Kitabı oku: «Samos», sayfa 2
“Indeed, our island is ruled by Ptolemy of Egypt. You should be safe from the Romans here," their host comforted them.
The children left the house. The stories the castaways told had transported them to places they did not even know existed. They spoke of battles that they only heard about in the narratives of their Gods and the ancient Greek heroes, battles that on the other hand seemed distant to them also in time. After all, in Samos the only external danger threatening them was pirate invasion, although that only happened on the high seas.
Telma, who noticed how the story had affected her little sister, took Janira in her arms, carefully explaining that the Carthaginians had exaggerated their history a little, that the Romans and no one did those bad things and that she had no need to worry. Meanwhile, Nerisa and Almices commented on the story that the castaways had told them, imagining the situations the Carthaginian sailors experienced and the wonderful places where they came from.
Hermes left the house after a while and looked at Niobe with anger. She was still angry, looking at the horizon with a stern expression. She regretted that she was so cold to others. He briefly thought about reassuring her, but changed his mind and turned to his children.
“Telma, Almices, today has been an unusual day. Go to the cave to play and we’ll find you later for dinner. Our guests will have regained some strength by then. In the meantime, we will take the fish to Andreas so he can take it to the tavern to sell. At this hour we will get little for it, but it’s better than nothing.”
The children agreed and walked along the shore to the jetty and take the path that led them to the cave. They could hear the murmur of the sea perfectly from here. The soft sea breeze had been transformed into a happy air that curled the backs of the waves, small peaks of foam.
When they arrived next to the jetty, Almices approached the boat to check that it was well moored. Although the little cove was well protected by the sea, you could never be too sure. His sisters waited for him to finish and collected another net that was already completely dry, to mend in the cave. The air was hardly noticeable inside the cave. It blew from the side opposite the entrance and provided a pleasant temperature in their play space. Janira and Nerisa continued to play with their shells while Telma and Almices worked with the net.
The afternoon flew by for all four. When Telma and Almices finished the net, they took the young girls and set up to collect small crabs and limpets that lived between the rocks by the sea. The tiny puddles, formed on the eroded rocks when the tide went out, served as perfect makeshift containers for the crabs. They were somewhat warmer and more protected than at sea. Their haul was plentiful and entertaining. Nerisa found a small octopus in the shallows and had a good time trying to get it out of the rocks.
“It’s almost dusk, Almices. We should go home, don't you think?”
Telma was looking forward to rest; spending a whole day with her sisters could be exhausting. She also regretted not being able to take the fish to the tavern, so she could see the handsome son of the inn keeper. She hoped her father would arrange the wedding with him. She should suggest it more clearly the next time they talk.
“You're right, they should have come for us by now. Stay with the little ones while I take the nets home and ask them if we can go to dinner now.”
Almices took the nets and left the cave by the usual path. He began walking along the beach over the wet sand toward the jetty The wind crashed tiny grains of sand against his legs. Along the way he imagined sailing along the wide sea on board a large ship and anchoring in all the ports. The sun had just disappeared behind the mountains and its light was beginning fade. He looked at his house and noticed the light from the home behind the worn-out planks that closed the window. He passed in front of the jetty and thought of leaving the nets on the boat; but his father did not like to leave them there at night and since they broke during a storm a year ago, he decided to take them straight home.
He was already close when a harrowing cry from inside the house overtook him. He could have sworn that was his father. There was a moment of silence, which felt like an eternity and then the door opened suddenly. Almices instinctively threw himself to the floor alongside a small tamarind, for fear of being discovered. He began to sweat. Three burly men left the house dragging a body that he recognized as the thinnest Carthaginian. They spoke agitatedly in a strange language. Their brown-coloured clothes made them look darker.
He waited crouching behind the branches, hidden in the growing darkness for the strangers to turn away in the direction of the little pine forest behind the house. Without knowing what to do he decided to go in. There were no noises and the door had been left open. He threw the nets down a few steps away. He moved slowly and silently. There was no movement inside.
Fear gripped the young boy and his hair stood on end. Almices would not know if it was an irrational impulse or his innate curiosity that finally made him overcome his fears and move slowly into his house. He was astonished. He could not believe the scene that appeared before his eyes.
II
“Enough now!” Telma exclaimed, irritated as Janira poured sand on Nerisa's head. “When we get home, I am going to tell. Mother has told you not to throw sand at her.”
“Nerisa started it," laughed Janira and she gathered more wet sand to spread on her victims.
“They must be about to arrive. You know how mother gets when you ignore her.” Janira seemed to seriously reconsider for a moment in the face of the threat, then threw sand at his sisters. All three of them laughed.
Almices felt like his legs barely supported him. The fat Carthaginian was lying on his side in front of the door, with a large wound that gushed blood on the floor, forming an arch that reached the boy's feet. Almices barely looked at him; he was more focused on his parents. His mother was lying on the table with a knife in her neck. His father was close by, laying face up on the floor. He had a large chest wound and a deep red cut in his neck. Almices approached him. His body, though warm, remained lifeless and the young man recognized death in the open eyes of the man who gave him life. Suddenly his whole world turned upside down. He ran out of the house with a mouth full of bile. A cold sweat had taken over his body and he struggled to breath. What had happened? Why had their parents been killed? What should they do now? There were no answers to all the questions that filled his head, trying to escape like a swarm of bees. He ran with all his might toward Andreas's house to ask for help.
His neighbour lived in the house close by, about fifty or sixty steps away. It was located on one side of the Theopoulos’ house, and although the proximity between the two was visible from the beach, you could not see one from the other. A small, thick group of trees and shrubs sat between them, keeping them in relative isolation.
He arrived at his neighbour’s home when he suddenly remembered the three men who had left for the pine forest moments earlier, and instinctively became stealthy. He advanced to the edge of the trees, trying to control his disturbed breathing that became even more disturbed when he saw his neighbour speaking to one of them. He did not know what to do. He had to warn Andreas of what they had done to his parents, warn him about how dangerous they were; but fear prevented him. He was paralyzed, crouched between the lower branches of the trees. Andreas looked happy. The other man took a bag out of his tunic and gave it to the fisherman, tinkling slightly as he weighed it in his hand. It was full of coins, Almices thought and he clenched his teeth. What a fool he thought. He suddenly saw more clearly. Andreas had helped them! Surely, he wanted to keep his father's house for himself, and when he saw them on the beach in the morning, he must have somehow warned the Romans chasing the castaways. They must have been Romans allied with the Mamertines that the Carthaginians had told them about, he was sure. He felt angry and scared. He had to warn his sisters immediately. He began to retreat slowly and quietly, afraid of being discovered. As soon as he could, he got up and went home. Then he passed right by. The door was still open, but he did not want to look. He ran with all his strength towards the cave.
"About time, what took you so long?" Telma, who stayed by the cave’s entrance, had seen her brother approach in the twilight. She had already lost patience with her sisters and was eager to leave. “We've been waiting for you for ages!”
"I didn't know what to do," Almices’ voice choked and the tears that ran down his cheeks worried Telma.
"Why are you crying? What happened?” Telma insisted, losing her cool.
"They are dead," were the only words Almices could muster before breaking down. His sister took him in her arms and tried to calm him down.
"Sit down, Almices, and tell me calmly what happened,” she tried to reassure him. The two younger sisters, who had stopped playing after the arrival of their brother, approached them to find out what had happened.
"I saw some men leave when I was approaching home," Almices babbled. “I heard a cry first and didn't think it was important, but as I approached, I saw the men dragging one of the castaways away.” He wiped some snot away. “I waited a moment for them to go away, and when I went inside, I saw mother and father. They had killed them.” He hugged his sister and tried to control his sobs.
"What's all this nonsense, brother?” Telma refused to believe him. “Stop joking, I’ve already lost my patience with your sisters today,” she chided, stepping back to look in his eyes.
"You have to believe me, Telma," Almices replied. “It's true, mother has a knife in the back of her head. Father is not breathing and also has many injuries. The other castaway is also dead.” He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself and process his thoughts. “I didn't know what to do so I ran to look for Andreas. As I approached his house, he was leaving. He was talking to one of the men,” while Almices spoke Telma's eyes welled up and reflected his growing anguish. “Andreas and the other spoke as if they were good friends, then the man pulled out a small bag that looked like money and handed it to Andreas. I was very afraid, so I ran away without being seen.”
"Come on, let’s go home and stop with the nonsense. Almices, you know I don’t like it when you joke," Telma did not want to believe her brother's story. The little ones, who listened intently without understanding, began to cry.
The weather was getting worse. The wind began to blow insistently pushing the waves against the coast. The four huddled together as they left the cave to protect each other from the rising cold of the night. They began to walk slowly toward the house in silence. Janira did not understand what was going on; she saw her siblings talking and knew something strange was happening. She was quiet and withdrawn as if she were responsible for the whole situation. Nerisa cried. Telma tried to make her feel better, saying that Almices had had a nightmare and that what he had said in the cave was just a bad dream, although she did not sound convincing. Almices could not stop himself from crying.
After a while they arrived by the jetty. Almices stopped Telma by gently holding her arm.
"It will be better for the little ones to wait here, Telma. I don’t think they should go inside.”
“Okay now! Almices, it's all in your head; father and mother are fine, you don't have to worry," Telma replied nervously.
"Telma please, don’t let them in." Almices' pleading eyes eventually convinced his sister, who was already starting to believe him. The older sister turned to the little ones, not knowing what to say.
"Nerisa, I want you to stay here with Janira. I need you to stop crying and take care of her while Almices and I go and see what has happened. Can you take care of Janira? "The little girl nodded and wiped her nose. She took the little girl and sat beside her on the beach. The wind continued to blow and forced them to turn to stop sand from getting in their eyes.
"Janira," Telma turned to the youngest, “I want you to stay with Nerisa and find more shells while Almices and I go home to look for mother, okay?” The little girl smiled and nodded, leaned toward the sand, and started to look for shells in the growing darkness.
Telma and Almices began towards the house. She held his hand tightly and noticed he was shaking. They slowed as they approached, frightened that someone would suddenly appear from the shadows of the trees. They stopped a few steps from the entrance. There was no movement around them. Everything was quiet; too quiet, Telma thought. The door was still open, exactly how Almices had left it.
They stopped in the doorway, suddenly scared to look inside. They looked at each other and Telma realized then that her brother had told the truth. A cold sweat descended on her and she felt her heart racing. She clenched her fists harder and entered. The bitter smell of blood permeated her senses. Telma saw the body of the Carthaginian, just as Almices had said. His blood soaked the soil, and the odour was nauseating. Several steps away was her father. Telma crouched next to him with tears in her eyes, utterly speechless. She raised her head a little and tenderly kissed his forehead. The contact of her lips with the warm and lifeless body provoked a whirlwind of emotions that almost caused her to feel faint. Almices rested a hand on his sister's shoulder, more to comfort himself than her. A few moments passed, which seemed to them an immensity full of feelings and emotions. Telma left her father on the floor with all the love she could muster. She realized that her hands were soaked in blood. She rose, a little dizzy, to get closer to her mother. Almices helped her to get around her father's body and to the table. It became clear to her that her mother's death had come by surprise. It had come from behind, a gloomy confirmation of the mistrust that she had always shown for the rest of the human race; her rigid, heavy body, lying face down on the table, had a shabby knife stuck in the base of her skull. There were utensils on the floor next to her, pots and pans too, as if the killers had suddenly appeared while she was preparing dinner. The benches of the table were broken on the ground, suggested there was a struggle. Telma figured her father and the Carthaginians had defended themselves with all their strength. Hermes had numerous cuts in the arms and torso. That was certainly not a sign of a fair fight.
"Telma, what are we going to do?” Almices, his eyes once again filled with tears, asked his sister the question, hoping she might bring their parents back and wake him from a dream.
"I don't understand. I do not know who could have done this. They have never hurt anyone.” The young woman dried her eyes. Her bloody hands marked her face.
"Surely they were Romans. They took away the other castaway alive, remember. If they had been thieves, they would have killed everyone.” She looked around the room again.
"Let’s go to the tavern to ask for help. Telemaco will help us.” She was convinced that the inn keeper’s son could find them help and shelter. She needed that to happen. They had no one else. “Then we’ll come back to get father and mother.”
“Okay, let's go. Quickly, the girls are still by the boat, it would not be good if they got tired of waiting and came here.”
They went out carefully and headed toward the village, deciding to pass by Andreas's house to shorten the distance. Remembering his conversation with their parents' killers, they decided to be stealthy. Close to their neighbour’s house, they heard footsteps. They hid by the trees and the darkness of the night helped to veil them.
"We must not leave any evidence. It has to look like a robbery.”
"Don't worry. I will honour the agreement," Andreas answered. “I will take care of the body of the man you brought here, then I’ll go to the Theopoulos’ house to finish the work.”
"Make sure you put everything in place, I don't want any witnesses." Now Telma and Almices could distinguish them perfectly between the trees. The speaker wore a brown tunic that partially covered a leather pectoral.
"Don't worry. I will take care of their children too. I know they are in the cave on the beach and will wait for their father to collect them. I know they have been sleeping there. Tomorrow it will be the talk of the village; the thieves have even killed their children.” Andreas laughed mockingly and spat where the siblings were hiding.
"Come, let's toast to a job well done.” The Roman slapped Andreas on the shoulder. “We never disappoint those who help us. You have already received part of your reward; the rest will come tomorrow. Look for it tomorrow in the village. We will wait in the tavern until the sun starts to rise.” The two men walked away until they entered Andreas’ house.
Telma was angry. Her bitterness and bewilderment became consumed by anger. Her brother had to hold her down when they heard their neighbour incriminating himself. They waited until the men had gone inside.
"We can't go to the tavern now, Telma.”
"But we have to ask for help. There’s nowhere else to go.”
"Help in the tavern? You just heard that they are staying there, we cannot go there. They do not want witnesses and now we know they also murdered the other Carthaginian; it must be his body they referred to, and that Andreas will bury him here and then come for us. Not even Telemaco and his father could help us.”
"What can we do then, Almices?” The girl felt numb, she did not know what to do.
"We have to leave, Telma," Almices decided, "let’s get what we need and go with our sisters. The first thing they will do is try to get rid of us.”
"Where will we go, Almices? We have no-one to turn to. We're lost.”
"Yes, we do.” Almices' face lit up. “We can go to Uncle Castor. Last year father and I visited him. Don’t you remember?”
"We don't know where he lives. We do not even know if he’ll want visitors. Even our mother couldn't visit him, remember.”
"He lives on the island of Kos. I know it will be difficult to find, but we have nobody left. I think I remember the inlet where he lives.” Almices hugged his sister. They did not know which way to go and they certainly could not afford to waste more time. “Come on, Telma. Let’s go home for some food and water and get the girls, they must miss us.”
They entered their house again. The room was still lit by the lights that Hermes had turned on at sunset. The reflection of the flames spread throughout the house, tiling over the lifeless bodies. Worried that Andreas would suddenly appear, the young siblings collected as many supplies as they could carry, constantly glancing over at their parents. Almices told Telma that the trip might last a couple of days, but it was better to be safe. The boy approached a small hole in the wall where he knew his father kept some coins of little value, as if it were a real treasure. They might be needed. He glanced sideways at his father, feeling guilty for taking the money that had taken so much time and effort to save. Meanwhile Telma gathered dry fish and fruit in a large basket. She also found two water-filled skins that her mother brought from the village early in the morning. A noise by the door distracted them.
"What was that?” Telma stood up “Andreas?”
“A rat," replied Almices, disgusted, pointing at the animal that was sniffing the Carthaginian’s blood.
"Come, let's go now. Andreas could arrive at any time.” Almices nodded. He approached his mother and kissed her fondly for the last time. He then knelt in front of his father and prayed for the strength to be able to guide his sisters to safety. Telma also said goodbye to them. Before leaving, she took two coins from her brother's bag and put them into her parents' mouths so that they could pay the boatman Caronte on his trip to Hades. They got up in sorrow and went stealthily to the jetty, looking back in case they saw Andreas approaching.
It seemed that the wind had died down a little and the waning moon was rising providing a poor light to the night. The siblings quickly walked away, thinking about everything they left behind. Almices remembered with sadness how his father had let him work the tiller in the morning. How quickly their lives had changed in just a few short hours.
"We forgot warm clothes.” Telma tried to retrace her steps.
“What are you doing? We can't go back. Andreas might be there already,” Almices stopped her. “What do you want the clothes for?”
"It's windy and the girls might suffer. The temperature will drop tonight, can’t you see the clouds?” She pointed at the sky. “Plus, we cannot leave mother and father like that.”
"It’s fine, there are several blankets on the boat in case of a problem, we can all keep warm with them. And we can’t do anything for our parents now, it’s too dangerous. Come, let's return to our sisters.”
The jetty was already visible in the twilight. As they approached, their faces reflected an added tension. They couldn’t see the girls anywhere.
"Where are they?” Telma's voice sounded grave. “I told them not to move.”
“I don't know, they may have returned to the cave.”
“Let's call them.”
"No!” Almices’ voice was sharp. He thought about Andreas. They cannot be found. He stopped to look at the boat.
They reached the jetty and there was no trace of their sisters. Almices advanced over the whimpering wood until he reached the boat. The clouds had covered the scarce moon and it was hard to see the inside the boat.
"Are they there?” Telma felt distressed.
"I don't see anything. Wait for me to come up,” he said as he jumped. He didn't remember leaving the rope so untidy. He pulled them away.
"You’re here already?” Nerisa woke up yawning. Almices gave a sigh of relief.
"What a scare you gave me!” The young man took a step back. “Telma, they're here.” He heard his older sister walk across the jetty.
"Where is Janira?" Almices asked Nerisa. “I thought she was with you.”
"She’s here." She raised the nets that were still on the boat, exposing their little sister, who was in a deep sleep. “We were sleepy and didn’t want to bother you, so we came on the boat.” Almices smiled relieved as Telma approached.
"You had us worried. Good thing you're okay.”
"And Dad?” Nerisa was restless. By this time, they were usually fast asleep.
"Darling, dad and mum are no longer here.” Telma stroked her hair, trying to keep her composure. “Some men have entered the house and killed them. We have to leave; we can't go home.” She immediately regretted her bluntness.
"It can't be.” Nerisa started to cry. “I want to go to mum.” She tried to jump off the boat to run home but Almices held her arm.
"Sweetheart, we can't go home. We can't go back. Andreas wants to kill us too.” He hugged her.
"Almices, look!” Telma exclaimed as she pointed toward the house. In the darkness the illuminated entrance was hardly discernible. Almices observed the movement of a silhouette in the doorway.
"Andreas is already looking for us. Telma, ready the boat.” He let go of Nerisa and jumped to the jetty.
"What are you going to do, Almices? It won't take long for Andreas to get here.” The young man said nothing. He went over to Andreas's boat and slashed the man's sails with his knife.
"Run, Almices! He’s coming.” The boy turned to the house and watched as the silhouette increased in size. Their neighbour had already seen them. But his sails were already torn, and Almices threw the oars into the water before jumping back to the jetty.
"Telma, fast, cast off!” Almices shouted as he cut his neighbour’s moorings and pushed the boat to sea. He turned to the house and saw Andreas was almost on the jetty. Telma had freed the boat and the young man pushed it off and jumped inside.
"You, wait!” Andreas screamed at them from the jetty. Telma and Almices took the oars and rowed with all their strength. Andreas's boat was loose, and with the moorings broken and driven by the wind, it was already drifting out to sea.
"Wait, dam you!” Andreas, already at the end of the jetty, in a matter of seconds realised that the children were out of reach. He turned toward his boat and cursed when he saw it drifting away, slowly out to sea. He did not think twice, he jumped into the water to rescue his boat.
"Almices, Andreas has thrown himself into the water. He’s trying to retrieve his boat and chase us.” Nerisa looked fearfully at the coast and their neighbour.
"Don't worry, I tore the sails. Nerisa, grab my oar and keep rowing with Telma.” He passed the oar and without wasting time he raised the sail. He had done so many times, competing with the other fishermen’s children. The automatic movements made the ship ready in a short time. His sisters continued to commentate.
"Andreas is already on his boat!” Nerisa exclaimed terrified, and craned to see if their neighbour was approaching. The man had just gained his boat and started to unfold the sails. The wind was blowing again, and the sea was lashing with much more force. The clouds had cleared a wide space around the moon and its pale light lit the scene. Almices turned in time to see his neighbour raise his hands toward them, surely cursing the sails that the boy had slashed. The wind censored his string of insults.
"Telma, Nerisa, you can stop. The wind will propel us now. Andreas can’t reach us here.”
"I don't know if that’s a good idea Almices, it's getting windy and the waves are growing. I still fear for us.” Telma looked at the hectic sea with concern.
"Trust me, I know this area and we can sail without problems. We will sail south along the canal to get away from the coast and then east toward Kos. Then we will see how our uncle receives us; in the meantime, we will be safe from Andreas and those Romans. Now try to sleep a little bit.” Nerisa was as frightened by this night as the rest. She picked up one of the blankets and snuggled away from the wind with Janira, who continued to sleep deeply. Telma cradled another blanket, somewhat further away from her sisters, next to the bow. Almices was by the helm, ever a good steersman and he guided the ship from the rocky traps that he knew lurked here under the waves.
The hours passed and the wind raged. The waves strengthened, though they did not threaten the ship. Nerisa held Janira tightly. She was worried that an abrupt movement could throw her into the sea, so of course she couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about her parents. She did not understand what her older siblings had told her. Why couldn't she see her parents again? Why were they killed? Why must they flee? Too many questions for a nine-year-old girl. She wished she could tell her father she wanted to be a fisherman just like him. She had never dared to tell him before because there were no fishing girls in the village, nor fishing women; it was a man’s job. She remembered how jealous she felt of her brother when her father told him that he must go fishing every day with him. Her mother had never understood. She had once refused to help her because she wanted to go to sea with the men and was punished for two days, forced to stay at home. What would they say to her now? She continued to reminisce about her parents as tears ran down her cheeks in the same lilt as the waves hit the hull of the boat.
Telma remained curled in the bow feeling a little dizzy. She couldn’t understand the misfortune that had fallen on them. She blamed her neighbour, the inn keeper, for hosting the Romans. She blamed the castaways for washing upon their beach. She thought about how she would never see her beloved Telemaco again, but was surprised how little she cared. Her wedding intentions paled in comparison to the recent events. She constantly argued with her mother, but now she missed her so much. She spent many mornings methodically preparing the old recipes memorized by her mother. The scolding she received when she improvised and changed an ingredient. She never understood why her mother sometimes seemed to hate everyone, even though she knew that her childhood had not been easy. Now she felt alone in adversity, like the time she had fallen between the rocks by the beach and climbed up against a rising tide, insisting that her siblings move away and not worry about it; but Almices had gone in search of their parents anyway, who finally rescued her from the danger. Who would support them now? How would she take care of her brother and sisters? At times she began to understand the feelings her mother felt toward the rest of the world. People were not good. They seemed to take any chance to harm others, to take advantage of an outsiders' misgivings to thrive selfishly. She felt like an outsider, a fragile being, surrounded by danger.
Almices’ arms started to hurt. He had been sailing south for several hours and had gently turned to the east so that his sisters would not be disturbed by the change in direction. Shortly after setting off he had to lower the sails because the wind was threatening to blow. He had overcome the reefs of the cove and knew that Andreas would not be able to follow them. It would take hours to mend his sails and he had no oars to reach them. He cast his mind back to that morning when the he jumped onto the boat floor. He smiled with melancholy. He recalled his father talking to him cheerfully while he controlled the tiller with an accurate course to the cove. He felt his arm falter at the helm and grabbed it more forcefully. He would get to Kos, bring his siblings to safety and then, though he didn't know how, make Andreas pay for his betrayal. He didn't know if his uncle would welcome them, but he didn't too much care. If their uncle didn't want them with him, so be it. They had the boat, and he knew how to fish, they would get by. He lifted his eyes to heaven, imploring the protection of the gods.
