fishermen, smallholders, or shopkeepers.But this time, he encountered a group of well-trained professionals: lawyers, teachers, doctors, stonemasons, editors, engineers... the list could go on and on.Obviously this is a group of people completely different from the existing inhabitants of Spinalonga.For a moment, Kintumaris was terrified of these Athenian citizens in beggars' clothes.
Now it's time to lead them into the new world.Kentumaris led the team through the tunnel.News of the arrival of the newcomer spread, and people came out from their homes to watch.In the square, the Athenians stopped behind the lord of the island, and Kentumaris turned to face them. When everyone listened carefully, he said, "For now: the women live in an empty room on the top of the hill." house, and the rest will live in the city hall first."
People surrounded them, and they listened attentively to the announcement while muttering uneasily.However, Kentumaris was prepared for some opposition to the plan, and he immediately went on to say: "I assure you, this is only a stopgap measure. Your arrival has increased the population of Spinalonga by almost 100 percent." Tenth, we are now expecting the government to allocate funds to build new residences, which they have promised long ago."
There was opposition to the use of the town hall as a dormitory, as it had been the site of Spinalonga's social life in the past.To a large extent, it represents normal social and political life on Spinalonga.By expropriating it, the islanders are deprived of an important resource.But where else to live?In the whole "block" there was only one vacant house in the new soulless apartment building for women from Athens.Kentumaris would ask Elpida to take them there, and he would house the men in temporary accommodation.His heart was heavy when he thought of his wife's task.The only difference between the new apartment building and the prison is that the doors there are locked from the inside rather than from the outside.But men can only live in the town hall.
That night, Spinalonga became home to twenty-three newcomers from Athens.It didn't take long for some of the islanders to realize with astonishment that more houses had to be built and more food, water, and shelter provided.While donating even a small amount from their already meager reserves would represent an important sacrifice, most, with very few exceptions, try to make a little gesture.
The first few days were stressful.Everyone waited to see what effect these newcomers would have, but for forty-eight hours they had barely been seen, some lying numb in their makeshift bunks.Dr. Lapakis visited them and found that their suffering was not only caused by leprosy, but also by lack of adequate food, water, and the brutal journey under the scorching sun.It would take weeks for each of them to recover from the abuse they had received in the months, if not years, before their departure from Athens.Lapakis had heard before that the conditions of the Athens leprosy hospital were not significantly different from those of the prisons hundreds of meters away from the city. The discarded clothes were stripped from the bodies of the dead in major hospitals in the city.Before long, he knew that this was not absurd.
All patients were treated savagely, and the group that came to Crete was the leader of a rebellion.Mostly educated professionals, they led a hunger strike, drafted a letter, smuggled it to friends and government officials, and stoked discontent throughout the hospital.But instead of promising any improvement, the director of the hospital decided to deport them; or, as he preferred to use the phrase, "transfer them to a more suitable place." It means the end, but it marks a new beginning for this island.
Elpida went to see the women every day, and they soon recovered, and they were able to visit around the island, drink coffee at Kentumaris's house, and even began to figure out how to use the small piece of land cleared for them to grow vegetable.They soon realize that life here is much better than before.At least, it counts as a life.The conditions in the Athens hospital were horrific.In summer, the suffocating heat of their cramped wards was worse than hellfire, and the rats scratched and scratched the floor at night, where they felt less valuable than parasites.
Spinalonga is heaven by comparison.It gave unimaginable freedom, the air was fresh, the birds were singing, and there was a street to wander; here they felt human again.During those long days from Athens, some contemplated taking their own lives, thinking they would be sent to a place harsher than the harsh hell they had struggled to survive.In Spinalonga, women can see the sunrise from their second-floor windows, and on their first day on the island, they are mesmerized by the sunset as it slowly descends.
As Eleni had done before, they made their allotted place their home.At night, embroidered cottons hang from the windows and woven rugs cover the beds, and the whole room transforms into something simple like a Cretan dwelling.
For men, it's a different story.For days they lay haggard in their beds, many still weak after the hunger strike in Athens.The Kentumaris organized deliveries of the food to the town hall and left it on the porch, but when the plates came back on the first day, the islanders found that the food they had served was barely touched.The mutton stew in a large iron pot was still full to the brim; out of the five loaves sent to the town hall, two loaves were eaten—only this showed that there was still life in the building.
But on the second day all the bread was eaten up, and on the third day there was nothing left in the casserole of rabbit meat, and the sides of the pot were scraped clean.The appetite is recovering day by day, which means that these poor lives are recovering.On the fourth day, Nicos Papadimitririo appeared, squinting his eyes and standing in the sunlight.Forty-five-year-old lawyer Papadimitriou was once a prominent figure in Athens life.Now he is the leader and spokesperson of this group of lepers, and he has devoted all the energy he devoted to his career as a lawyer to the role of leader.Nichols was a troublemaker by nature, and if he hadn't entered the legal profession, he might have gone to crime.He organized protests against the Athenian authorities in the hospital, and, though not entirely successful, he was more determined than ever to secure better conditions for his leprosy companion at Spinalonga.
Despite his sharp words, Papadimitriou was charming and always surrounded by a large crowd of supporters.His greatest ally and friend was the engineer Michalis Koris, who, like Papadimitririo, had spent five years in the Athens hospital.Kentumaris showed them around Spinalonga that day, and like most newcomers to the island for the first time, a series of questions ran through the duo's minds: "Where is the source of the water?" How long have you guys been waiting for the generator?" "How often does the doctor come?" "What's the death rate?" "What's currently planned for construction?"
Kentumaris answered their questions as best he could, but from their grunts and sighs he could tell that they were not satisfied with his answers.The island owner knew full well that Spinalonga had insufficient resources.He has worked tirelessly for six years to improve the environment, and in many ways he has succeeded, although it is far from what everyone wants.It was thankless work, and as he walked slowly out of town, towards the cemetery, he wondered why he was working so hard.No matter how hard he tries to get things right, this is where they all end up.All three would end up lying in a cement pit under a stele, their bones moved aside to make room for the next one.Everything was in vain, Papadimitriou's chattering questions seemed so empty, Kentumaris just wanted to sit down and cry.He resolved to tell the Athenians the unvarnished truth.如果他们对现实更感兴趣，而不仅仅是体验受人欢迎的感觉，那他就该以实相告。
“我来告诉你们，”他停在路当中，转过脸来对着他俩说，“告诉你们想知道的一切。但是如果我这样做的话，重担也要你们承担。你们明白吗？”
他们同意，点头。肯图马里斯开始详细说明岛上的种种不足，述说自己为了一些改善经受的种种磨难，告诉他们目前在协商中的所有问题。接着，他们三人往回走，回到岛主家，帕帕蒂米特里奥和科里斯对这座小岛设施提出新鲜见解，设计了新的计划，包括进展中的工程、来年打算开始和要完成的计划，以及接下来五年中待办事项的提纲。这些前景本身都给他们一种向前进的感觉，他们多么需要这种感觉啊。
从那天起，帕帕蒂米特里奥和科里斯成了肯图马里斯最大的支持者。他们不再觉得像是判了刑的人，而是仿佛有了新的开始。很久以来，生活没有这样值得憧憬过了。几周内，计划方案，包括新建和改造计划书等，就准备好了递交政府。帕帕蒂米特里奥知道如何依靠政客，他还将雅典他的律师事务所——一家颇具影响的家庭案件事务所也牵扯进来。“这岛上的每个人都是希腊公民，”他坚持说，“他们拥有权利，要是我不为他们战斗，我愿受诅咒。”政府在一个月内便同意按他们要求的数目拨款——除了帕帕蒂米特里奥自己——大家都十分吃惊。
其他雅典人，一旦从麻痹状态中站起来，也立刻投身到建设项目中来。他们不再是被抛弃的病人，而是社区的一分子，每个人都应当出一份力。现在已是九月末，虽然气温还算温暖，水的问题却甚是紧迫——增加了二十三个新居民，对来自克里特岛的淡水供应、对破裂供水管的修复要求更高了。得做些事情了，米哈利斯·科里斯便是做这个事的人。
水管修好后，大家都盼着天公下雨。十一月初的一个晚上，他们的祷告得到了回应。雷电交加，场面壮观，龙王爷醒了，一股脑儿地把雨水全倾泻在小岛、克里特岛，以及大海里。鹅卵石般大小的冰雹砸下来，打碎了窗户，让山羊在山坡上四处奔逃躲避，闪电像启示性的光芒照射在大地上。第二天早上，岛民们醒来发现他们集水区里满溢着冰凉、清澈的水。解决了所有问题中最紧迫的淡水问题之后，雅典人又将注意力转移到为自己建设住房上来。在主街和大海之间有一块荒地，土耳其人曾在那里建过他们第一批房子。那些住所，纯粹是个空架子，紧挨着要塞城墙而建，是所有飞地中住得最多的。岛民们的勤奋与效率在克里特岛上都难得一见：老房子得到翻修，焕然一新的砖瓦匠手艺、技艺高超的木匠活，让老房子从碎石堆里又竖了起来。在第一场雪笼罩到迪克提山头上之前，他们打算住进去，市政厅重新可供大家使用。人们最初对雅典来的麻风病人多有憎恨，可没过多久，只不过几周时间，斯皮纳龙格上的居民就见识了新岛民的能力，认识到雅典人付出的远比他们得到的多。
冬天来了，关于发电机的战役又急切地打响了。在微弱的午后阳光中，当寒风开始扫过家家户户的裂缝，吹进有缝隙的家时，热和光成了最值钱的商品。当局发现斯皮纳龙格有了更尖锐的声音，不能忽视的声音，没多久就来了封信，承诺了岛民们要求的一切东西。许多岛民冷言冷语。“我打赌他们不会遵守诺言。”有些人会说，“直到我能在自己家里打开电灯，我才相信他们会遵守诺言。”其他人也附和。在斯皮纳龙格上生活了几年的人们对政府的普遍看法是：政府的承诺就跟写承诺的薄纸一样没有价值，不足信。
可是所有部件都运到了，贴好标签分好类，完整无损。对发电机的盼望还是伊莲妮十天前写给安娜和玛丽娅的两封一模一样的信中的主要话题：
安娜就着冬日午后微弱的光线读她的信，壁炉里些微有点火，可她还是看得到嘴里呼出的热气。烛光在信纸上投下闪烁的光影，她闲闲地用信纸一角捅了捅火焰。慢慢地，火舌舔过信纸，信烧着了，直到她手里什么都没有，只剩下指尖大小的纸片，她把它扔进蜡里。为什么母亲写信写得这样频繁？难道她真的以为他们全都想听她和那个男孩现在温暖、满足、充满光明的生活吗？爸爸要求她们回复每封信，安娜挣扎着写每个字。她不高兴，她也不打算假装高兴。
玛丽娅读着她的信，拿着给爸爸看。
“好消息，是不是？”吉奥吉斯评论道，“这一切都亏了那些雅典人。谁想到破麻袋一样的人能制造出这样大的变化呢。”
到冬天来的时候，在十二月刺骨的寒风到来之前，小岛上已经有了温暖。夜幕降临后，那些愿意读书的人可以在那最昏暗的灯光下读书了。
降临节到了，吉奥吉斯和伊莲妮需要商量这个圣诞节怎么过。这是十五年来他们第一次分开过的圣诞节。这个节日虽没有复活节重要，可也是一种家庭仪式，需要家庭聚餐，伊莲妮不在，整个家缺了一大块。
圣诞节前后的几天内，吉奥吉斯没有跨过波浪滔天的海水去看伊莲妮。倒不是因为怕邪风会蚀到他的手、他的脸，让手、脸刺痛，而是因为女儿们需要他留下来。同样，伊莲妮也很注意迪米特里，他们两边都为古老习俗弄得筋疲力尽。就像她们往常一样，女孩们挨家挨户地唱起悦耳的卡兰达，得到糖果和风干水果的奖赏，圣诞节那天早上的弥撒后，她们与安哲罗普洛斯一家人吃起圣诞大餐、猪肉和萨维娜烘烤的克拉比瑟，味道好极了。斯皮纳龙格上的情况也差不多。孩子们在广场上唱歌，帮忙烘焙装饰华丽的基督面包，快活得好像以前从没吃过似的。对迪米特里来说，这是他生平第一次吃到这么充足丰富的食物，亲眼目睹这样的快乐。
整整十二天圣诞节假期，吉奥吉斯和伊莲妮在他们各自家里的每间房中洒上圣水，防止卡比坎兹拉利，据说这些妖精会把家里弄得一塌糊涂。一月一日是圣徒巴兹尔日，吉奥吉斯又见了伊莲妮一次，给她带来孩子们和萨维娜送给她的礼物。旧的一年结束，新的一年开始，这是一个分水岭、里程碑，一年又安然度过了，将把佩特基斯一家带到完全不同的另一年。尽管安娜和玛丽娅还是怀念她们的母亲，可她们现在知道，没有她她们也能生活下去。
Notes:
Notes: