Cave of Silence by Kostas Krommydas

Author:Kostas Krommydas [Krommydas, Kostas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Greece
ISBN: 9781549814440
Published: 2017-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

The Island, August 1942

* * *

The sun had set behind the mountains, drowning the beach in a hazy golden glow. Before the Cave of Silence stood Yiannis, his wife Anna and their son, Nikos, all dressed in their Sunday best. In the sea, Eleni stood with the water reaching her knees and soaking her dress. She was holding a sheet in her arms, waiting to receive the baby that was being christened by the priest in the salty waters, his ceremonial robes wet and billowing around him. “We baptize thee, Maria…In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…”

As soon as the baby was dunked in the water, three times, she burst into tears. Eleni looked fondly upon her goddaughter, happy in her new role as godmother to Manolis’ niece. Manolis, who they now knew was alive in captivity. After all the silence, the news, any news, was a welcome respite.

Further news was hard to come by. She had spent so much time worrying that one day she would wake up and hear of his death. The thought was unbearable, more so at a time when her father’s health was deteriorating rapidly and it looked like his end was near. Her only source of comfort had been Yiannis and his family.

Their worry over Manolis and his fate had brought them closer, they felt like family now. Any reservations Yiannis had had about his brother’s proposed marriage had long been overcome, and Nikos adored his aunt-to-be.

As soon as the service was over, the three walked back to the shore. Eleni held Maria in her arms, wrapped in the small white sheet, and ceremoniously returned the baby to her mother. She took a small gold cross on a thin chain from her pocket and passed it over the baby’s head. It seemed to soothe Maria.

They dressed the baby in her baptismal gown and hastily departed. They could not linger any longer; it would soon be dark and the Italian curfew was still in place. Eleni decided to stay on the beach a moment longer. The family and the priest mounted the horses that had been patiently waiting by the nearby creek and set off, leaving Karme to carry Eleni back to her house.

She sat down and pulled out a photo from her pocket. It was a portrait of Manolis, taken just after he’d joined the army. It had arrived with his first letter to her, the only letter she’d ever received. Two years had passed without a word until she heard of his capture from another soldier who’d returned to the island the previous month.

She closed her eyes and thought back to the morning at Galazia Petra, when they had been alone. Her body had not forgotten the feeling of Manolis touching her, kissing her and the same shudder now went through her. If Yiannis had not interrupted them, she would have given herself to him. Right there, on the beach.

She lived with the fervent hope that she would one day be back in his arms, fully his.

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