CHAPTERONE

August1940:TheDoctorandhisDaughter

DrIannishadenjoyedasatisfactorydayinwhichnoneofhispatientshaddiedorgotanyworse.Hehadremoveda tooth,attended thesurprisinglyeasybirthofalamb,andhadperformedasuccessful,thoughminor,operation.

Hehadbeencalled to thehouseofoldmanStamatis,whowassufferingfrom earache.After gazing into the dark, hairy hole of the oldman's ear, thedoctorhadcleaneduptheinsideoftheearusingamatchstick,cottonwoolandalcohol. Hewas aware that oldman Stamatis had been deaf in that ear sincechildhood,butwasneverthelesssurprisedwhenthetipofthematchsticktouchedsomethinghard,somethingthathadnoexcuseforitspresencethere.Hetooktheoldmantothewindow,wherethelightwasbetter,andstareddownintotheearagain;thenwithhislongmatchstickhepushedthegreyhairstooneside.Therewas something round inside. He scratched its surface and saw a pea. It wasundoubtedlyapea;itwaslightgreenandslightlylined.DrIannisconsideredtheproblemforsomemoments,thenrequestedasmallfishhookandalighthammer.

Theoldmanandhiswifelookedateachotherwiththesinglethoughtthatthedoctormusthavelosthismind.'Whatdoesthishavetodowithmyearache?'asked Stamatis suspiciously. But the hook and hammerwere fetched, and thedoctorcarefullyplacedthestraightenedhookintothehairyholeandraisedthehammer.Therewasaterriblescream.

'Oh,oh, thefishhookwillenterhisbrain.MayGodprotectus!'cried theoldwife,hidingherheadinherhands.

Thisspeechcausedthedoctortopauseandconsiderthepossibilitythatthehammer might only drive the pea further into the ear. 'Change of plan,' heannounced,andgaveinstructionsthatStamatisshouldlieonhissidetilleveningwith his ear filled with warm water. He returned at six o'clock, hooked thesoftenedpeasuccessfullywithouttheaidofahammer,smallorotherwise,andpulled it out. Stamatis clapped his hand to his ear and exclaimed, 'It's cold inthere.MyGod,it'sloud.Imeaneverythingisloud!'

'Your deafness is cured,' announced Dr Iannis. 'A very satisfactoryoperation,Ithink.'Shortlyafterwardshewalkedhomewithafatchickenunder

eacharm,andanancientpeawrappedupinhishandkerchief.

Thedoctorwasnowleftwithanentireeveninginwhichtowritehis'NewHistoryofCephallonia',aprojectwhichhehadbegunatleastadozentimes.Heseemedunable to achieveobjectivity and sohadnever been satisfiedwith theresult.Hesatdownandwrote:

'The ancient, half-forgotten island of Cephallonia rises from the IonianSea, its rocks and red earth heavywith the heat of the sun and theweight ofmemory. In thestoriesofancientGreece, the islandplayed itspartandhad itsgods-amongthemPoseidon,thegodoftheSeaandApollo,thegodoftheSun.Yes,oncethisisland,withitsbrilliantlight,itstransparentwaters,wasanislandfilledwithgods.ButtodayCephalloniahasbecomeafactorythatbreedsbabiesforexport.TherearemoreCephalloniansabroadoratseathanthereareathome.There is no industry here that keeps families together, there is not enoughagriculturalland,therearenotenoughfishintheocean.Ourmengoabroadandreturnheretodie.Theonlygoodthingaboutitisthatonlythebeautifulwomenfindhusbandsamongthemenwhoareleft,andconsequentlywehavethemostbeautifulwomeninallofGreece...'

Thedoctor refilledhispipeand read this through.He listened toPelagiamovingaboutinthekitchen,preparingtheeveningmeal.Hereadwhathehadwritten about beautiful women and remembered hiswife, who had died fromlungdiseasedespiteallhiseffortsandwhohadbeenas lovelyashisdaughterwasnow.'Thisislandbetraysitsownpeople,'hewrote,thenseizedthesheetofpaper and threw it forcefully into the corner of the room. This was not goodenough.Why could he notwrite like awriter of histories?Why could he notwritewithoutpassion,withoutangeratthemanybetrayalsandoppressionsthatthe island had suffered in the past?Hewent outside for a breath of fresh air,returning indoors just in time to catch Pelagia's little goat eating his writingswithalookofsatisfactiononitsface.Hetorethepaperfromtheanimal'smouth,chased it outside, then marched into the kitchen. 'That unpleasant animal ofyourshaseateneverythingI'vewrittentonight,'heexclaimedcrossly.'Anymoreincidentslikethis,andit'llenduponourplates.'

Pelagia looked up at her father and smiled. 'We'll be eating at about teno'clock.'

'DidyouhearwhatIsaid?Nomoregoatsinsidethehouse.'Pelagiapaused

inherslicingofatomato,brushedherhairfromherfaceandreplied,'You'reasfondofhimasIam.'

DrIannisturnedaway,defeated.Itwasanannoyingthingwhenadaughterspoke cheekily to him and reminded him of hermother at the same time.Hereturned to his table, took the title page, 'ANewHistory ofCephallonia', andcrossed out the first two words, writing instead, 'A Personal'. Now he couldexpresshisopinionsasfreelyandunpleasantlyashewished.

When Pelagia heard from a neighbour that a strongman was giving aperformance in thevillagesquare, sheputawayherbroomandhurried to jointhegroupofcuriousislandersthathadgatheredthere.MegaloVelisarios,famousallovertheislandsofIoniaasoneofthestrongestmenwhohadeverlived,wasjumping up and down in time to the clapping of hands. On each of hisoutstretchedarmssatafull-grownman.Oneofthemheldontightlytohisbodywhile theothercalmlysmokedacigarette.OnVehsarios'sheadsatananxiouslittle girl of about six years, who was making matters more complicated byholdingherhandsfirmlyacrosshiseyes.

'Lemoni!' he roared. 'Take your hands frommy eyes and hold on tomyhair,orI'llhavetostop.'

Lemoni was too frightened to move her hands and Megalo Velisariosstopped.With one graceful movement he threw both men to their feet, liftedLemoni from his head, threw her high into the air and caught her, kissed herdramaticallyupon the tipofhernoseandsetherdown.Raisinghimself tohisfullheight,hecried,'Iwillliftanythingthatittakesthreementolift.'

Thevillagepriest,FatherArsenios,chosejustthismomenttowalkwithaself-importantexpressionacrossthesquareonhiswaytothechurch.Helackedrespect, not because hewas completely round but because hewas greedy forbothmoneyandfoodandwasmuchtoointerestedinwomen.

'LiftFatherArsenios,'someonecalled.

'Impossible,'calledanother.

FatherArseniosquitesuddenlyfoundhimselfgraspedaroundhischestandliftedupontothewall.Hesattherespeechlesswithsurprise,hismouthopeningand closing like a fish, and a guilty silence descended. Pelagia felt her heart

overflowwithpityforthepoorman.Shesteppedforwardandextendedahandtohelphimdown,andthepriestwalkedoffwithoutaword.PelagianowspokesharplytoVelisarios.Shewasonlyseventeenbutshewasproudandknewherownmind, and her position as the doctor's daughtermeant that even themenwereforcedtorespecther.'Youshouldn'thavedonethat,Velisarios,'shesaid.'Itwascruelandhorrible.Youmustapologize.'

He looked down at her fromhis great height. Thiswaswithout doubt adifficultsituation.Hethoughtofliftingherabovehishead.

'Wewant to see the cannon,' called anold lady, andothers in the crowdechoedher.

Velisarios was immensely proud of his ability to raise the old Turkishcannon,whichhadthedate1739onitandwasmuchtooheavyforanyoneelsetolift.HelookeddownatPelagiaandsaid,'I'llapologizelater,prettyone,'thenannounced, 'Goodpeopleof thevillage, tosee thecannon,youmustbringmeyour old nails, your broken pots, and the stones of the streets. Findme thesethingswhileIpackthegunwithpowder.'

People ranoffeagerly inalldirections to seekout theseobjects, and thecannonwassoonpreparedforthegreatexplosion.'Iwillfirethegundowntheroad,'saidVelisarioswhenallwasmadeready.'Everybodyoutofthewaynow.'

Withatheatricalexpression,theenormousmanputamatchtothecannonandliftedittohiswaist.Silencefell.Breathswereheld.Therewasagreatroarastheoldpotsandnailsburstfromthegun...andthenalong,lowcryofpain.Therewasamomentofconfusionandhesitation.Peoplelookedaroundateachother to see who had been hit, and Velisarios dropped his cannon and ranforwardtoayoungmanlyinginthedust.

Mandras later thankedVelisarios for firing at him as he came round thebend at the entrance to the village. But at the time he greatly disliked beingcarriedinthearmsofthestrongmantothedoctor'shouseandhedidnotenjoyhaving a bent nail removed from his shoulder. What he thanked MegaloVelisarios forwas that in thedoctor'shousehefirstseteyesonPelagia.Therewasamomentwhenhebecameawarethathewasbeingbandaged,thatayoungwoman'slonghairwasbrushingagainsthisface.Heopenedhiseyesandfoundhimselfgazingintoapairofanxiouseyes.'Atthatmoment,'helikedtosaylater,

'Irecognizedmyfuturewife.'

Dr Iannis put on a fresh shirt in readiness for his daily visit to thekapheneion, and stepped out into the yard.Hewas entirely unsurprised to seeMandrasthere,talkingtoPelagia.Theyoungfisherman'sfacewentredwhenhesawhim.'Oh,goodevening,doctor.I'vebroughtyousomefish,'hesaid.

The doctor twisted hismouth and pretended to sigh. 'Mandras,' he said,'you know perfectlywell that I know perfectlywell that you have only comeheretoflirtwithPelagia.'

'Flirt?' repeated the youngman, attempting to appear both innocent andshocked.

'Yes. Flirt. Yesterday you brought us another fish and then flirted withPelagiaforanhour.Well,you'dbettergetonwithit.'

'ThenIhaveyourpermissiontotalktoyourdaughter?'

'Talk, talk, talk,' saidDr Iannis,wavinghishands, andhe set off for thekapheneion.

'Yourdad'safunnyfellow,'MandrassaidtoPelagia.

'There's nothingwrongwithmy father,' she exclaimed, 'and anyonewhosays there is gets a broom in the face.' She pushed the broom at him and hecaughtitandtwisteditoutofhergrasp.'Giveitback,'shesaidlaughing.

'I'llgiveitback...inreturnforakiss.'

Pelagiagavetheyoungmanaflirtatioussmile.

Atthekapheneion,thedoctorcollectedhistinycupofcoffeeandsatnexttoKokolios,ashealwaysdid.Thecoffeeshopwasfulloftheusualcharacters:theCommunistKokolios,withhissplendidmoustache;oldmanStamatis;FatherArsenios,roundandsweating.'What'sthenewsofthewar?'Kokoliosasked.

Thedoctortwistedtheendsofhismoustacheandsaid,'Germanyistakingeverything, the Italians arebehaving like fools, theFrenchhave runaway, theAmericanshavebeenplayingballgames,theBritishhavebeendrinkingtea,the

Russianshavebeensittingontheirhands.ThankGodweareoutofit.Whydon'tweturnontheradio?'

The large British radio in the corner of the room was switched on, itswhistlesreducedtoaminimumbymovingitaround.Justthen,Pelagiaappearedatthedoor,gesturingurgently,greatlyembarrassedbyherpresenceinthemen-only kapheneion.The doctor raised his eyes to the ceiling, put his pipe in hispocketandwenttothedoor.'Whatisit,girl?'

'It'sMandras,he'sfallenoutofatreeontoapot.'

Thedoctorshookhishead indisbeliefandallowedhisdaughter tohurryhimhome.There,hemadeMandras lieon thekitchen tablewhileheremovedtiny pieces of the broken pot from the youngman'smuscular back. 'You're afool,'hetoldhispatient.

'Iknow,doctor,'saidMandras,bitinghislipasanotherpiececameout.

'Stopbeingsopolite.Iknowwhatyou'replanning.Areyougoingtoaskhertomarryyouornot?'

'Notyet,doctor.Everyonesaysthere'sgoingtobeawar,andIdon'twanttoleaveawidow.Youknowhowpeopletreatawidow.'

'Quite right,' said the doctor andwondered, as hewiped away a spot ofblood,whetherhisbodyhadeverbeenasbeautifulasthisyoungfool's.

It was several hours before he returned to the kapheneion. When heentered,heknewimmediately thatsomethingwaswrong.WarlikemusiccamefromtheradioandDrIanniswasastonishedtoseethatthefacesofseveralofthemenwereshinywithtears.'What'sgoingon?'heasked.

'ThoseItalianpigshavesunkoneofourshipsatTinos.Andtheyfiredontheharbourthere.Itwasfullofpeople.Onaholydaytoo.'

The doctor put his hands to his face and felt his own tears fighting toappear. He was possessed by a feeling of helpless anger. He did not stop toquestionwhetherwarwithItalywasinevitable.AlthoughhedidnotbelieveinGodhefoundhimselfsaying,'Comeonboys,we'reallgoingtothechurch.'Themenofthekapheneionroseandfollowedhim.

CHAPTERTWO

PelagiaandMandras

Pelagia(restingintheafternoon):PapassaysthatMandrasisgoingtohavetinypiecesofthatpotinhisbackfortherestofhislife.Ilikehisbody,whatI'veseenofit.Godforgiveme,Ihavesuchwickedthoughts.ThankGodnoonecanreadmymind,orI'dbelockedupandalltheoldwomenwouldthrowstonesatme. IwonderwhatMandras is doing.He's so beautiful and so tunny too.Hemademystomachachewithlaughingbeforehefelloutofthetree.That'swhenIknewIlovedhim;itwasthefearIfeltwhenhefellonthepot.

Whenwillheaskme tomarryhim?Buthe'snotaserious fellow,and itgivesmedoubts.He'ssofunny,butIcan't talk tohimaboutanythingandyouhavetobeabletodiscussthingswithahusband,don'tyou?Isay,'Istheregoingtobeawar?'andhejustgrinsandsays,'Whocares?Istheregoingtobeakiss?'Idon'twanttheretobeawar.LettherebeMandrasstandingintheyardwithafishinhishands.LettherebeMandraseverydaywithafish.

Mandras (leaving theharbour inhis boat): It's going tobe toohot againtoday,Iknowit,andallthefishwillhideintherocksandgotothebottom.Letthecloudshidethesun,letmecatchsomefinefishandI'lltakeonetoPelagiaandshe'llaskmetoeatwiththem,andIcanrubherlegwithmyfootunderthetable while the doctor discusses ancient poetry. I know he likes me, but hedoesn'tthinkI'mgoodenoughforher-he'salwayscallingmeafool.

The trouble is that I can't bemyselfwhen I'mwith her. Imean, I am aseriousman.Ifollowpolitics,Iwanttoimprovetheworld.ButwhenI'mwithPelagia it's as if I'm twelve again. I want to amuse her and what else am Isupposedtodo?Ican'timaginemyselfsaying,'Comeon,Pelagia,let'stalkaboutpolitics.'Womenaren'tinterestedinthatsortofthing,theywantyoutoentertainthem.PerhapsshethinksI'mafoolaswell.I'mnotinherclass,Iknowthat.Thedoctor taught her Italian and a bit of English, and they're not a typical islandfamily.Imean,thedoctor'ssailedallovertheworld,he'sevenbeentoAmerica.AndwherehaveIbeen?WhatdoIknow?IlovePelagia,butIknowthatIwillnever be a man until I've done something important, something people canrespectmefor.Ifeelsouselessandinsignificanthereontheisland.

Pelagia(takingroastlambfromthevillageoven):WhereisMandras?He'susuallyherebynow. Iwanthim tocome, Icanhardlybreathe, Iwanthimsomuch.Myhandsareshakingagain.

I'dbettertakethissillysmileoffmyfaceoreveryonewillthinkI'mmad.Come,Mandras, please come, stay for dinner and strokemyankleswithyourfeet,Mandras.

Mandras(mendinghisnets):We'regoingtogotowarwithItalyverysoon.I'vegotalettersayingthatI'llbeorderedtojointhearmyinthenextfewweeks.Iknowonething,I'mgoingtoaskPelagiatomarrymebeforeIleave.Withnojokes.I'mgoingtomakeherunderstandthatindefendingGreeceI'mdefendingherandeverywomanlikeher,andifIdie,I'lldiewiththenameofPelagiaandthenameofGreeceequallyonmylips.AndifIlive,I'llwalkwithmyheadheldhighfortherestofmylife,andeveryonewillsay,'That'sMandras,whofoughtinthewar.Weoweeverythingtopeoplelikehim.'

The island's saint, St Geronimos, dead for five centuries, had lived agenuinelyholylifeandhadlefthisancientblackenedbodyinanislandchurchasevidenceofthis.Hewassolovedbytheislandersthathehadtwofeastdays,one inAugust and another inOctober, andon these days he tolerantly lookedelsewhereasthepopulationoftheislandbecameexcessivelydrunk.ItwaseightdaysbeforeGreeceandItalydeclaredwaroneachother,butitmighthavebeenanyOctoberfeastdayinthelasthundredyears.Thecrueltyhadgoneoutofthesun,andthedelightfullywarmdaywasmadeevenmorepleasantbyalightwindfrom the sea that wandered in and out of the trees. From all over the island,people made their way to the church where the saint's body lay, packing thechurchtightlyandsqueezingtogetherintheyardoutside.Atdifferentpointsinthecrowd,Velisarios,Pelagia,DrIannis,KokoliosandStamatisallturnedtheirheadssidewaystohearthedistantprayersofthepriest.Thesunclimbedhigherand the people, packed together, began to sweat. The heatwas just becomingunbearable when the service ended, the bells rang out and the celebrationsbegan.

Asmallbandbeganplayingwhilealineofprettygirlssteppedfromsideto side at the back, and a row of youngmen dancedwith their heads twistedbackwards. Those who were drunk began to insult each other, and in someplacesfightinghadalreadybegun.Pelagiamovednearerthechurchandsatonabench.SomeonetappedonhershoulderandshelookedupandsawMandras.He

fell drunkenly tohisknees anddeclareddramatically, 'Pelagia,will youmarryme?MarrymeorIdie!'

She regardedhimsilently foramoment, thensaidquietly, 'Ofcourse I'llmarryyou,'Whenheheard this,Mandras leapt joyfullybutunsteadily into theair, then suddenlybecame extremely serious and said, 'Mydarling, I loveyouwithallmyheart,butwecan'tgetmarrieduntilIgetbackfromtheArmy.'

'Goandspeaktomyfather,'saidPelagia.Then,worriedbythestrangewayinwhichshedidnotfeelashappyassheought,shemadeherwaybacktothechurch inorder tobealonewith thesaint.Timepassed,andMandrasfailed tofind the doctor before drink overcame him. He slept sweetly in a pool ofsomethingdisgustingbutunidentifiable,while,nearby,Lemoniattemptedtosetfire to the beard of the sleeping Father Arsenios, and Kokolios and Stamatisbecamelostinthebusheswhilesearchingfortheirwives.

Pelagiawalkedbackfromthefeastwithherfather,burstingwithapainfulmixtureofanxietyandhappiness,desperatetomentionMandras'sproposal.Butthe doctor was in a much too drunken state to be sensitive to his daughter'sfeelings, and when they reached the house, he danced about the yard beforefallingontohisbedfullyclothed.

Pelagia went to bed and could not sleep. 'I love you, Mandras,' shedeclared,atthesametimeasdoubtsroseinherlikeaninvasionoftinydevils.Howmuchdidshe reallyknowMandras?Whatevidencedidshehave thathewaspatientandkind?Canyoutrustsomeonewhorepliesimmediately,withoutthought? She was frightened by the suspicion that there was something hardabout his heart. If it were not love that she felt for Mandras, then why thisbreathlessness, this endlessdesire thatmadeherheart beat fast?She imaginedthatMandrashaddied,andasthetearscameshewasshockedtodiscoverthatshealsofeltrelief.

In themorning she tookherself to theyardandcreated tasks thatwouldcausehertoseehimassoonashecamearoundthecurveoftheroad.Buthedidnot come, and Pelagia passed the day with feelings of impatience that soonturnedintorealconcern.Thatevening,whenhehadstillnotappeared,herfathersaid,quiteunexpectedly,'Iexpecthehasn'tcomebecausehe'sfeelingassickaseveryoneelse.'

Pelagiatookhishandandkisseditgratefully.'He'saskedmetomarryhim.ItoldhimI'dhavetoaskyou,'shesaid.

'Idon'twanttomarryMandras,'saidDrIannis.'Itwouldbeamuchbetterideaifhemarriedyou,Ithink.'

'Don'tyouapproveofhim,Papakis?'

Heturnedandlookedathergently.'He'stooyoung.Also,Ihavenotdoneyou a favour. You read poetry, you speak Italian. He isn't your equal, and hewould expect to be better than his wife. He is a man, after all. I have oftenthought thatyouwouldonlyeverbeable tomarryhappilywitha foreigner, adentistfromNorwayorsomething.'

Pelagialaughedattheridiculousthought,thenclosedhereyes.Thedoctorwent insideandcameoutwithsomething thathehandedvery formally toher.Shetookit,sawwhatitwas,anddroppeditintoherskirtswithacryofhorror.

The doctor remained standing. 'There's going to be a war, and terriblethingshappeninwars,especiallytowomen.Usetheguntodefendyourself.Itmighthappenthatyourmarriagewillhavetowait.WemustmakesurefirstthatMussolinidoesnotinvitehimselftothewedding.'Heturnedandwentintothehouse,leavingPelagiatoherfears,andafterafewminutesshewenttoherroomand placed the gun under her pillow, imagining once again thatMandraswasdead.

Itwasnotuntilthethirddayafterthefeastthattherewasaquietknockatthedoor.Mandrasstood,speakingfast,abucketoffishinhishand.'I'msorryIdidn'tcomesooner,butIwas ill thedayafter thefeast,andyesterdayIhadtocollectmyArmypapers,andI'mleavingforAthensthedayaftertomorrow,andI'vespokentoyourfather,andhe'sagreedtothemarriage,andI'vebroughtyousomefish.'

Pelagiasatonherbedandwentcoldinside;itwastoomuchhappiness,toomuchpain.Shewasengaged toamanwhomixedmarriage togetherwith fishand war, a man who was too beautiful to go away and die in the snows ofTsamoria. Suddenly Mandras seemed to her to be an extraordinarily delicatecreature, sodelicateandbeautiful thathewas sure todie.Herhandsbegan toshakeandshewhispered,'Don'tgo,don'tgo.'

CHAPTERTHREE

TheHomosexual

I, Carlo Piero Guercio, write these words with the intention that theyshouldbefoundaftermydeath,whenwhatiswrittenherewillnotharmme.

I knowonly silence. I have not told the priest, since I know in advancewhat Iwill be told; it is awicked sin and Imustmarry and lead the life of anormalman.NorhaveItoldadoctor,asIknowthatIwillbeinformedthatIamsickandcanbecuredofmydisease.

WhatcouldIsaytosuchpriestsanddoctors?IwouldsaytothepriestthatGodmademe like this forapurpose, that Ihadnochoice. Iwouldsay to thedoctor,'Ihavebeenlikethisfromthestart,itisnaturethathascreatedme.'Buttheywould not understand. I am like someonewho is the only person in theworldthatknowsthetruth,butisforbiddentospeak.Andthistruthweighsmorethantheuniverse,thisburdencracksmybones.

Inmysearchtounderstandmyself,Ihavereadeverything,fromthemostmodern to the most ancient, and it was in the work of the ancient Greekphilosopher,Plato,thatIfinallyfoundmyself.Inhiswritings,heexplainedthattherewere three sexes, the third sexbeingmenwho lovedmen, and this ideamade sense tome.Platoalsowrote that if anarmywasmadeupofmenwholovedone another, theywouldbe thebravest army in theworld, becausemenwouldbecomeheroes,readytodiefortheirlovers.

Iadmit that I joined theArmybecause themenareyoungandbeautiful,andbecauseIknewthatintheArmyIwouldfindsomeoneIcouldlovethoughnever touch. Iwouldnot abandonhim inbattle, Iwouldwinhis admiration, Iwoulddieforhimifnecessaryandinthiswaygivepurposetomylife.

IntheArmyIfoundmyfamily.Itwasaworldwithoutwomen,andforthefirst timeinmylifeIdidnothavetopretend.Iwasveryfortunateatfirst;ourunitwassenttoAlbania,wheretherewasnorealfighting,andwedidnotrealizethat we might be ordered to invade Greece. No one outside the Army canunderstandthejoyofbeingasoldier,ofbeingpartofagroupwhereyouareall

youngandstrongandquicklylearneverythingabouteachother.Webelievedwecouldnotdie,wecouldmarcheightykilometresaday,singingbattlesongs.Wewerenewandbeautiful,welovedeachothermorethanbrothers.

I fell in lovewithFrancesco, a youngmarried soldier fromGenoa,whoacceptedmeashisbestfriendwithouteversuspectingmypassionforhim.Hewasanentirelybeautifulboy,remindingmeofoneofthoseelegantcatsthatgivethe impressionof immensebuteasystrength. Iwasattractedmostofall tohisface,withitsstrong,highcheekbones,widemouthandone-sidedsmile.Hewasalways amusing and respected no one, constantly entertaining us with hiswickedly accurate imitations ofMussolini andHitler. Everyone loved him, henevergotapromotionandhedidnotcare.

Wesoldiers loved thearmy lifebuthadno loveof theFascist leadersofour country, nor didwe have any idea ofwhywewere inAlbania.However,lookingback,itseemsclearthataninvasionofGreecemusthavebeenthefinalintention; therewere clues everywhere, if onlywe had seen them. In the firstplace, there was the fact that all the roads that we built (which, we wereinformed,wereforthebenefitoftheAlbanians)ledtowardstheGreekborder.Inthesecondplace,weheardstoriesfromreliablesourcesabouthowourfrontierpostswereattackedanumberoftimesbyourownpeopledressedasGreeks,sothatwecouldblamethelatterfortheattacks.WhensomeAlbaniansshotatoursoldiers,weannouncedthatourattackerswereGreeks.WealsolearnedthatoneofourleadersarrangedtohavehisownofficesblownupsothatMussolinicouldfinallydeclarewaragainsttheGreeks.

Ihave related these thingsas if theywereamusing,but really theywereactsofmadness.WhenwaragainstGreecewas finallydeclared,wewere toldthattheGreekswouldbedefeatedwithindays.Weweresentofftodie,withnotransport,noequipmentand too fewmen.At first,havingno ideaofwhat thefuture held for us, we whistled and sang, and from time to time Francesco,marchingbesideme,lookedatmeandsmiled.'Athensintwoweeks,'hesaid.

Thentheweatherturnedagainstusandrainpouredfromtheskies,turningthe ground to mud so that we struggled through it, ten thousand men whoseuniformswereweighteddownwithwater,ouraeroplanesunabletoflybecauseofthebadweather.Ourtwentyheavygunssankintothemud,andouranimalswere unable to pull themout.We struggled on in these conditions for severaldays,ataheightofthreehundredmetres,ourlegsturnedtoicesothatwecould

no longer feel our feet. 'Athens in twomonths,' saidFrancescowith a twistedsmile. Butwe saw no sign of theGreeks and believed thatwewerewinningwithoutfighting.

On1November,abombfellamongusandtherewasascreamasapoorfellow from Piedmont lost his legs, followed by the short, sharp sound ofgunshot from the trees.We realized that theGreekshadcleverlygotus into aposition where we could be surrounded and cut off from all help. We weretrappedinthevalleyfloorandtheGreeks,whomweveryrarelysaw,movedlikeghosts among the upper slopes, so that we never knew when we would beattacked or from where. Their bombs seemed at one moment to come frombehind,atanothermomenttocomefromthesideorfromthefront.Wefiredatghosts and at mountain goats. The heroic Greeks seemed to rise out of thegroundandfallonusasifwehadrapedtheirmothers.Itshockedus.Wehadnoairsupport.'Athensintwoyears,'saidFrancesco.Wewerecompletelyalone.

Weateonlydrybiscuits,butwhenourhorsesdied,weatethem.Wewereordered to turn back and had to fight our way through the soldiers thatsurroundedus.Wegrew immensebeards,wewerehalfburied in snowstorms,ourred,swolleneyessankdeepintoourheads,ourhandsweretornasifbycats.Webecamedesperatelythin,diggingforfoodinthefrozengroundlikepigs.Itwasahellofmachineguns,bombsandice,ahellinwhichbattleswerefoughtwithout rest for eight hours at a time,while on themountainsour dead lay inforgottenpiles,bodyuponbody.Wefoughtonbutwelostourheartsasagreatdarkness settled across the land. The snow fell endlessly.My boots, crawlingwithinsects,fellapart.IthinkitmusthavebeenDecemberwhenweunderstoodthatwewereasbrokenasourboots.

Wakingupinthemorning,tendegreesbelowzero.Thefirstquestion:whohasfrozentodeathnow?Whohasslippedfromsleeptodeath?Thesewerethedays of the white death, in which the legs became swollen and turned brightpurple,deepblue,coalblack.Iwasexhausted,shakenbythescreamsofmeninunimaginablepainastheirlegswerecutoffbyourarmydoctors.Ilivedinfearof the white death and inspected my feet every few hours. Francesco wasundoubtedlymad.Hismouthmovedcontinually,hisbeardbecameacolumnofice,hiseyes rolled inhisheadandhedidnot recognizeme.Wehad lost fourthousandmen.Therewasnothinginourlivesexceptthewhitedeath,thebitterabsenceofourfriends,thejoylessnessoftheicymountains.

OnemorningFrancesco turned tomewithawildexpression inhiseyes,speaking to me for the first time in weeks. 'Look,' he said and rolled up histrousers, revealing the purple stripes on thewhite flesh. He touched the deadfleshwithalookofhorrorinhiseyes,rolledhistrousersbackdownagainandsaid tome, 'It'senough,Carlo. It's toomuch.'Hebegan toweep, tremblingallover.Thenhetookuphisgunand,beforeIcouldpreventhim,advancedtowardstheenemy, stopping to fireevery five steps. In recognitionofhisheroism, theGreeksdidnot returnhis fire,butabombfellnext tohimandhedisappearedbeneath a shower of mud. There was a long silence. I saw something movewhereFrancescohadbeen.

Iputmygundownandrantowardstheplacewherehelay.TheGreeksdidnot shoot atme and I saw that although the side of his head had been blownaway,hewasstillalive. Ikneltandgatheredhim intomyarms, thenstoodupand faced theGreeks, offeringmyself to their guns. Therewas a silence, andthenacheercamefromthem.I turnedandcarriedthebleedingbundlebacktoourside.

Francesco took two hours to die. His blood ran down my uniform, hismouth formed silentwords, the light inhis eyes fadedandhebegan the long,slowjourneytowardsdeath,sufferingwhatmusthavebeenindescribablepain.Iburiedhiminadeephole,thehomeofenormousrats.

We lost the war and were saved only when the Germans invaded fromBulgaria,forcingtheGreekstofighttwodifferentarmiesatthesametime.Wefoughtandfrozeanddiedfornopurpose.ItooknopartintheshamefulconquestofGreecebecausethedayafterIburiedFrancesco,Ishotmyselfinthefleshofmythigh.

CHAPTERFOUR

TheWildMan

On28October,GreeceandItalyformallydeclaredwaroneachother.Allthe young men of Cephallonia disappeared to join the army, and Dr Iannisattempted to join toobutwas turneddownwhenitwasdiscovered thathehadlearned all his medical knowledge on ships and had no proper qualifications.SeveralItalianfamiliesontheislandwereattackedandtheirhouseswereburntdown,andtheislandersdevelopedasilent,sorrowfulexpressionastheylearnttolivewiththethoughtthattheirsonsandbrothersmightdie.Astheweekspassed,however, theywerecomfortedby thenews that their countrywaswinning thewarandthattheGreekswerewinningbackterritorythatwastheirsbyrightinAlbania.ThevillagerswentoftentochurchandFatherArseniossurprisedthemby making fine, emotional speeches and by not getting drunk. Almostimmediately, shortages of certain foods and other household essentialsdeveloped,andbeansbecamethegreaterpartofthedoctor'sandPelagia'sdiet.

Thewarhad the effect of increasing the importanceofDr Iannis, as thevillagecommunityturnedtohimforadviceandleadership.Thedoctorwatchedhisdaughterprogressthroughaseriesofemotions,allofwhichseemedtohimto be unhealthy and worrying. At first Pelagia had been in a state of painfulanxiety,andtheninstormsoftears.ShewouldsitbythewalloutsideasifsheexpectedherfiancetoarriveatthebendoftheroadwherehehadbeenshotbyVelisarios.Later,shedevelopedthehabitofremainingsilentlyintheroomwithherfather,herhandsmotionlessinherlapastearsfollowedeachothersilentlydown her cheeks. Pelagia calmed her fears by writing letter after letter toMandras,relatingislandnewsandgossip,tellinghimaboutherterribledreamsandherfearsforhim,andbegginghimtowritebacktoher.Shebeganthetaskofmaking a cover for theirmarriage bed, but lacked the benefit of amothersinstructioninsuchmatters.Eachtimeitreachedacertainstage,itbegantolooksuspiciouslylikeadeadanimal,andshefeltforcedtoundoherworkandbeginagain.

As day followed day it became clear that not only had Mandras notwritten,but thatheneverwould.Aftercarefulobservationofhisdaughter,her

father realized that she was becoming bitter and increasingly certain that herfiancecouldnotloveher.WhenherealizedthatPelagiawasseriouslydepressed,thedoctormadeheraccompanyhimonhismedicalvisits,senthertobedearlyandlethersleepinthemornings.Hemadeahabitofmakingherlaughagainstherwill,anddeliberatelymadeherangrybysuchtricksasmovingalltheknivesfrom one drawer to another. The doctor considered the return of her normalcheerfulmannertobeasignthatshehadgivenupherpassionforMandras.Ontheonehand,hewasgladof this, sincehedidnot trulybelieve thatMandraswould make a good husband, but on the other hand, Pelagia was alreadyengaged, and the breaking of an engagement would cause great shame. TheawfulpossibilityoccurredtohimthatPelagiamightmarryamanshenolongerlovedoutofasenseofduty.

Pelagiareturnedfromthevillagewithajarofwateruponhershoulder,setitdownintheyardandcamethroughthedoor,singing.Thenewshadbeenbadforsomeweeks-notonlyhadKokolios lost twoofhissons,but theGermanshad attacked theGreek army so that the courageousGreek troopswere at lastfacingdefeat.Strangely, thebadnewsmadePelagiaevenmoreappreciativeofthefirstsignsofspringontheisland.Shewasfeelingstrongandwholeandwasenjoyinghavingthehousetoherselfwhileherfatherwasawayvisitingafriendontheothersideoftheisland.

Pelagia's singing was brought to a sudden stop when she entered thekitchen. There was a stranger seated at the kitchen table, a most wild andhorriblestranger,whosehandstrembledceaselesslyandwhoseheadwasutterlyhiddenbeneathamassofdirt,mudandhair.Anenormousbeardhidthelowerhalfofthestranger'sface,inwhichPelagiacouldseeonlytwotinybrighteyesthatwouldnotlookather.Ragscoveredthestranger'sbodyandintheplaceofshoestherewerebandages,stainedwithbloodbotholdandnew.

Overcomewith fearandpity,notknowingwhat todo,Pelagia said, 'Myfather'sout.Heshouldbebacktomorrow.'

'You'rehappy,anyway.Singing,'saidthemaninacrackedvoice,andhiswholebodyshook.

'Youcan'tstay,I'monmyown,'saidPelagia.

'Ican'twalk,'repliedtheman.'IwalkedfromEpirus.Noboots.'Justthen,

thegoatwandered through theopenkitchendoor,approached thestrangerandmade a gentle attempt at tasting the stranger's rags. 'Ah, at least your goatremembersme,'themanwhispered,andbegantoweep.

Pelagiawasastonishedbythesewordsandsaid,'Mandras?'

Theman turnedhis face towardsher and said, 'Don't touchme,Pelagia.ThereareinsectscrawlingallovermeandIsmellterrible.'

Pelagia felt guilt, pity, disgust. It seemed unimaginable that this pitifulghosthidthemindandbodyofthemansheloved.'Youneverwrotetome,'shesaid, making the accusation that had destroyed her love for him and left herempty.

Mandras replied, 'I can't write.' For a reason she did not understand,Pelagia was more disgusted by this confession than by Mandras's physicalcondition. 'Couldn't someone else have written for you? I thought you weredead.Ithoughtyou...couldn'tloveme.'

'HowcouldIleteveryoneknow?HowcouldIhavemyfeelingsdiscussedby theboys?'Heglancedupagain so that at last she recognizedhis eyes, andsaid, 'Pelagia, Igotallyour letters. I couldn't read thembut Igot them.'Frominsidehisclothinghedrewoutahuge,dirtypacket. 'I carriedyou inhere,'hesaid,beatinghischest.'Everyday,allthetime,Iwasthinkingofyou,talkingtoyou. Iwasnot a cowardbecauseofyou, I evenprayed toyou.Andwhen theGermansattackedusIgotthroughtheirlines,andallIcouldthinkofwasthatIhadtogethometoyou,andnow...'Hisbodyshookashewept. 'Nowonlytheanimalsknowme.'

'I'llfetchyourmother,'Pelagiawhisperedandranoutofthehouse,downto the small, fishy but extremely clean house by the harbour where KyriaDrosoula,Mandras'swidowedmother, lived.KyriaDrosoulawas awoman solarge and ugly that at their first meeting people wondered how she had everfoundahusband.Shewas in fact abrave,kindwoman, andduringMandras'sabsencesheandPelagiahadcomfortedoneanother.

Nowthetwowomenreturned,breathless,tothedoctor'shouse,andfoundMandrasinexactlythesamepositionthatPelagiahadlefthimin.

Drosoularanintothekitchenwithacryofjoyandthensteppedbackwith

anastonished lookthat inothercircumstanceswouldhavebeenamusing. 'It ishim,'saidPelagia.'Itoldyouhewasinanawfulstate.'

'My God,' Drosoula exclaimed, then began to inspect Mandras as if hewereananimalshewasconsideringpurchasing. 'Goandputabigpot toboil,'shesaidfinally,'becauseI'mgoingtowashhimfromheadtofoot,butfirstI'mgoingtogetridofthishair,sobringmesomescissors.'

Mandrassatmotionlessashismother,makingterriblefacesasshedidso,cut away the ropes and lumps of his hair and beard, revealing the horriblyinfectedstateoftheskinbelowandtheinsectscreepingalloverit.Pelagiafeltsickenedwheresheknewthatsheshouldfeelpity,andwentindoorstolookinher father's medicine cupboard. She realized with a small shock that she hadlearned enough from her father over the years to become a doctor herself.Hurryingoutside,shetoldDrosoulawhichtreatmentstouseonMandras'sfaceandheadandwheretousethem.Afterabriefdiscussionaboutwhetheritwascorrectforawomantoseeherfiancewithnothingon,thetwowomendecidedthatinthesecircumstancesitwasentirelyacceptable.

TheyremovedMandras'srags,andaftergazingsorrowfullyattheparcelofskin and bones that sat before them, again under Pelagia's expert guidance,Drosoulabeganwashingher sonand rubbinghealingoils andcreamsonhim.PelagiaforcedherselftoremovethebandagesfromMandras'sfeet,anddespitethefactthatatfirstsighttheydidnotlookasif theycouldbesaved,oncloserexaminationsherealizedthatthefleshwasquitedry.Shefetchedabowlofcleanwater,salted itheavily,andasgentlyasshecould,shewashedand treated theterriblemess.

WhenDrIannisreturnedthefollowingmorning,hefoundnotonlyahalf-deadmanasleepinhisdaughter'sbed,buthisdaughterandanamazinglyuglywomanasleepinhisown.HelistenedtoPelagia'saccountofeverythingshehaddone,thenexaminedthepatientcarefully,payingparticularattentiontothefeet.Pelagianervouslywaitedforhisanger.'Welldone,Ihaveneverbeensoproud,'he declared. Drosoula smiled at Pelagia, who was so relieved that her handswereshaking,andthetwowomenmademoreplansforMandras'srecovery.

CHAPTERFIVE

30April1941:Invasion

Thoughhesaidlittle,beingalmostincapableofspeechduetohisphysicalcondition,Mandraswasfullyawareof thechangeinPelagia'sattitude towardshimandhehatedthewayinwhichhismotherandfianceehadundressedhim,washedhimanddiscussedhimasifhewerenotpresent.Butthehorrorsofwarandstarvationhadtakenawayfromhimthewilltolive,sothathelayforweeksinbedinhismother'shouse,incapableofmovingorevenspeaking,constantlyrevisitinginhismindtheterribleexperiencesthathadbeenhis.

The brilliance of his Greek leaders had enabled him and many of hiscompanionstosurvivethewaragainsttheItalians,butthefreezingconditionsinthemountainsandlackoffoodmeantthathisbodyagedmoreinafewmonthsthanitwouldnormallydoinsixtyyears.Then,whentheGermanshadattackedfrom the south,Mandras's unit hadmarched back down into Greece and hadfought bravely but uselessly against their enemy, leaving Mandras the onlysurvivorinhisunit.Withavisionofaloving,smilingPelagiaconstantlybeforehim, Mandras had found the strength to struggle home, wearing bandagesinsteadofboots,throughthewildhills,mountainsandforeststhatmadeupthegreaterpartofGreece.

Formuchofhisjourneyhehadmetveryfewpeopleandhadconsequentlyalmostdiedfromstarvation.IfhehadbeenmetonhisreturntoCephalloniabythelovingPelagiaofhisdreams,Mandras'srecoverymighthavebeenfaster.Butasweekfollowedweek,Pelagia,thoughshetriedhardtoloveMandras,feltonlycoldness towards him, coldness and the growing conviction thatMandraswasremainingillinordertopunishherforherlackofwarmthtowardshim.

'He thinks thatnobodywantshim,' saidDrIannis, 'andhe'sdoing this inordertoforceustoshowhimthatwedo.'

'ButIdon'twanthim,'thoughtPelagia,againandagain,asshesatmakingthebedcoverthathadnevergrownbeyondthesizeofatowel.Butalthoughshespent a lot of time either with or thinking about Mandras, there were othermattersthatoccupiedhermindjustasmuch.ByApril1941,theGermanarmy

had reached Athens, and the royal palace there was occupied not by KingGeorgeofGreecebutbyGermansoldiers.Onthe28thofthemonth,theItalianarmy, claiming that the Ionian islands belonged to them by right, invaded theislandofCorfu,makingitinevitablethatCephalloniawouldbenextonthelist.

Fortheislanders,thewaitingwaspainful.Everylastmomentoffreedomand security was rolled about on the tongue, tasted and remembered. Fatherswho expected to be beaten to death stroked the hair of pretty daughters whoexpectedtoberaped.Sonssatwiththeirmothersondoorstepsandtalkedgentlyoftheirmemories.FatherArsenioskneltinhischurch,attemptingtofindwordsto a prayer, puzzled by an odd sensation of having been abandoned by Godinsteadoftheotherwayround.

Intheselastweeksbeforetheinvasion,DrIanniswrotewhathebelievedtobethefinalpartofhis'HistoryofCephallonia':

'Among those who invaded and occupied our island - the Romans, theTurks, theRussians, theFrench, theBritish' - he began, 'the Italiansmade thegreatest impression upon us, because we spent the period from 1194 to 1797under Italian rule. This explains a great many things that may puzzle theforeigner,forexample,thenumerousItalianwordsthatexistinourvocabulary,andthearchitectureoftheisland,whichisalmostentirelyItalian.'Hecontinuedon this subject for a number of pages, then, when it seemed that the Italianinvasionwasdueatanymoment,hewrote:

'IwaitintheknowledgethatthismaybethelastthingIeverwrite.Ibegthatwhoeverfindsthesepapersshouldpreserveandnotdestroythem.'

Placing the papers in a black tin box, the doctor lifted the old carpetbeneaththetableandopenedatrapdoor,revealingthelargeholethathadbeenmade in 1849 in order to hide island rebels sought by the British, who thengovernedtheisland.Heplacedhisworksafelyinsidethehole,thenwentoutsidetolistenforthesoundofapproachingaeroplanes.

On 30 April foreign aircraft and ships were seen approaching from thehorizon. Drosoula ran inside to Pelagia shouting, 'Italians, Italians. It's theinvasion,'

Pelagia's immediate reactionwas to runup thehill tobewithher father,whom she found standing in his doorway, as everyone else stood in theirs,

protectinghiseyesagainstthesunashewatchedtheplanes.Outofbreath,sheflewintohisarmsandfelthimtremble,thenrealizedwithasmallshockthatheshook,notfromfear,butfromexcitement.

'History,' he cried, 'all this time I have been writing history, and nowhistoryishappeningbeforemyeyes.'

The Italian soldiers stepped apologetically out of their aircraft and shipsand waved cheerfully but hesitantly to the people in their doorways. In thevillage, Pelagia and her father watched the Italian units go by, their leadersconsultingmapswithpuzzledfaces.Alineofmenmarchedby,ledbyCaptainAntonioCorelli,with themandolin thathehadnamedAntoniahangingonhisback.WhenhesawPelagiaheshouted,'Bellabambinaeyesleft!'

Theheadsofthesoldiersturnedinherdirection,andforoneunbelievableminutePelagiawasforcedtowatchthemostridiculousbehaviour.Therewasasoldierwhocrossedhiseyesandfoldeddownhislowerlip,anotherwhopushedhislipsoutandblewherakiss,anotherwhopretendedateachsteptostumbleoverhisownfeet.Pelagiaputherhandtohermouth.'Don'tlaugh,'orderedthedoctor.'It'sourdutytohatethem.'

AlloverCephalloniatheislanderspaintedruderemarksabouttheinvadersinhugelettersonallavailablewalls.ThemenrelatedItalianjokes.Whatistheshortest book in theworld?The ItalianBookofWarHeroes.Whydo Italianswearmoustaches?Tobe remindedof theirmothers.Adecisionwasmade thatthelocalpopulationshouldprovideItalianofficerswithaccommodation.Sooneday the doctor came home and found a round Italian officer standing in thekitchen.

'Buongiorno,'saidtheofficer.

'Buongiorno,'thedoctorreplied. 'Perhapsyoucouldtellmewhyyouarehere.'

'Ah,'saidthemanuncomfortably,'Iamsorrytosay,youaregoingtohavetoprovideaccommodationforanofficer.'

'Impossible,'saidthedoctorangrily.Thenaninterestingthoughtoccurredtohimandheasked,'Doyouhaveasupplyofmedicines?'

'Naturally,' replied the officer. The two men exchanged glances,understandingperfectlywhattheotherwasthinking.

'TherearemanythingsIneed,'saidthedoctor.

'AndIneedaccommodation.So?'

'Soit'sadeal,'saidthedoctor.

'A deal,' repeated the officer. 'Anything you want, send me a messagethroughCaptainCorelli.Youwillfindhimcharming.'

In the early evening Captain Corelli arrived, driven by another soldier,CarloPieroGuercio.Thecaptainlookedaround,appreciatingthesignsofaquietdomesticlife.Therewasagoattiedtoatree,andayoungwomanwithdarkeyesatatable,withascarftiedroundherheadandalargecookingknifeinherhand.Thecaptainfelltohiskneesbeforeherandexclaimeddramatically,'Pleasedon'tkillme,Iaminnocent.'

Pelagiasmiled,againstherwill,andglancedatCarlo,amazedtoseethathewasasbigasVelisarios.Thecaptainleaptup.'IamCaptainAntonioCorelliandthis...'hetookCarlobythearm,'...isoneofourheroes.Herescuedafallenfriendunderfire.'

'It'snothing,' saidCarlowithashysmile,andPelagiaknew immediatelythat,despitehissize,hewasasoftandsaddenedman.'This...'Corellicontinued,tappingacaseinhishand,'...isAntonia.Bywhatnamedomenknowyou,mayIask?'PelagialookedatCorelliproperlyforthefirsttimeandrealizedthatthiswasthesameofficerwhohadcommandedhismentomarchpastat'eyesleft'.Atthe same moment Corelli recognized her. 'Ah,' he exclaimed and smackedhimselfon thewrist, then fell tohiskneesoncemoreandsaidsoftly, 'Forgiveme,Ihavesinned.'

Dr Iannis came out, saw the captain on his knees and said, 'CaptainCorelli?Iwantawordwithyou.Now.'

Surprisedby theauthority in theolderman'svoice,Corelli stoodupandheldouthishand,butthedoctordidnotputouthisown,insteadsayingsharply,'I want an explanation please. Why has the teaching of Greek history beenforbiddeninschools?AndwhyiseveryonebeingforcedtolearnItalian?'

The captain felt himselfwanting to run away like a little boy. 'I am notresponsibleforit,'hesaid.

The doctor frowned fiercely and shook his finger at the captain. 'Therewouldbenowars,captain,ifmenlikeyoutookmoreresponsibility.'

'Imustprotest,'thecaptainrepliedweakly.

'Fool,' said the doctor forcefully and returned inside, very satisfiedwithhimself.Pelagiacouldnothelpfeelingsorryforthecaptain.'Yourfatheris...'hesaid,andthewordsfailedhim.

'Yes,heis,'confirmedPelagia.

'WhereshallIsleep?'askedCorelli,eagertochangethesubject.

'Youwillhavemybed,'saidPelagia.

Under normal circumstancesAntonioCorelliwould have asked brightly,'Arewegoingtoshareitthen?Howkind,'butnow,afterthedoctor'swords,hereceivedthisinformationwithhorror.'Impossible,'hesaid.'TonightIshallsleepintheyardandtomorrowIshallrequestalternativeaccommodation.'

Pelagiawasshockedbythefeelingsofanxietythatroseinher.Couldtherebe something inside her that wanted this foreigner, this invader, to stay? Shewentinsideandtoldherfatheraboutthecaptain'sdecision.'Hecan'tgo,'hesaid.'HowamIsupposedtobenastytohimifheisn'there?Andanyway,heseemslike a pleasant boy.' He took his daughter's arm and went back out with her.'Youngman,'hesaidtothecaptain,'youarestayingherewhetheryoulikeitornot.Itisquitepossiblethatwewillbesentsomeoneevenworse.'

'Yes,'saidthecaptain,overcomewithembarrassment.

'KyriaPelagiawill bringwater, some coffee and food.Youwill findwelook after our guests, even those who do not deserve it. Your vast friend iswelcometojoinus.'

ThecaptainwenttocallCarlotothemealinastateofmiserableobedienceandutterdefeat.

Whenthecaptainwokeafterhisfirstnightinthedoctor'shouse,hewentintothekitchen,sawPelagiafastasleepanddidnotknowwhattodo.Helookeddownupon her and realized hewanted to crawl in beside her - nothing couldhave seemedmore natural - but instead he returned to his room and took hismandolin,Antonia, out of its case.After practising for fiveminutes or so, hebeganplayingaveryfast,complicatedpiece,forgetfulofthesleepinggirlnextdoor, so that Pelagia woke to indescribably beautiful music coming fromsomewhere in the house. She lay listening, then went to dress in her father'sroom,andCorelli,realizingthatshehadrisenatlast,cameoutintothekitchen.

'Thatwaslovely,'commentedPelagia.

Helookedunhappy.'I'msorry,Iwokeyouup.'

'That'sverybeautiful,'shesaid,gesturingtowardstheinstrument.'Whydoyouplaythemandolin?'

'Whydoesonedoanything?MyunclegavemeAntoniaandIdiscoveredIcould be a good musician. When the war's over, I'm going to become aprofessionalconcertplayerandcomposer.'

'You're going to be rich and famous, then,' Pelagia said jokingly. 'Whydon'tyouplaymesomething?'

Thecaptainpickedupthemandolin,andastreamofnotespouredfromitthatmadePelagia'smouthfallopen.Shehadneverbeforeheardsuchcomplex,lovely music. She realized for the first time that music was not just a sweetsound, but was, to those who understood it, an emotional and intellectualjourney, a journey that she wanted to share. She leaned forward and put herhandstogetherasifshewereatprayer.

'Thereyouare,'saidthecaptainwhenhehadfinished.

Inher excitement at themusic, shewanted todanceand spin round,butsheonly said, 'I justdon'tunderstandwhyanartist likeyouwoulddescend tobeingasoldier.It'sawasteoftime.'

'Ofcourse it's awasteof time.'He roseandglancedathiswatch. 'Carloshouldhavebeenherebynow. I'llhave togoand findhim.'He lookedatherwith one eyebrow raised and said, 'By the way, Signorina, I couldn't help

noticingthatyouhaveaguninthepocketofyourskirt.'

Pelagiabegantotremblebutthecaptaincontinued,'Iunderstandwhyyoumightwant tohave it, and in fact Ihaven't seen it at all,butyoumust realizewhatwouldhappenifsomeoneelsesawit.Bemorecareful.'

Shelookedupathim,appealingwithhereyes,andhesmiled,tappedthesideofhisnoseandwasgone.

Carlohadnot arrivedwith the car topickupCaptainCorelli, because ithad broken down some kilometres from the village. After kicking the car anumberoftimes,Carlohadsetoffonfoottowardsthevillage.Velisariospassedhim and the twomen looked at one another with something like recognition,becausebothmenhadbecomeaccustomed to thesadsuspicion that theywereunique inapeculiarway.Theywerebothamazedat theother's sizeand foramomentforgotthattheywereenemies. 'Hey!'saidVelisarios,raisinghishandsin a gesture of pleasure. Carlo offered him one of his disgusting cigarettes,Velisarios accepted, and they made sour faces to each other as they smoked.Theythenwenttheirseparateways,morecontentthanbeforetheyhadmet.

AsCarlowalkedup thehill towards thehouse, hismind turned towardsCaptainCorelli.ForthefirsttimesincethedeathofFrancescointhemountainsofAlbania, thesoldierwasexperiencingakindofhappiness; in thecaptainhehadonceagainfoundamanwhomhecouldloveandserve.Inhiseyes,Corelliwasendlesslyoptimistic,aclearfountain,akindofsaintwhoremainedamanofhonour because he knew no other way to be. Carlo knew that some peoplethought thatCorelliwas a littlemad,but forhim, the captainwas amanwholovedlifesomuchthathedidnotcarewhatkindofanimpressionhemade.

OneofthepleasuresofCarlo'slife,atthattime,wasanoperagroupcalledLaScalathatthecaptainhadorganizedfromamongthoseofhismenwhocouldsing. Carlo, who had a fine singing voice, had been invited to join when thecaptainhadheardhimsingingashepolishedhisboots.Therewasanothermoreunusual member of the opera group, a young German soldier called GunterWeber,partofatroopofthreethousandGermansoldierswhohadaccompaniedtheItalianarmyontheirinvasionoftheisland.AlthoughrelationsbetweentheGermansandItaliansappearedfriendly, theGermans thoughtof theItaliansasinferior,andtheItalianswerepuzzledbyGermandisciplineandlackofhumour.

ButCaptainCorellihadmadefriendswithGunterWeber,aboywhospokesomeItalianandwhomthecaptainlikedbecausehisfacewasopenandfriendly,and because when he got drunk he laughed and lost his German seriousness.Weberbecameamemberoftheoperaclubdespitethefactthathecouldnotsinganote.NeitherCorellinorCarloknewthatonedaytheGermanwouldbetrayhisfriendswithastormofbulletsthatwouldopenredandbleedingwoundsinthebodiesofthecompanionshehadgrowntolove.

CHAPTERSIX

TheFreedomFighter

AfterCaptainCorellihadleft,Pelagiadidsomehouseholdtasks,thenwentoutside to brush her goat, thinking about the captain as she did so. Mandrascaughtherdreaming.

Hehadclimbedoutofbed,cursingandcompletelycured,on thedayofthe invasion, as if the arrival of the Italians was something so important thatillnesswasaluxurytobeleftbehind.Hehadgonedowntotheseaandswumasifhehadneverbeenaway,andhadreturnedwithasmileonhisfaceandafishforPelagia.ButPelagiaonlyfeltguiltynow,whenevershesawhim,anddeeplyuncomfortable.

Shejumpedwhenhetappedherontheshoulderanddespitehereffort toforce a bright smile, he did not fail to see the look of alarm in her eyes. Heignoreditbutwouldrememberit later. 'I'mgoingtojointhefreedomfighters,'hesaid.'I'mleavingtomorrow.'

'Oh,'saidPelagia.Therewasalongsilence,thenshesaid,'Iwon'tbeabletowrite.'

'Iknow.'

Pelagia shook her head slowly and sighed. 'Promise me one thing.Wheneveryouareplanningtodosomethingterrible,thinkofmeanddon'tdoit.'

'I'maGreek,'hesaidgently.'NotaFascist.AndIwillthinkofyoueveryminute.'

Sheheard thesincerity inhisvoiceand feltherselfwanting tocry.Theyembraced, likebrotherandsister,notpeoplewhowereengaged tobemarried.'Godgowithyou,'saidPelagia,andhesmiledsadly.'Andwithyou.'

'Ishallalwaysrememberyouswinginginthetree.'

Theylaughed,thenhelookedatherlovinglyforonelastmoment,tookafewsteps,paused,turnedandsaidsoftly,'Ishallalwaysloveyou.'

***

Mandras joined a groupof threemen in the hills of thePeloponnisos insouthernGreece.Theyhadneitherplannorpurpose.Alltheyknewwasthattheywere driven by something from the depths of the soul, something thatcommandedthemtoridtheirlandofstrangersordieintheattempt.Theysetfiretolorries,andoneoftheirnumberstabbedanenemysoldierandafterwardssatshakingwithfearanddisgustwhiletheotherscomfortedandpraisedhim.Theylivedontheedgeofaforestinacave,livingoffsuppliesbroughtbythepriestofaneighbouringvillage.Therewereseveralothergroupsof freedomfighters inthe area, the most organized being a Communist group known as ELAS(althoughitdidnotdeclareitselfascommunist,preferringtodisguisethefact).

Mandras joined ELAS at first because he had no choice. He and hiscompanionswere lying in a small leafy shelter that they had built,when theyweresuddenlysurroundedbytenmenwiththickbeards,pointinggunsatthem.Their leader,whowore a dirty red cap, said, 'Come out,' and themen slowlystoodupandcameout,fearingfortheirlives,theirhandsuponthebacksoftheirheads.

'Whoareyouwith?'demandedthemanwiththecap.

'Withnoone,'repliedMandras,confused.

'The deal is that either you go back to your villages and leave us yourweapons,'saidtheleadercommandingly,'oryoufightusandwekillyou,oryoujoinusundermycommand.Thisismyterritoryandnooneelse's.Whichisit?'

'Wecametofight,'explainedMandras.'Whoareyou?'

'I amHector, notmy real name, andwe are the local branch of ELAS.'Hector'smengrinnedinaveryfriendlyfashion,andMandraslookedfromoneofhiscompanionstotheothers.'Westay?'heasked,andtheynodded.Theyhadbeentoolongin thehills togiveupthefightanditwasgoodtohavefoundaleaderwhomightknowwhatoughttobedone.

'Good,'saidHector.'Comewithus,andlet'sseewhatyouaremadeof.'

He led Mandras and his companions three kilometres to a tiny houseguarded by one of Hector's men. 'Bring him out,' Hector said, and the mankickedandpushedathinoldmanoutintothesunlight,wherehestoodtremblingandblinking.HectorhandedMandrasalengthofknottedropeand,pointingtotheoldman,said,'Beathim.'

MandrasstaredatHectorindisbeliefandthelatterstaredfiercelybackathim.'Ifyouwanttobewithus,you'vegottolearntoteachthesepeoplealesson.Thismanhasbeenfoundguilty.Nowbeathim.'

Mandrasstruckthemanoncewiththerope, lightly,becauseoftheman'sage, and Hector impatiently exclaimed, 'Harder, harder. What are you? Awoman?' Mandras struck the old man once more, a little harder. 'Again,'commandedHector.

Itwaseasiereachtimehehithim.Infactitbecameapleasure.Itwasasifalltheangerfromtheearliestyearsofhischildhoodroseinhimandwasgivenexpression.Theoldmanthrewhimself to theground,screaming,andMandrassuddenlyknewhecouldbeagod.Hectorsteppedforward, took theropefromhishand,andplacedaguninhisgrasp.'Nowkillhim.'

Mandraskneltdownandplacedthegunagainsttheoldman'shead,buthecouldnotdoit.Heclosedhiseyestightandtoldhimselfthathehadtobeamaninfrontofothermen.Anyway,hewasonlydoingwhatHectorhadorderedhimtodo.Themanwasgoingtodieanyway.Mandrastightenedthemusclesofhisfaceandshotthemaninthehead.

Afterwards he looked not at the bloodymess of bone and brain, but indisbeliefatthesmokinggun.HectorpattedMandrasonthebackandsaid,'Welldone'. Mandras tried to struggle to his feet but could not do so, and Hectorhelpedhimup.'Revolutionaryjustice,'hesaid.'Historicalnecessity.'

As they left thevillage,Mandras found thathecouldnot lookanyone inthefaceandhestareddownintothedirt.'Whatdidhedo?'heaskedfinally.

'Hewas a dirty old thief.He took a bottle ofwhisky from supplies thatweremeant forus.Youhave tobe toughwith thesepeopleor theystartdoingwhattheylike.They'refullofthewrongideasandit'sjustsomethingwehavetogetoutofthem.'

***

Duringhis timewithHector,Mandras learntagreatmanythings.Hectortaught Mandras to read and write, and taught him all about Communism.Mandras learnt that hewas not a fisherman but aworker, and that hewas asgoodasDrIannisanddeservedthesamepay.Helearnttotakefoodandanimalsfrom hungry villagerswithout payment, since ELASwasworking so hard onbehalfoftheGreekpeople.Whenvillagersattemptedtoresistthem,thenHectorandhismenpunished them,not justbyshooting thembutby tearingouteyesand cuttingmouths so that people died smiling.Hector explained toMandrasthat the villagers were Fascists and loyal to the king, and that a good lessonwouldhelpthemtochangetheirways.

Mandrasalsolearnttorapewomenandtoenjoytheirscreams,sinceitwasallinagoodcause.AnewandbetterGreecewouldbebuilt,andyoudidwhatyoulikedwiththeinferiorbricksthatweregoingtobethrownawayanyway.Itwaslikemakinganomeletteandthrowingawaytheeggshells,saidHector,andMandrasdrankineverywordhisleadersaid.

CHAPTERSEVEN

AProblemwithEyes

Pelagiatreatedthecaptainasbadlyasshecould.Ifsheservedhimfood,shewoulddeliberatelyspillitassheputitdown,andeventuallyshenoticedthathehadacquiredthehabitofnotpullinginhischairuntilshehadalreadyputthefoodonthetable.Hisfailuretoprotestathertreatmentofhimandhisconstantpolitenessmade her evenmore annoyed.Her angerwas so deep and so bitterthatsheneededtoshoutathimorevenstrikehiminordertoreleaseit.Aftertwomonthsofsleeplessnights,monthsduringwhichshehaddoneherbesttoannoyhim,thecaptainremainedcalmandfriendly.

Onedayhelefthisgunonthetable.Aftersomethought,Pelagiadecidedtoputtheguninabowlofwaterforafewminutesinthehopethatthiswoulddosomedamage.Thecaptaincameinandcaughtherjustasshewasliftingthegunoutofthewater.Sheheardavoicebehindherand,inherfear,droppeditbackinthebowl.

'OhGod,'sheexclaimed,'youfrightenedme!'

Thecaptainlookeddownatthegun,raisedhiseyebrowsandsaidcoolly,'Iseeyou'retryingtomaketroubleforme.'Thiswasnotwhatshehadexpected,butneverthelessherheartbeatfasterwithfearandanxiety.'Iwaswashingit,'shesaidweaklyatlast.'Itwasterriblyoily.'

'Howcharmingtoknowsolittleaboutguns,'saidthecaptain.Pelagiawentred,strangelyangeredbyhissuggestion,whichsheknewhedidnotmean,thatshewasasweetandsillygirlwhodidstupidthings.

'Youarenotagoodliar,'thecaptainadded.

'What do you expect?' she demanded, immediately wondering what shehadmeant.

Thecaptainseemedtoknow,however.'Itmustbeverydifficultforyoualltohavetoputupwithus.'Heremovedthegunfromthebowl,sighedandsaid,'I

supposeyouhavedonemeafavour.Itdoesneedcleaning.'

'Aren'tyouangry,then?Whyaren'tyouangry?'

'What'sangergottodowithmusic?DoyoureallybelieveI'vegotnothingimportant to thinkabout?Let's just thinkabout important thingsand leaveoneanotherinpeace.I'llleaveyoualoneandyoucanleavemealone.'

This idea struck Pelagia as new and unacceptable. She did not want toleave him alone, shewanted to shout at him and hit him.Suddenly overcomewithemotion,shestruckhimwithallherforce,rightacross the leftcheek.Hetried tostepback in time,butwas too late.Hesteadiedhimselfand touchedahandtohisface,asifcomfortinghimself,thenheldoutthegun.'Putitbackinthewater,'hesaid,'Imightfinditlesspainful.'ThisremarkmadePelagiaevenangrier. She rushed out into the yard and kicked an iron pot, injuring her toe,then threw thepotover thewall.Thecaptain,watchingher from thewindow,shook his head in amazement. These Greek girls, such passion and fire, hethoughtadmiringly,andthenwonderedwhynoonehadeverwrittenanoperasetinmodern Greece. A tune entered his mind and he began to sing it softly tohimself,thinkingthatperhapshewouldcallit'Pelagia'sMarch'.

Asthemonthswentby,Pelagianoticedthatshewaslosingheranger,andthispuzzledandupsether.Thefactwasthatthecaptainhadbecomeasmuchapartofthehouseasthegoatorherownfather,andshewasquiteusedtoseeinghim playing with little Lemoni in the yard, or seated at the table, deep inconcentration, composing music for the mandolin. Early in the morning shelooked forwardwithpleasure to themomentwhenhewould enter thekitchenand say, 'Kalimcra Kyria Pelagia. Is Carlo here yet?' and in the evening shewouldactuallybegintoworryifhewerealittlelate.

A new source of anger developed, the problem being that this time theangerwasdirectedagainstherself.Itseemedthatshejustcouldnothelplookingathim,andhewasalwayscatchingher.Therewassomethingabouthim,sittingat the table as hewent through his paperwork, thatmade her look up at himregularly.Buteverytimeshelookedup,hedidtoo,andshewouldbecaughtinhissteadygazeassurelyasifhehadgraspedherbythewrists.

For a few seconds they would look at one another and then she wouldgrowredandlookdown.Thenafewsecondslatershewouldlookup,andatthat

momenthewould returnher glance. Itwas impossible and embarrassing. 'I'vegottostopdoingthis,'shewouldtellherselfand,certainthathewasdeepinhistasks,wouldlookupandgetcaughtagain.

Sheknewhewasplayingagamewithher,thatshewasbeingplayedwithsogently that itwas impossible toprotest.Afterall,shehadnevercaughthimlookingather,soitwasallherfault,obviously.Nevertheless,itwasagameofwhichhewas in absolute command, and in that sense shewas its victim.Shedecided that shewould not be the one to look down; shewouldwait until hebrokeaway.Shesearchedforeverylastbitofcourageandlookedup.

They looked at one another for what seemed like hours and Pelagiawonderedfoolishly if itwasconsideredacceptable toblink.Hereyesbegan towaterandshestartedseeingtwocaptainsinsteadofone.Hedidnotlookawaybutbegantomakefunnyfaces,showinghisteethlikeahorse,andmovingthetip of his nose from side to side, so that Pelagia began a smile, then laughedaloud and blinked. Corelli jumped to his feet, crying, 'I won! Iwon,' and thedoctorlookedupfromhisbook,exclaiming,'What?What?'

'You cheated,' protested Pelagia, laughing. The doctor looked from thecaptain to his daughter, adjusted his glasses and sighed. 'Whatever next?' hedemanded,knowingperfectlywellwhatwasnext,andworkingout inadvancehowtodealwithit.

Somedayslatertheypassedeachotherat thedoor,shegoingoutandhereturning fromwork.Unselfconsciously, she raised one hand to his left cheekand,inpassing,kissedhimontheother.Hewasastonishedand,bythetimeshereachedtheentrancetotheyard,sowasshe,becauseitwasnotuntil thenthatsherealizedwhatshehaddone.Shestoppedasifshehadwalkedstraightintoawall, feltherbloodrisingto therootsofherhair,andrealizedthatshedidnotdarelookbackathim.Hecalledout,assheknewhewould,'KyriaPelagia,'

'What?'shedemanded.

'What'sfordinner?'

'Don't laughatme. I thoughtyouweremyfather. Ialwayskisshim likethatwhenhecomesin.'

'Veryunderstandable.Wearebotholdandsmall.'

'Ifyouaregoingtolaughatme,Ishallneverspeaktoyouagain.'

Hecameoutandthrewhimselfuponhiskneesbeforeher.

'Ohno,'hecried, 'not that.Shootme,beatme,butdon't sayyou'llneverspeaktome.'Hegraspedherroundthekneesandpretendedtoweep.

'Thewholevillageislooking,'sheprotested.'Stopitatonce.'

'Myheart is broken,' he cried and, takingherhand, hebegan to cover itwithkisses.

'Stupidgoat,youareinsane.'

Corelli laughed and got to his feet. 'Come inside,' he said, 'I've gotsomethingveryinterestingtoshowyou.'

Relievedbythissuddenchangeofsubject,shefollowedhimthroughthedoor,butfoundthathewaspassingheronthewayoutagain.Heputhishandson each side of her head, kissed her dramatically on the forehead, exclaimed,'I'm sorry, I thought itwas thedoctor,' and then ran away across theyard anddownthestreet.Shestaredafterhiminamazement,makingeveryeffortnottolaughorsmile.

CHAPTEREIGHT

Snails

When the doctor glanced out of the window and saw Captain CorellicreepingupbehindLemoni inorder to surpriseher, he laiddownhispenandwentoutintotheafternoonsunlight.

'Excuse me, children,' said the doctor, ignoring the captain'sembarrassment, 'Lemoni,doyourememberthatyoutoldmeyouknowaplacewheretherewerelotsofsnails?Canyoucomeroundthiseveningandshowmewheretheyare?'

Lemoninoddedimportantly.

'What'sallthisabout?'askedthecaptain.

Stiffly, the doctor said, 'Thanks to you Italians, there's almost no food.We'regoingoutthiseveningtofindsnails.'

The captain wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, 'Permit me tocomeandhelp.'

So in theevening,anhourbeforesunset,Pelagiaandher father,Lemoniand the captain climbed over a low wall and then began crawling throughimpossibly thickundergrowth in theirsearchforsnails. Itbecame immediatelyapparentthat therewerequantitiesofsnailseverywheretheylooked.Thechildand threeadultsbecameso involved in their task that theydidnotnotice theyhadbecomeseparated.Thecaptainfoundhimselfonhisownandpausedforasecond,realizingthathecouldnotremembereverhavingfeltsocontent.

'Oh,ohno,'camePelagia'svoicefromnearby.

Fearing that perhaps she had been hurt, the captain crawled towards theplacewherehervoicehadcome fromand foundherunable tomove,herhaircaughtinsomebriars,herneckpulledbackwards.'Don'tlaugh,'shesaidcrossly.

'I'mnotlaughing,'hesaid,laughing.'Iwasafraidyouwerehurt.'

'Ifyoudon'thelpme,I'llmurderyou.Juststoplaughing.'

'Holdstill,'he toldher,and reachingoverhershouldershebegan topullthehairoutpiecebypiece,asgentlyashecould.'I'vedoneit,'hesaid,pleasedwith himself, and as he drewback and his lips passed her cheek, he kissed ittenderly,beforetheear.

She touchedher fingertips to theplaceof thekiss, andsaid, shakingherheadathim,'Youshouldn'thavedonethat.'

Hekneltbackandheldhergazewithhisown.'Icouldn'thelpit.I'msorry.'

Theylookedatoneanotherforalongmoment,andthenPelagiabegantocry. 'What's thematter?' asked Corelli, frowning in concern as Pelagia's tearsrolled down her cheeks and fell into the bucket among the snails. 'You'redrowningthem,'hesaid,pointing.'What'sthematter?'

Shegaveasadsmile,andstartedcryingagain.Hetookherinhisarmsandpattedherback.Suddenlyshesaid, 'Ican'tstanditanymore,notanyofit.I'msorry.'

'Everythingishorrible,'agreedthecaptain,wonderingifhetoomightstarttocry.Hetookherheadgentlyinhishandsandtouchedatthetearswithhislips.Shegazedathimwonderinglyandsuddenlytheyfoundthemselvesunderneaththebriars,inthesunset,surroundedbyescapingsnails,deepintheirfirst,secret,guiltykiss.Hungryanddesperate, filledwith light, theycouldnotmoveawayfromeachother,andwhenfinallytheyreturnedhome,theybroughtbackfewersnailstogetherthanLemonibroughtonherown.

Theybecameloversintheold-fashionedsense.Theirideaofmakinglovewastokissinthedarkunderthetreesorsitonarockwatchingthesea.Helovedhertoomuchtoriskherunhappiness,andshehadtoomuchsensetotakerisks.Againandagainshehadseenthetragedyofgirlswithanunwantedchildandthepoisoneddeathsofgirlswhohadtriedtoendtheirpregnancies.

Itwashard forPelagia to lovean invader and sometimes she shoutedatCorelli, her eyes filled with tears of anger: 'How can you bear to be here?Orders?Ordersfromamadman!Don'tyouknowyou'rebeingused?Whydon't

youtakeyourgunsandleave?Don'tyouknowwhotheenemyis?'

At these times the captain listened silently and bowed his head, thebitternessofhisshameeatinglikeawormatthemusclesofhisheart.Buttheycouldnotstopthemselvesfromlovingoneanother.

GunterWebermanagedtoobtainamotorcycleforthecaptain,whoturnedupoutsidethedoctor'shouseonedaywearingacapandgoggles.

'Doyouwanttocomeforaride?'heasked.

Pelagiacrossedherarms.'I'veneverbeenonone.InfactI'veneverbeeninacareitherandI'mnotstartingnow.'

'I'veneverbeenononeeither,'hesaid,'butit'sveryeasy.'

'Somebodymightseeus,'saidPelagia.

ThecaptainsolvedthisproblembybringingPelagiaadisguiseconsistingofacap,gogglesandalongleathercoat,andthenextdaytheymetaroundthebendoftheroadandrodeoffonthebike.Theyfellofftwice,withoutinjury,andshe gripped his waist, whitefaced with terror. She climbed off, shaking, andrealizedshecouldnotwaittogetbackon;itwassplendidtorideamotorcycle.

TheywenttoplaceswherePelagiacouldnothavebeenrecognizedandtoplacesthatweredeserted,andthereshewouldputherarmthroughhisandwalkbesidehim,leaningherweightagainsthisshoulder,alwayslaughing.Withhim,shewouldalwaysrememberthatshelaughed.Onedaytheydiscoveredaruinedhutsooldthatthefloorhadsunkintotheearth.Theycalledit'CasaNostra',andinthissecrethousetheywouldspreadablanketandlieembracingandtalking.

Alltheirlovers'talkbeganwiththephrase,'Afterthewar'.

'Afterthewar,whenwearemarried,let'sgotoAmerica;I'vegotrelativesinChicago.Afterthewarwewon'tbringupourchildrenwithanyreligion,theycanmaketheirownmindsupwhenthey'reolder.Afterthewar,we'llgoalloverEuropeandyoucangiveconcerts inhotelsand that'showwe'll live.After thewarI'llloveyou,I'llloveyouforeverafterthewar.'

***

ItwasduringthisperiodofhappinessforPelagiaandthecaptainthatDrIanniswaswoken one night by a gentle tapping on hiswindow. Puzzled, thedoctorlookedoutandsawavillageraccompaniedbyaverytallfair-hairedmanwearingtheGreeknationalcostume,somethingthatawealthymanmightwearonce a year on a feast day. 'We thought you were the man to help him,' thevillager told thedoctor,beforedeparting.The tallstrangersmiledandheldouthis hand, speaking in an extraordinarily old-fashioned Greek that the doctorfound almost impossible to understand. The stranger then climbed, uninvited,throughthedoctor'swindowintothehouse,andtookahugeradiooutofhisbag.Pelagiawokeandcameintoherfather'sroom,sawthestrangerandputherhandoverhermouth,wide-eyedwithamazement.

'Who'sthis?'shedemandedofherfather.

'How am I supposed to know,' replied the doctor. 'He says he's calledBunniosandhetalksGreeklikeaSpanishcow.'

The stranger bowed politely and shook Pelagia's hand, then smiledcharminglyandsaid,'Greekoftheolddays.Homer.'

'AncientGreek?'exclaimedPelagia,disbelievingly.Thedoctortappedhisfingertohisforehead.'English?'heasked.

'English,'agreedtheman.'But,Imustbegyou...'

'Ofcoursewewon'ttellanyone.'

Themansmiled. Ithadbeenanawfulburden tospeak the finestancientGreekandnotbeunderstood.

'WearehavinganItalianofficersleepinginaroom,'saidthedoctor,whoseEnglish was not as good as he liked to believe, 'so we are being very quiet,please.Areyouaspy?'

The man nodded and asked, 'Do you have any clothes I could have? Iwouldbesograteful.'

The Englishman departed for the town of Argostoli at dawn, wearingtrousers that ended half way down his legs, and having received some goodadvice from the doctor: 'Look, OK? You accent terrible-terrible. Not to talk,

understand?Youarequietuntilyoulearning.Also,youwatchoutCommunists-theythieves.ItaliansOK,Germansnotgood,see?'

Bunnios,whoserealnamewasBunnyWarren,soonfoundanemptyhutinthe hillswhere, using his huge radio, he reported in great detail to hisBritishmasters,informingthemoftroopmovementsinthearea.HealsosethimselfthetaskoflearningmodernGreek,andwasassistedinthisbythewillingislanders.

***

Thecaptain'soperagroup,LaScala,becameaccustomedtomeetinginthedoctor'shouse.

'Your soldiers are stealing from people's vegetable patches, when we'redyingofhungeralready,'saidthedoctortoCorellioneday,whenthegroupwasthere.

'If it's true, they will be punished,' the captain replied, already deeplyshamed and embarrassed by the fact that some nights previously someone,obviouslyanItaliansoldier,hadstolenPelagia'sgoat.

'WeGermansdonotdothis,'saidGunterWeber,withapleasedexpressiononhisface.

'Germanscan'tsing,'repliedCorelli,'andanyway,I'llgetthisinvestigatedandI'llputastoptoit.It'stoobad.'

Webersmiled.'YouareveryfamousfordefendingtherightsoftheGreeks.Iwonderifsometimesyouunderstandwhyyouarehere.'

'Itrytothinkofitasaholiday.Idon'thaveyouradvantages,Gunter.'

'Advantages?'

'Yes.Idon'thavetheadvantageofthinkingthatotherracesareinferiortomine.'

'It'saquestionofscience,'saidWeber.'Youcan'talterascientificfact.'

Corellifrowned.'Science?Idon'tcareaboutscience.Moralprinciplesare

important,notscience.'

'Wedisagree,' saidWeber in a friendly fashion. 'Science tells us that thestrongsurvive.Strengthneedsnoexcusesanddoesn'thavetogivereasons.'

'Scienceisaboutfacts,andmoralityisaboutvalues,'saidCarlo,whohadbeenlisteningclosely.

'It'salsoamatterofbeingabletolivewithyourself,'Corelliadded.

'You're a goodman,' saidGunter, 'I admit it.Whydon't I getmy recordplayerfrommycarandwecanallsingwithMarleneDietrich.'Hewenttohiscarandproudlyreturnedwiththerecordplayer,whichheputdownonthetable.HeputontherecordandDietrichbegantosing,hervoicefullofthesadnessofknowledge,thelongingforlove.

'Oh,' exclaimed Weber, 'her voice makes me melt,' and Corelli said,'Antonia likes this. She's going to sing.' He began to accompany the song,playing sobeautifully that in thevillagepeople stoppedwhat theyweredoingandlistenedtoCorellifillthenight.Pelagialeftthekitchen,herformghostlikeinthelightofthecandles.'Pleaseplaythatsongagain,'sheaskedWeber.'Itwassobeautiful.'

'Do you like it?' askedWeber, and she nodded. 'All right,' he continued,'when I gohomeafter thewar, I'll leave itwithyou. Itwouldpleasemeverymuchforyoutohaveit.'

Pelagia was delighted. She looked at the smiling boy with his smartuniformandblondhairandwasfilledwithpleasure.'You'resosweet,'shesaid,andkissedhimnaturallyonthecheek,sothattheboysofLaScalacheeredandWeberwentredandhidhiseyeswithhishand.

***

The time camewhen thedoctor decided that itwasnecessary to discusscertainmatterswithPelagia. 'There'ssomethingIhavetotalktoyouabout,'hetold her. 'It has not escaped my notice that you have fallen in love with thecaptain.'

Shewentviolentlyredandlookedterriblyshocked.'Thecaptain?'shesaid

foolishly.

Hebegana long speech. 'It's not that I don't like the captain.Of course,he'salittlemad,whichisquitesimplyexplainedbythefactthatheisItalian.Infact I like him very much, but you must remember that you are engaged toMandras,andtechnically,thecaptainisanenemy.CanyouimaginethepainyouwillsufferwhenpeoplediscoverthatyouhavegivenuptheloveofaGreekinfavourofaninvader?Peoplewill throwstonesatyouandspit,youknowthat,don't you?Youwould have tomove away to Italy if youwanted to staywithhim,becausehereyoumightnotbesafe.Areyoupreparedtoleavethisislandandthispeople?

'Andanotherthing.Loveisatemporarymadness.Whenitendsyouhavetoworkoutwhetheryour rootshaveso joined together that it isunimaginablethat you should ever separate. Because that is what love is. Love isn'tbreathlessness,itisnotexcitement,itisnotlyingawakeatnightimaginingthatheiskissingeverypartofyourbody.No,don'tlooksoembarrassed,I'mtellingyousometruths.Thatisjustbeing"inlove",whichanyfoolcando.Loveitselfiswhatisleftoverwhenbeinginlovehasburnedaway.

'Isaytoyouthattomarrythecaptainisimpossibleuntilourcountryisfreeagain.Iwouldbehappyforyoutodothis,butthismeansthatyouhavealovethatwillbedelayed.Pelagia,youknowaswellasIdothatlovedelayedmeansthat physical passion increases.No, don't look atme like that.Doyou think Idon'tknowthatyounggirlscanbeeatenbydesire?Imagineifyougotpregnant,whatwouldyoudo?Iwouldnotassistinthemurderofaninnocent.Wouldyouhave thechild, and then find thatnomanwouldevermarryyou? IwouldnotabandonyouaslongasIlive,evenundersuchcircumstances.ButimagineifIshoulddie.Whatthen?'

Pelagiahadneverfeltsocrushedinallherlifeandweptbitterly,butwhenshe lookedup, she foundher father lookingather sympathetically. 'Youmakeeverythingsoundsodisgusting,'shesaid.'Youdon'tknowhowitis.'

'I went through a lot of this with your mother,' he replied. 'She wasengagedtosomeoneelse.Idoknowhowitis.'

'Youdon'tforbideverythingthen?'sheaskedhopefully.

'No, I don't forbid everything. I say you must be careful and act

honourablytoMandras.Don'tgiveintoyourdesires,that'sall.Thecaptainisagood man. Pray for our freedom, Pelagia, because then everything becomespossible.'

Pelagiastooduptogoandherfathersaid,'Ididnotintendtoupsetyou.Iwasyoungonce.'

'Not everythingwas different in your day, then,' she said as she left theroom, and her father smiled, pleased that his words had not crushed hisdaughter'sspirit.

***

Thedoctorandthecaptainweresittingindoorsatthekitchentablewhilethe latterwas removingabroken string fromhismandolin.Thedoctor leanedback and sighed, then suddenly asked, 'Are you and Pelagia planning to bemarried?Asherfather,IthinkIhavearighttoknow.'

Thecaptainwassosurprisedbythefranknessofthequestionthathewasunable to thinkof a reply.His relationshipwithPelagiahadonlybeenable toproceed on the basis that no one ever brought the issue out into the open.Helookedatthedoctoranxiously.

'Youcan't livehere,' said thedoctor.Hepointed to themandolin. 'Ifyouwanttobeamusician,thisisthelastplacetobe.AndIdon'tthinkthatPelagiacouldliveinItaly.SheisaGreek.Shewoulddielikeaflowerwithoutsunlight.'

'Ah,'saidthecaptain,forthelackofanyintelligentremark.

'It's true,' said thedoctor. 'I knowyouhavenot thought about it. Italiansalwaysactwithoutthinking.Anyway,PelagiaisaGreek,that'smypoint.Socanitwork?'

Therewasasilencebetweenthetwomen.'Iloveher,'saidCorelliatlast,asifthisweretheanswertotheproblem,whichtohimitwas.

'Iknowthat.You'dhavetolivehere,that'sall,'saidthedoctor.'Youmighthavetochoosebetweenlovingherandbecomingamusician.'

The doctor left the room, more for dramatic effect than for any other

purpose,andthencamebackin.'Andanotherthing.Thisisaveryancientlandandwe'vehadnothingexceptmurderfortwothousandyears.We'vegotsomanyplaces full of bitter ghosts that anyone who goes near them or lives in thembecomesheartlessorinsane.Idon'tbelieveinGod,captain,butIdobelieveinghosts. And therewill bemanymore deaths. It's only a question of time. Sodon'tmakeanyplans.'

CHAPTERNINE

Autumn1943:Betrayal

The Allies invaded Sicily, Italy's southern island, and so they betrayedtheirmostloyalandcourageousfriend,Greece,anddidnotcometoitsaid.TheangryGreeksdemandedtoknowwhytheircountry,whichwasoccupiedbytheItalians,hadbeenignored,andreceivednoanswers.TheAllieshadabandonedGreece,thelittlenationthathadgivenEuropeitscultureanditsheart.Tomakematters worse, during this period the Greek Communists were committingunimaginablyviciousacts,butforalongtimetheworlddidnotbelieveit.

OnCephallonia, the Italian soldiers listened to their radios and followedthecourseofAlliedprogressupItaly,theirhomeland,whiletheGermansoldierswereangeredanddisgustedbytheItalianarmy'slackofresistancetotheAllies.Corelli and his brother officers sensed ice in the air, and visits between theGermans and the Italians became less frequent. When Weber turned up atmeetingsofLaScala,heseemedquietanddistant.

'Whathappens,'CorelliaskedPelagiawithatroubledlook,'whenwehavetosurrenderbeforetheGermansdo?'

'We'llgetmarried.'

He shook his head sadly. 'It's going to be a complete mess. There's nochanceoftheBritishcoming.They'regoingstraightforRome.Noonewillsaveusunlesswesaveourselves.WeshouldattacktheGermansontheislandnow,whiletherearen'tmanyofthem,butourgeneralsdon'tdoanything.TheysayweshouldtrusttheGermans.'

'Don'tyoutrustthem?'

'I'mnotstupid.'

'Comeinside,'shesaid,'myfather'sout.'

'There'snopoint.Mymindisjustablankthat'sfilledwithworry.'

Corellicametothedoctor'shouselessoften,anddayandnighthetrainedhismen,working themhard in the terribleAugust heat, so that the sweat randowntheirfacesandarms,andthesunburnedthefleshoftheirshoulders.Theydidnotcomplain.Theyknewthatthecaptainwasrighttopreparethem.

Hehimselfstoppedplayingthemandolin;therewassolittletimeforitthatwhenhepickeditupitfeltforeigninhisfingersincomparisonwithagun.HewenthometoPelagiaonhismotorbikeattimeswhenherfatherwaslikelytobeout,andhebroughtherbread,honey,bottlesofwine,aphotographsignedonthebackwiththewords'AftertheWar...'writtenonitinhiselegant,foreign-lookinghandwriting,andhebroughtherhistired,greyface,andhissaddenedeyes.

'My poor darling,' shewould say, her arms about his neck, 'don'tworry,don'tworry,don'tworry,'andhewouldmovebackalittleandsay,'Koritsimou,letmejustlookatyou.'

And thencame the timewhenCarlowas listening to the radio, trying tofind a signal. Itwas 8 September, and the evenings had becomemuch coolerthantheyhadbeenbefore.CarlohadrecentlybeenthinkingaboutFrancescoandaboutthehorrorofAlbania,andnowmorethaneverheknewthatithadallbeenawaste,andthathistimeinCephalloniahadbeenaholidayfromawarthatwasgoingtodestroyhislifeoncemore,perhapsforever.Hefoundavoiceandturnedupthevolume:'...allaggressiveactsbyItalianArmedForcesagainsttheforcesof theBritish and theAmericanswill cease at once, everywhere.'The ItalianshadformallysurrenderedtotheAllies.

Outside,thebellsoftheislandbegantoring;theyrangallovertheislandin the townsofArgostoli,Lixouri,Soulari,Dorizata.On the radio therewasamessage from Eisenhower, the American president: '... All Italians who takesteps to rid themselves of theGerman presence in their countrywill have theassistanceandsupportoftheAllies...'

CarloranoutandfoundCorellijustarrivingonhisbike,agreatcloudofblue smoke behind him. 'Antonio, Antonio, it's all over, and the Allies havepromisedtohelpus,'hecried.Hethrewhisenormousarmsaroundthemanheloved andpickedhimup, dancing in a circle. 'Carlo,Carlo,' the captain cried,'put me down. Don't get so excited. The Allies don't care about us.We're inGreece, remember. Carlo, you don't know your own strength. You half killedme.'

'They'll help us,' saidCarlo, but Corelli shook his head. 'Ifwe don't actnow,we'refinished.We'vegottogettheGermansontheislandtosurrendertous.'

That night the Italian warships in the harbours of the island sailed forhome,withoutinforminganyonetheyweregoing,ortakingwiththemasingleItalian soldier. In a terrible act of cowardice, the warships withdrew theirprotectionfromthesoldierson the island,so that theGermansoldiers laughedandCorelli'smen smelled betrayal.Corelliwaited at the telephone for orders,andwhennonecamehefellasleepinhischair.

Carlo, now realizing that Corelli's pessimistic predictionswere probablycorrect,wrotehiscaptainalongletterinwhichhedeclaredhisundyingloveforhim and also his unselfish hope that Corelli would find true happiness withPelagia. Strangely convinced that hewas going to die soon, Carlo added thisletter to his other writings and brought them to the doctor's house, with therequest that his papers should be placed in the hiding-hole under the trapdoorandonlyopenedandreadintheeventofhisdeath.

Like Corelli, Gunter Weber also slept from time to time in his chair,waitingfororders,desperatelytiredandwithallhisconfidencegone.HemissedhisItalianfriends,butworsethanthat,hiscountrywaslosingandhenolongerfeltproudandfullofstrength.Hefeltinferiorandsobetrayedbyhiscountry'sallies,theItalians,thatifhehadbeenawomanhewouldhavewept.Hetriedtopraybutthewordsturnedbitterinhismouth.

Corellistoppedhismotorcycleonhiswayback tocampandbeneath theshadeofa tree,byaruinedwall,hesatandthoughtaboutgoingbacktoItaly,aboutsurviving,aboutPelagia.Thetruthwasthathehadnohomeandthatwaswhyhenevertalkedaboutit.MussolinihadforcedhisfamilytomovetoLibya,andtheretheyhadbeenattackedbyrebelsandhaddied,whilehelayinhospitalwithahighfever.

Ofalltherelatives'houseswherehehadstayed,whichonewashome?Hehadno familyexcepthissoldiersandhismandolin,andhisheartwas there inGreece.Hadhesufferedsomuchpain,somuchloneliness,hadhefinallyfoundaplacetobe,onlytohaveittornaway?Hismemoriesofhisparentswereasthinand indefinite as thoseof aghost, and for the first timehebegan to feel as ifPelagiaalreadybelongedtohispast.Hethoughtaboutdyingandwonderedhow

longPelagiawouldweep,andwhatashameitwouldbetospoilherlovelyfleshwithtears;itbrokehishearttoimagineit.Hewantedtoreachoutfrombeyondthegraveandcomforther,eventhoughhewasnotyetdead.

Hewenttothedoctor'shouseandaskedthemtolookafterhismandolin,andPelagiawrappeditinablanketandputitundertheholeinthefloor.TheytoldhimaboutCarlo'svisit,andhowhehadleftathickpileofpaperswiththem.The captain had not known that Carlo had ambitions to be a writer and wascuriousaboutthecontentofthebigman'spapers.HethoughtthatPelagialookedverythinandalmostill,andwhenshesadlystrokedhischeek,healmostdidnotknowhowtopreventhistears.

***

AfterItaly'ssurrender to theAllies,GeneralGandin, leaderof theItaliantroopsonCephallonia,sufferedterribleindecisionaboutthecourseofactionheshouldtake.Hehadtwochoices.ComparedtothenumberofItaliansoldiersonthe island, thereweremany fewerGerman troops, andhecould insist that theGerman soldiers laid down their arms and surrendered to the superior Italianforces. If theGermans rejected this, then the Italian troops could theoreticallyattackandovercomethem.ButGandinknewthathewouldreceivenosupportfrom theAllies, andmoreover, that hewouldhaveneither air nor sea supportfrom his own country.He knew that theGermans still had a large number ofbomber planes based in mainland Greece, and the thought of those deathmachinesscreamingovertheislandastheydroppedtheirbombsfilledhimwithhorror.

These thoughts led the General to the second option, which was tosurrendertotheGermans,onconditionthatthelattergavewrittenguaranteesofthe safety of the Italian soldiers on the island. This would mean trusting theGermansnot tobreak theirpromisesandattack theItalians. Itwas thissecondroute that Gandin was tempted to take. He was, in a strange way, a man ofhonour,andstillconsideredtheGermanstobehisallies.

Unlike General Gandin, the Italian troops on Cephallonia knew exactlywhat should be done. They heard from the radio that the Germans, as theywithdrewinItaly,werekillingandlootingalongthewayandtheycouldseenoreason why the Germans would not do the same in Cephallonia, given thechance.While Gandin delayed, unable tomake up hismind, and his soldiers

becamealmostcrazywithangerandfear,theGermansquietlyflewmorearmsandtroopstotheisland.

FinallyGeneralGandincametoadecision.Despitetheuniversaldemandofhismenthat theGermansshouldbeforcedtosurrender, theGeneralagreedwiththeGermanleadersontheislandthattheItaliansshouldbeallowedtokeeptheirweaponsandpeacefullyleaveCephallonia.Therewerenoships,however,totaketheItaliansaway,apointwhichdidnotseemsignificanttoGandin.Someof the Italian troops, guessing what was likely to happen, became deeplydepressed, while others, like Corelli, developed an iron determination andpreparedtheirmentothelastdegreefortheterriblebattlethattheywerecertainlayaheadofthem.

When theGermanbomberplanes arrived, early in the afternoon, tippingtheirwings, itwasalmosta relief to thewaiting Italians.Noweverythingwasclear;itwasatlastobviousthattheGermanshadbetrayedthemandthateveryItaliansoldierwouldhavetofightforhislife.GunterWeberknewthathewouldhavetoturnhisweaponsonhisfriends.Corelliknewthathismusician'sfingers,sowellaccustomedtotheartsofpeace,mustnowtightenaroundagun.GeneralGandinknewtoolatethathehadmadethewrongdecisionandthat,asaresult,his men were going to die. Pelagia knew that a war that had always beensomewhereelsewouldnowsettleuponherhomeandturnitsstonestodust.

TheGermanplanesattackedArgostoli firstbecause thatwaswheremostItalian troopswere concentrated.Gandinmade the foolishmistakeofbringinghis troops into the town in increasingnumbers, and thismade it easier for theGermanstoisolateandcutthemdown.Houseswerecrushedbythebombsandsoldiers and islanders died in large numbers.More andmoreGerman soldierswere flown in, and spread all over the island, killing as theywent. Everyoneknew that no ships or planes would come to aid an island of Cephallonia'sinsignificance.Onahillside,BunnyWarrensatbyhisradioandtriedtopersuadehissuperiors that theyshouldprovidetheItalianswithairandseasupport,butwithoutsuccess.

***

DrIannisandhisdaughtersatsidebysideattheirkitchentable,unabletosleep, holding each others' hands. Pelagiawasweeping.The doctorwanted torelight his pipe, but out of respect for his daughter's feelings he allowed his

handstostayinhers,andherepeated,'Koritsimou,Iamsureheisallright.'

'Butwehaven'tseenhimfordays,'shecried.'Ijustknowhe'sdead.'

'Ifhewasdeadsomeonewouldhavetoldus,someonefromLaScala.Theywereallniceboys,theywouldletusknow.'

'Were?' she repeated. 'You think they're all dead?You think they're deadtoo,don'tyou?'

'OhGod,'thedoctorsighed.

It was on the morning of 22 September that Captain Antonio Corelli,knowingthathisleaderswereplanningtosurrendertotheGermans,havinghadnosleep for threedays, climbedonhismotorcycleand sped towardsPelagia'shouse. He threw himself into her arms, resting his burning eyes upon hershoulder,andtoldher,'Wearelost.TheBritishhavebetrayedus.'

Shebeggedhimtostay,tohideinthehouse,intheholeinthefloor,withhismandolin andCarlo's papers, but he tookher face inhis hands, kissedherwithoutthetearsthathewastootiredtoweep,andthenrockedherinhisarms,squeezinghersotightlythatshethoughtthatherboneswouldcrack.Hekissedheragainandsaid, 'Koritsimou,thisisthelasttimeIshalleverseeyou.Therehasbeennohonour in thiswar,but Ihave tobewithmyboys.'Withhisheadhangingdown,hetoldher,'Koritsimou,Iamgoingtodie.Remembermetoyourfather.AndIthankGodIhavelivedlongenoughtoloveyou.'

Shewatchedhimgoashedroveawayonhismotorcycle, thedustcloudsurrounding his head, then shewent inside and sat at the kitchen table, terrorgrippingherheart.

CHAPTERTEN

TheOrdertoKill

Gunter Weber stood before his superior officer and, his face hard withdetermination,said,'Sir,Imustrequestthatyougivethistasktosomeoneelse.Icannotcarryitout.'

Hissuperiorraisedaneyebrowbutsomehowfailedtofeelanyanger.Thetruthwasthatinthispositionhehopedthathewouldhavedonethesame.

'Whynot?'heasked.

'Sir, it is against international law tomurder prisoners of war. It is alsowrong.Imustrequesttobeexcused.'

'Theyhavebetrayedus,theirallies.'

'I realize that, but I amnot a criminal, sir, and I do notwish to becomeone.'

Theofficersighed.'Warisadirtybusiness,youknowthat.Weallhavetodo terrible things. For example, I like you and I admire you for taking thisposition,butImustremindyouthatthepunishmentforrefusingtoobeyanorderisdeath.Idon'tstatethisasathreatbutasafactoflife.YouknowthisaswellasI do.'Hewalked to thewindowand then turned. 'They're all going tobe shotanyway.Whyaddyourdeathtotheirs?Itwouldbeawasteofafineofficer.'

GunterWeber swallowed hard and his lips trembled so that he found ithardtospeak.Atlasthesaid,'Irequestthatmyprotestisrecordedandputinmyfile,sir.'

'Yourrequestisgranted,'saidtheofficerandlefttheroom.

Weber leanedagainst thewall and lit acigarette,buthishands shooksomuchthatheimmediatelydroppedit.

'Let's sing, boys,' said Antonio Corelli, looking round the inside of thetruckwherehismensat,watchedbyexpressionlessGermansoldiers.OneoftheItalians was already tearful, others were praying, their heads bowed down totheirknees.Corelli feltstrangelyhappyas ifheweredrunkwith tirednessandtheabsolutecertaintyofdeath.Whynotsmileinthefaceofdeath? 'Let'ssing,boys,'herepeated,'Carlo,sing.'

Carlogazedathimwitheyesfullofendlesssorrow,andbeganverysoftlytosingasongfromanoperatheyallloved,MadameButterfly,andsoonothersjoinedin,whentheyfeltableto.Thetunecomfortedthem,anditwaseasiertosingthantothinkondeath;itgavetheheartsomethingtodo.

When the truck arrived, Gunter Weber's knees began to shake. Almostbeforeithadarrived,itseemedthathehadknownthatlifehadcalledhimtothekillingofhisfriends.HehadnotexpectedthemtoarrivesingingthetunethatheandLaScalahad sung together late at night at thedoctor's house, nor hadheexpectedthemtojumpsolightlyfromthetruck.HeorderedaGermansoldiertoputhisfriendsagainstthewall,litanothercigaretteandturnedaway,butfinallyhe turned again and approached the Italians. More than half of them werepraying,kneeling in thesoil,andotherswept likechildrenatadeath.AntonioCorelli and Carlo Guercio were embracing. Weber reached for his packet ofcigarettesandapproachedthem.

'Cigarette?' he asked them, andCorelli took one, Carlo refusing. CorellilookedatWeberandsaid,'Yourhandsaretremblingandyourlegs.'

'Antonio,Iamverysorry,Itried...'

Corellisuckedonhiscigaretteandsaid,'Iamsureyoudid,Gunter,Iknowhowitgoes.'

Weber'sfacetrembledwiththeeffortofhidinghistears,andatlasthesaidsuddenly,'Forgiveme.'

Carlomadea soundofdisgust inhis throat and said, 'Youwill neverbeforgiven.' But Corelli put his hand up to silence his friend and said quietly,'Gunter,Iforgiveyou.IfIdonot,whowill?'

Weber held out his hand. 'Goodbye, Gunter,' said Corelli, taking it.Allowinghishandtoremaininhisformerfriend's,heshookitbrieflyonefinal

time and released it.He linked an arm throughCarlo's, and smiledup at him.'Come,' he said, 'we two have been companions in life. Let's go together toheaven.'

Itwasabeautifuldaytodie.AfewsoftcloudshidthetopofMountAenosandnearbyagoatbellrang.Corellirealizedthathisownlegswereshakingandthathecoulddonothingtopreventit.HethoughtaboutPelagia,withherdarkeyes,herpassionatenature,herblackhair.Hesawherclearlyinhismind'seye:making a blanket that grew smaller every day; arm in arm with her father,returning from the sea; kissingGunterWeber on the cheek at the offer of therecordplayer.Pelagia,whose formhadbeen so sweetly rounded,nowsopaleandthin.

ACroatiansoldierapproachedWeber,amanwho,inWeber'sopinion,hadadangerouslyviolentnature.TheCroatiansaid, 'Sir,morewillbearriving.Wecan'tdelay.'

'Verywell,' saidWeber.Heclosedhis eyesandprayed, aprayerwithoutwordstoaGodwhodidnotcare.

Therewasnothingformalaboutthekillings,andthevictimswerenotlinedupagainst thewallormade tofaceforwards.Manyof themwere lefton theirknees,prayingorweepingorbeggingformercy.Somestoodsmokingasifataparty,andCarlostoodnexttoCorelli,gladtodieatlastanddeterminedtodieasoldier'sdeath.Corelliputonehand inhispocket to steady the shakingofhisleg,anddeeplybreathedtheCephallonianairthatheldPelagia'sbreath.

TheGermanboysheardthecommandtofireandfiredindisbelief.Thoseofthemwhoseeyeswereopenaimedwideorhigh,oraimedtoavoidadeath.TheCroatiansoldiershottokill,firingrapidlyandtakingcarefulaim.

Weber'sheadspun.Hisformerfriendswereleapinganddancingintherainofbullets,werecryingout,stumblingtotheirknees,armswaving,theirmouthsfilledwithblood.Butwhatnoonehadseen,evenWeber,wasthatattheordertofire,CarlohadsteppedquicklysidewaysinfrontofCorelli,andhadgrippedthelatter'swristssotightlythathewasunabletomove.CorellistaredwonderinglyintothemiddleofCarlo'sbackasgreatholesburstthoughfrominsidethelatter'sbody,releasingfountainsofblood.

Carlo stood unbroken as one bullet after another entered his chest like

white-hotknives.Hestoodperfectlystillandcountedtothirty,lookedupattheskyandthenthrewhimselfoverbackwards.Corelli laybeneathhim,unabletomove,soastonishedbythisextraordinary,saintlyactoflovethathedidnotheartheCroatiansoldier'svoice.

'Italians,it'sallover.Ifanyofyouareliving,standupnowandyouwillgofree.'

He did not see the two or three stand up and see them fall again as theCroatianshotthemdown.ThenheheardthesingleshotsasWeber,drunkwithhorror, wandered among the dead, putting those still living out of their pain.Next tohisheadhesawWeber'sbootandhesawWeberbenddownand lookdirectlyintohiseyeswherehelaytrappedbeneathCarlo'sgreatweight.Hesawtheshakinggunapproachhisface,hesawtheoceanofsorrowinWeberseyes,andthenhesawthegunwithdrawn,unfired.Hetriedtobreathemorefreely,andrealizedhewashavingdifficulty,notonlybecauseofCarlo'sweightbutbecausethebulletsthathadpassedthroughhisfriendhadalsostruckhimself.

***

Corelli laybeneathhisfriendforhours, theirbloodmixinginthesoil, intheiruniforms,intheirflesh.ItwasnotuntileveningthatVelisarioscameacrossthe heap of tragic bodies, and recognized theman as big as himselfwho hadonce reachedahandacross thebarrier ofwar andofferedhima cigarette.Helookeddowninto thevacantandstaringeyes, reacheddownandtried toclosethem.He failed, andwas struckby thehorrorof leaving suchabrother to thewindandbirds.Hekneltdownandwithahugeefforthe liftedCarlofromtheground, and, as he did so, he saw the mad captain who was staying at thedoctor's, the onewhose 'secret' love for Pelagiawas known and discussed byeveryoneon the island.Theman'seyeswerenotvacantand theyblinked.Thelipsmoved.'Doctor,'saidthedyingman.'Pelagia.'

The strongmanputCarloagainst thewall.Thenhecarefullypicked thecaptainup,felthowlighthewas,andsetoffacrossthestonyfieldstosavehislife.

NobodyknowstheexactnumberoftheItaliandeadthatlayupontheearthof Cephallonia, but at least four thousand were murdered, possibly ninethousand. The evidence was lost in flame, because the Germans, displaying

knowledge of their guilt, burnt the bodies, cutting down trees that were athousandyearsold tomake thefires.Theychangedflesh intosmoke, theyputone dead boy after another across their shoulders and tipped them into theflames, working until their legs weakened and the flames became too hot toapproach.

OneofthebodiesthattheyburnedwasthebodyofGeneralGandin,whotrustedhisenemiesandtriedtosavehismen.AnotherwhodiedatthistimewasFather Arsenios, the priest from Pelagia's village. He wandered among thebodiesandtheflamesuntilhewassomadwithgrief thathebegantobeat theheads and shoulders of theGerman soldierswith a stick.At first the soldiers,whohadmurderedthousands,didnotknowwhattodo,butthenanofficercameupbehindArseniosandfiredasingleshotintothebackofhisneck,explodinghisbrains.

MenandwomenandthefewItaliansoldierswhohadescapedapproachedthefiresascloselyastheheatpermittedandbegantopullawaythebodiesattheedgeofthefires.Allofthemthoughtthesamethings:'IsthiswhatitwillbelikeundertheGermans?Howmanyoftheseboyscouldtherehavebeen?HowmanyoftheseboysdidIknow?CanIimaginehowitistodieofbleeding,slowly?'

Atdawnathick,blackcloudhungoverthelandandblockedoutthesun,andthepeoplereturnedtotheirhousesandlockedtheirdoors.

CHAPTERELEVEN

AnOperation

When the door was suddenly kicked open just as it was getting dark,Pelagia'sfirst thoughtwasthat itwas theGermans,sincesheknewthatall theItaliansweredead.Likeeverybodyelseshehadheardthesoundsofbattleandseen truck after truck pass by, bearing either cheeringGerman soldiers or thedeadbodiesofItalians.Atnightshehadgoneoutwithherfather,whosecheeksweretremblingwithtearsofangerandpity,andlookedforlivestosaveamongthosebodiesabandonedinthefires.

Ithadleftherspeechless,notwithfearorsorrow,butwithemptiness.

When the door flew open shewas frightened, but she had nevertheless,somehowbeenexpectingit.Hergunwasreadyinherpocket.Shestoodup,herhand tightening around the gun, her face colourless, and saw Velisarios,breathinghard.Headvancedtothetableandgentlyplacedhisburdenonit.

'Whoisit?'askedPelagia.

'He'salive,'saidVelisarios.'It'sthemadcaptain.'

Shebentdowntolookwitheyesfullofbothhorrorandhope,butshedidnotrecognizehim; therewere toomanyholes, toomuchblood.Shewanted totouchhimbutwithdrewherhand.Wheredoesone touchaman like this?Thebodyopeneditseyesandthemouthsmiled. 'Kalimera,koritsimou,'itsaid,andsherecognizedthevoice.

'It's the evening,' she said foolishly. 'Kalispera, then,' he whispered andclosedhiseyes.

Pelagia looked up at Velisarios, her eyes wide and desperate, and said,'Velisarios,youhaveneverdoneagreaterthing.I'mgoingtogetmyfather.Staywithhim.'Shefoundherfatheratthekapheneionanddraggedhimout,ignoringtheangrystaresoftheothermen,andKokolios,whoroaredather.

The doctor looked at the body and knew he had never seen anythingworse.Therewasenoughbloodtofilltheveinsofahorse.'Itwouldbekindertokill him,' he said, but before Velisarios could say, 'I thought so too,' Pelagiabeganbeatingherfatherwithbothhands.Andsowaterwasputontoboilandtheragsofthecaptain'suniformweregentlycutaway.

DrIanniscomplainedashecleanedawaytheblood.'WhatamIsupposedtodo?Ihavenoequipmenttoperformanoperation.'

'Shutup,shutup,shutup,'Pelagiashouted,herheartracingwithbothfearanddetermination.'Justshutupanddoit.'

Because the doctor was unaware that most of the blood and flesh hadbelongedtothebroadbackofCarloGuercio,itseemedunbelievabletohimthatAntonioCorelliwasas littlewoundedashewas.Oncehewascleaned, itwasclear that the victim had six bullets in his chest, one in the stomach, and onethrough the outer flesh in his right arm.But the doctor knew toomuch to beoptimisticanditstillseemedhopeless.Frightenedofthetaskthat layaheadofhim,heopenedabottleofraki,drankdeeplyandpassedthebottletoVelisarios,whodid thesame.Then,with thecomforting tasteofalcohol inhismouth,hereachedforaninstrumentandmoveditgentlyaroundineachwounduntilhefeltitreachabullet.

Hestoodupamazed,realizingthattheholeswerenotevendeepandthatthebulletsshouldhavepassedrightthroughthevictim'sbodybuthadnotdoneso.'Daughter,'hesaid,'Iswearbyallthesaintsthatthisman'sfleshismadeofsteel.Ithinkhe'lllive.'

'Antonio,' he called, andCorelli opened his eyes. 'Antonio, I'm going tooperate. I haven't got much morphia. Can you drink?' Corelli nodded, andPelagiapouredacupofrakidownhisthroatwhilethedoctorinjectedmorphiainto his arm. Pelagia looked at that desperately damaged body, helpless as aworm,andknewthatitwasnotexactlyabodythatoneloved,butthatonelovedthemanwhoshoneoutthroughtheeyesandusedhismouthtosmileandspeak.The doctor saw her dreaming and said, 'Don't just sit there. We need moreboilingwater.Andwashyourhands,especiallyunderthenails.'

Pelagiadiscoveredinthathourhowdifficultthetaskwasthatshehadsether father. Her hands trembled, and at first she could hardly force herself to

touchthecaptain.Shelookedupandsawherfathercuttingwideholesaroundthebulletwoundsandhadtoresistherdesire tobesick.Thedoctorstartedonthebullet in the stomach, sinceheneeded todo something thatwas relativelyeasyinordertoincreasehisconfidence.Hefounditnotfarbeneaththesurfaceoftheskinandpickeditout,amazedbyitsflattenedshape.'It'sunbelievable,'hesaid,showingittoPelagia.'Howdoyouexplainthis?'

'Hewasbehind thatbigman, theoneasbigasme,' saidVelisarios. 'Thebigmanwasholdinghimfrombehind,likethis.'Hestoodupandputhishandsbehind his back to show how one could grip another'swrists. 'I think hewastryingtosavetheman,'hesaid.

'Carlo,'saidPelagia,suddenlyburstingintotears.CarlowasthefirstoftheboysofLaScalawhomtheynowknewwithcertaintywasdead.

'Nomanwhodieslikethathasdiedfornothing,'saidthedoctor,fightingbackhisownneedfor tears.Pelagiawipedhereyeson thesleeveofherdressandsaid,'AntonioalwayssaidthatCarlowasthebravestintheArmy.'

'Velisarios,istheman'sbodystillthere?Wewouldliketoburyitandnotseeitburned,'saidthedoctor.

'It'safterdark,I'llgoandlook,'saidthestrongman. 'Ontheway,ImightkillaGerman,whoknows?'Hedeparted,happytobeoutof thathousewherethesightswereenoughtomakeoneill.

Whenthedoctorhadfinishedcleaningoutthewound,hegavePelagiathetaskofsewingitup,andshedidsowithaccuracyandcare,despiteherfeelingoftheunrealityofitall.VelisariosburiedCarloGuercio'sremainsthatnightintheyardofthedoctor'shouse.Justbeforedawn,whentheoperationonthecaptainwas finishedat last, and fatheranddaughterwerebothutterlyexhausted, theycameouttosaytheirgoodbyetothatheroicsoldier.

Pelagiacombed thehairandkissed the forehead,andVelisariosplacedacigarette in thedeadman's lips. 'I owedhimone,' he said.ThedoctormadeaspeechwhilePelagiaweptbesidehim.'Sleeplongandwell,'heended.'Aslongaswerememberyou,youwillberememberedfairandyoung.'

Leaning upon each other, the doctor and his daughter returned inside.Carefully,theycarriedCorellitoPelagia'sbed,andoutsidethefirstbirdssang.

***

Itwasonlya short timebefore theGermansbegan to takean interest inloot.Notonlydidthedoctorhavetohidehisvaluables,healsohadtohideanItalianofficerwholay,unabletomove,inhisdaughter'sbed.Pelagiamadeabedforhimatthebottomoftheholeinthekitchen,andonceagainVelisarioswascalledintocarryhim.ThereCorelliwasreunitedwithhismandolinandCarlo'spapers were temporarily removed. The lid of the hiding-place was left openunlesstroopswereintheneighbourhood.

For the first day after the operation the captain slept, but when he firstwoke,thepainwassobadthathecouldnotmoveatall,andhefeltasifhehadbeenrunoverbyalorry.

'Ican'tbreathe,'hetoldthedoctor.

'Ifyoucouldn'tbreatheyoucouldn'tspeak.'Thecaptainsaidnothingandthedoctorcontinued,'ItappearsthatCarlosavedyourlife.'

'Itdoesn't"appear".Iknowhedid.Ofallofus,hediedthebest.Andhe'sleftmetorememberit.'

'Youshouldn'tweep,Captain.Wearegoingtogetyouwell,andthengetyouofftheisland.'

'WhenIambetteryoumustmovemefromthehouse,Doctor.Idon'twantyouindanger.IfIamcaught,Ishoulddiealone.'

'Wecanmoveyoutoyoursecrethouse,whereyouusedtogowithPelagia.Don't look so surprised. Everybody knew. And you may not get better.Rememberthat.'

'MyGod,Doctor,pleasetellmesomelies.'

'Thetruthwillmakeusfree.Weovercomefearbylookingitintheeyes.'

The captain fell into a fever two days later and Pelagia remained in thehiding-placewithhim,wipinghisforeheadtoreducehistemperature.Thefevercametoacrisisonthefourthday,andCorelliwassweatingsomuchandtalkingsononsensicallythatboththedoctorandPelagiafearedforhislife.Buttwodays

laterthefeverleft,andthepatientopenedhiseyeswithwonder,asifrealizingthatheexistedfor thefirst time.Hefeltweaker thanitought tobepossible tofeel,butbythesameeveninghewasabletostandwiththedoctor'shelpandlethimself be washed. Pelagia fetched a mirror and showed him his new-grownbeard,andthatnighthewasfedhisfirstsolidmeal.Snails.

***

In later life, Pelagia remembered the time of Corelli's recovery and hisescapenotasaperiodofexcitingadventure,norevenasatimeoffearandhope,butastheslowbeginningofhersorrows.Thewarhadreducedheranyway.Herskin, stretched tightly over her bones,was transparent from lack of food, andwhensheateshechewedcarefullyincaseshelosta tooth.Herrichblackhairhad thinned and lost its shine, and showed the first grey hairs that should nothave appeared for at least another decade. Itwashard to obtain food, and thedoctorwasreducedtotrappingsnakesandothersuchcreatures.Thingswerenothopeless,however;therewasalwaysthesea,thesourceofCephallonia'sbeing.

AssoonasCorellicouldwalk,hewentinthecompanyofthedoctorandVelisariostoCasaNostraatnight,whilePelagiaremainedathomeinthehiding-place inwhich themandolin, thedoctor'sHistoryandCarlo'spapershadbeenreplaced.As longas theGermanrapistswereon the island,shehardly left thehouse. Corelli had given her his ring, too big for any of her fingers, and sheturned it round and round in the lamplight.The captain came frequently, afterdark,complainingthatthehutwascold,hisnewbeardscratchinghercheeksastheylayfullyclotheduponherbed,wrappedineachother'sembrace,talkingofthefutureandthepast.

'IwillalwayshatetheGermans,'shesaid.

'Guntersavedmylife.'

'Hemurderedallyourfriends.'

'Hehadnochoice. Itwouldn't surpriseme ifhe shothimself afterwards.Hewastryingnottocry.'

'Thereisalwaysachoice.'

'Hewasn'tbrave likeCarlo.Onlyone inamillion ismade like that,you

mustn'tblamepoorGunter.'

Pelagiadesperatelywantedtokeephercaptainontheisland,butknewthatshewouldkillhimifshedid.Therewerepeoplewhowerepreparedtobetrayforbread,anditcouldonlybeamatteroftimebeforetheGermansbecameawareofhispresenceintheirlives.SheaskedKokoliosandStamatistoenquirefornewsofBunnios,theEnglishspy,andtotellhimtocallonherifhecould.

For some time nowBunnyWarren had been encouraging the owners ofboatstohelpthefewsurvivingItaliansoldierstoescapefromtheisland,anditwaseasyforhimtoarrangethecaptain'sdeparture.HecalledatPelagia'shomeone night, tapping softly on her window, and when she had removed herselffromCorelli's embrace, she looked out and saw themanwhose help she hadbothsoughtandfeared.Hecame in through thedoorandveryformallyshookherhand.

'Who is this?' askedCorelli,who for amoment had been fearing a visitfromtheGermans.

'Bunnios,' saidPelagia,without answeringhisquestion, 'this is an Italiansoldierandwehavetogethimout.'BychanceaboatwasleavingforSicilythefollowingmorninganditwouldbeeasytoputthecaptainonboard.Theysimplyhadtogotoacertainbayatoneo'clockinthemorningwithalamp,andflashouttoseainanswertothesignalsflashedfromtheboat.

Corelli did not go back to Casa Nostra before dawn, but stayed withPelagiainthehouse.Thethreeofthemsatinthatfamiliarkitchen,saddenedandfearful,talkingquietlyandshakingtheirheadsoverallthememories.

'Iowemylifetoyou,Doctor,'thecaptainsaid.

'Iamsorryaboutthescars.ItwasthebestIcoulddo.'

'AndIamsorry,Doctor,about therapeof the island. Idon't supposewewilleverbeforgiven.'

'As you know, Captain, I must have forgiven you, or I would not havegivenyoupermissiontomarrymydaughter.'

Pelagia andCorelli looked at each other and the captain said, 'We have

decidedthatifwehaveason,wewillnamehimIannis.'Thedoctorwasvisiblydelighted,eventhoughthiswasexactlywhathewouldhaveexpectedunderthecircumstances.Helookedup,hiseyeswatering,andsaidsimply, 'Antonio, if Ihaveeverhadasonitwasyou.Youhaveaplaceatthistable.'

Corelli stood up and the twomen embraced, clapping each other on theback, and then the doctor embraced his daughter. 'I'll leave you two childrentogether,'hesaid.'ThereisalittlegirldyingandIshouldvisit.'

Thedoctorleftthehouseandthetwoloverssatoppositeeachother,unableto speak. Finally the tears began to follow each other slowly down Pelagia'scheeks,andCorellikneltbesideher,puthisarmsaroundherandlaidhisheadagainstherchest.Hewasshockedagainathowthinshewasandclosedhiseyestightly,imaginingthatitwasanotherworld.'Iamsoafraid,'shesaid.'Ithinkyouwon'tcomeback,andthewargoesonandonforever,andthere'snosafetyandnohopeandI'llbeleftwithnothing.'

'IshallnotforgetyouandIwillcomeback,'repliedCorelli.

'Promise?'

'Ipromise.IhaveleftyoumyringandAntonia.'

'WeneverreadCarlo'spapers.'

'Toopainful.We'llreadthemwhenIreturn.'

She stroked his hair in silence and said finally, 'Antonio, Iwish thatwehad...laintogether.Asamanandwoman.'

'Everythingattherighttime,koritsimou.'

'Theremaynotbeatime.'

'Therewillbe.Youhavemypromise.'

At eleven o'clock BunnyWarren scratched at the window. He carried aknifeinhisbeltandsoundedextremelyefficientashegavedetailedinstructionstothedoctor,whotranslatedthemforCorelli'sbenefit.

ItwasacoldDecembernight,therewasnomoon,andsincemostGermanspreferredtobeindoorsonsuchanight,thejourneytothebeachwasrelativelysafe.Nevertheless,Pelagia'sheartbeatfastandadarkholeseemedtobeopeningin her heart. Corelli felt so sad he almostwished that theywouldmeet someGerman soldiers so that he could die, fighting and killing, and end it all. Heknewthattoleavetheislandwouldbetolosehisroots.

For warmth, the four of them stood close together on the tiny patch ofsand, waiting for the flash of a lamp that would come to them from the sea.Corelliwalkedto thewaterlineand,seeingtheblackwaves,wonderedhowhewouldeversurvivethejourney.Hefelthislovefortheislandturninginhischestlike the twist of a knife, because he had his own village now and even histhoughtandspeechhadchanged.Returning toPelagia,heheldher face inhishandsandthenembracedher.

When the light flashed three times from theseaandWarren returned thesignal,Corellishookhishand,kissedhisfather-in-lawonbothcheeksandwenttoPelagiaoncemore.Therewasnothingtobesaid.Heknewthathermouthwastremblingwithgriefandhisthroatwastightwiththesameemotion.Hestrokedher cheek tenderly and kissed her eyes. He heard the sound of the boatapproaching and lookedup to see the shadowsof twomen inside it.The fourapproachedtheboatandthedoctorsaid,'Gowell,Antonio,andreturn.'

'MayGodhearyou,'saidthecaptain,andforthelasttimeheheldPelagia.

Afterhehadclimbed into theboat,disappearing into thedarkness likeaghost,Pelagiaranintothewavesuntiltheseareachedherthighs,butthoughshetriedtocatchsightofhim,shesawnothing.Aterribleemptinessseizedherandsheputherhandstoherfaceandwept,bentoverinpain,hercriescarriedoffinthewindandwerelostinthesoundofthesea.

CHAPTERTWELVE

1943-9:TheYearsofTerror

Of theGermanoccupation there is little to say, except that it caused theislanders to feel more appreciation for the Italians they had lost. It seldomhappens that a people can learn to feel friendly towards their oppressors, buthardlysinceRomantimeshadtherebeenanyotherkindofruleinCephallonia.Now there were nomore Italians working in the fields beside the farmers inordertoescapetheboredomofarmylife,therewerenomorefootballmatchesbetweenteamsthatquarrelledandcheated,therewerenoflirtationswithgirlsbysoldierswho had a cigarette hanging from the corners of theirmouths. Therewere no more voices sending out opera tunes across the pine trees of themountains.Gonewerethecharmingchicken-thieves,andintheirplacecameaperiodoftimethatthedoctorrecordedinhisHistoryastheworsttimeofall.

The islanders remember that theGermanswere not humanbeings.Theyweremachineswithoutprinciples,machinesthatonlyknewhowtolootandkill,without any passion except the love of strength, and without belief except intheirnaturalrighttodestroyaninferiorrace.

The Italians had of course been thieves, but their shame when caughtshowedthattheyrecognizedtheirguilt.TheGermanscameintothehouseatanytimeofday,kickedoverthefurniture,beattheoccupants,howeveroldoryoung,andinfrontoftheireyescarriedawaywhatevertheyliked.BothPelagiaandherfather were beaten at different times for no apparent cause. Drosoula hadcigarettesburnedintoherskinforfrowningatanofficer.Thedoctorhadallhisprecious medical equipment, gathered together over twenty years of poverty,brokeninhispresencebyfourofficerswhoseheartswereasdarkandemptyasthecavesofhell.

When inNovember 1944 theGerman troopswere ordered towithdraw,theydestroyedeverybuildingforwhichtheyfoundthetime,andtheinhabitantsofCephalloniaroseupagainstthemandfoughtthemallthewaytothesea.

But the night before he left, GunterWeber, who had ashamedly stayedawayfromthehousesincethetimeofthekillings,broughthisrecordplayerand

hiscollectionofMarleneDietrichrecordsandleft themoutsidePelagia'sdoor,ashehadpromisedinhappierdays.HewroteanoteinItalian:'Godbewithyou,Iwillrememberyoualways.'

Pelagia hid the record player in the hole in the floor, with Antonio'smandolinandCarlo'spapers,anditsurvivedtheterribleyearsthatfollowed.

***

TheGermansleftandthecelebrationsbegan,butnosoonerhadthebellsbegun ringing than the members of the Communist organization ELAS, nowcallingthemselvesEAM,cameoutfromhidingandattemptedtotakecontrolofthe country. They formedWorkers' Councils and elected themselves to everypost of authority. In Cephallonia the Communists began to send awkwardcharacterstoprisoncamps.Onthemainlandtheypoisoned,withdeadanimals,thewaterofvillages thatopposed them. Intomassgraves they threw thedeadbodiesofGreekswhohadhadtheireyestornoutandtheirmouthscutintotheshapeofasmile.Theykidnapped30,000littlechildrenandsentthemacrosstheborder into Communist Yugoslavia to be taught how to be true Communists.ELAS soldiers captured by theBritishwere so frightened of their leaders thattheybeggedtobeallowedtoremaininBritishprisoncamps.

Pelagiaandthedoctorweretwooutofmillionsofpeoplewhoseliveswereforeverdestroyedbythesebutchers.ThedoctorwasdraggedawayinthenightbythreemenwhohaddecidedthatsincehewasadoctorhemustbeaFascist.TheythrewPelagia intoacornerandbeatherunconsciouswithachair.WhenKokolioscameoutfromhishousetodefendthedoctor,hetoowascarriedaway,eventhoughhewasaCommunist.HewasaccompaniedbyStamatis,asupporterof the royal family, and the three men were taken to the harbour fortransportation.

Pelagia did not knowwhat had happened to her father, and none of theauthoritieswouldtellher.Aloneinthehouse,pennilessandhelpless,forthefirsttime inher lifeshe thoughtofendingeverythingbykillingherself.The islandseemed tobe cursedby an endless seriesofoppressors.WhenwouldAntonioreturn?ThewarwascontinuinginEurope,andprobablyhewasdead.SheheardthattheCommunistshadbeenkillingtheItaliansoldierswhohadcometofightalongside them against the Greeks. Had the time come, finally, to hate theGreeks?Ofthenationswhohadbrokenintoherhousetobeatherandstealher

possessions,onlytheItalianswereinnocent,itseemed.

Fortunately she had a friend.Drosoula had longknown thatPelagia hadlostherloveforMandras,andthatbyhislongsilencehehadgivenuphisrights.SheknewalsothatPelagiawaswaitingforanItalian,butshefeltnobitternessand never uttered a single word of blame. When Pelagia stumbled bleedingthroughherdooraftertheCommunistshadtakenDrIannis,Drosoula,whohadalsosufferedmuch,strokedherhairandutteredlovingwords,asifPelagiawereher own daughter. Within a week she had closed up her little house on theharbourandmovedintothedoctor'shouseonthehill.ShefoundhisItalianguninadrawerandkeptitathersideincaseofattack.

LikePelagia,Drosoulahadbeenreducedbythewar.Thelayersoffathadmeltedfromherwaistand thighs,andhergreatuglymoonofa facehadsunkinwards.However,hertall,thinformandgreyhairsdemandedrespect,andherunbrokenspiritgavePelagiastrength.

Forcomforttheyslepttogetherinthedoctor'sbed,andbydaytheymadeplanstofindsuppliesoffoodandlistenedtoeachotherscomplaintsandstories.They dug for roots in the undergrowth, and Drosoula took her young frienddowntotheharbourtolearntofish.

ButDrosoulawasoutwhenMandrasreturned,fullofselfimportanceandnewideas,expectingtheadmiringattentionoftheyoungwomanhehadnotseenforyears,anddeterminedtotakerevenge.Hecameinthroughthedoorwithoutknockingandleanedhisgunagainst thewall.Whensheheardthenoiseinthekitchen,Pelagia,whowas inher room,calledout, 'Drosoula?'Amancame inwhoshedidnot recognize,except thathe lookedvery likeDrosoulahaddonebeforethewar;therewasthesameswollenstomachandthighs,thesameround,coarsefaceandthickenedlips.Puzzled,Pelagiastoodup.

Mandras alsowas confused.Therewas something about this desperatelythin, frightened girl that reminded him of Pelagia, but this woman had silverthreads inher thinblackhair,herblouseandskirthungstraight to theground,her cheeks were hollow. He looked quickly around the room to see whetherPelagiawasthere,assumingthatthismustbeacousinoranaunt.'Mandras,isityou?'saidthewoman,andherecognizedthevoice.

Hestood,amazedandconfused,withmuchofhishatredknockedoutof

him,whileshelookedatthosecoarseandalteredfeaturesandfeltdeepdisgust.'Ithoughtyoumustbedead,'shesaidfinally.

Heclosedthedoorandleanedagainstit.'YoumeanyouwerehopingIwasdead.Asyousee, I amnot. I amverymuchaliveandwell.Don't Igetakissfrommyfiancee?'

Sheadvancedfearfullyandplacedakissonhisrightcheek.

'Iamgladyouarealive,'shesaid.

He caught both her wrists and held them tightly. 'I don't think you are.Howisyourfather,bytheway?Ishenothere?'

'Let me go,' she said softly, and he did so. 'The Communists took himaway'shetoldhim.

'Well,hemusthavedonesomethingtodeserveit.'

'He did nothing.He healed the sick.And they beatmewith a chair andtookeverything.'

'Theremustbereasons.Thepartyisneverwrong.Whoeverisnotwithusisagainstus.'

Shenoticed thathewore theredstarofELASsewninto thefrontofhiscap.'You'reoneofthem,'shesaid.

Heleanedagainstthedoor,placingallhisweightagainstit,increasinghersenseofimprisonmentandherfear. 'Notjustoneofthem,animportantoneofthem,'hestated,soundingpleasedwithhimself,thenaddedchallengingly,'Soonwewillhaveanicebighousetolivein.Whenshallwegetmarried?'

She trembled and, seeing this, his anger increased. 'We will not bemarried,'shesaid.'Wewereveryyoung,itwasnotwhatwethoughtitwas.'

'Notwhatwe thought?And therewas I, fighting forGreece, thinkingofyoualldayanddreamingofyouatnight.AndnowIcomebackatlastandfindafadedcowwhohasforgottenme.'

'What'sthematterwithyou?'sheasked.

'Thematterwithme?'He took fromhispocketa thickbundleofpapers.'This iswhat is thematterwithme.'He threw them towards her feet and shepicked them up slowly. She held the bundle in her hands and realized that itconsisted of her letters to him inAlbania. 'My letters?' she said, turning themoverinherhands.

Mandrasgaveasuddenroarofdisgustand,seizingtheletters,hefoundthelastone,heldituptothelightandread,'Youneverwritetome,andatfirstIwassadandworried.NowIrealize thatyoucannotcareandthishascausedmetolosemyloveforyoualso.IwantyoutoknowthatIhavedecidedtoreleaseyoufromyourpromises.Iamsorry,'

Hegaveasmilethatwasbothhumourlessandthreatening. 'Yes,I'mabletoreadnow,andthisiswhatIfoundinthelettersIhadbeencarryingnexttomyheart.Andnow I know the truth.Doyouknow the first thing I heardwhen Iarrivedbackhere?Iheard,"Mandras,didyouhearaboutyouroldfiancee?She'sgoingtomarryanItalian."Soyou'vefoundaFascistforyourself,haveyou?IsthiswhatI'vebeenfightingfor,youcow?'

Pelagiastoodup,herlipstrembling,andsaid,'Mandras,letmeout.'

'Letmeout,'herepeated,'letmeout.Poorlittlething'sfrightened,isshe?'Hecameup toher and struckher across the face sohard that she spun roundbeforeshefell.Hekickedherinthestomachandbentdowntopickherupbythewrists,thenhethrewheronthebedand,quiteagainsthisoriginalintentions,begantotearatherclothes.

This rapeofwomenwas something thathe couldnothelp, it seemed. Itwasafeelingthatcamefromdeepinsidehim,somethinghehadlearnedinyearsofnotneedingtoexplainhisactionstoanyone.Itwashisnaturalright,andtheviolencewasmuchmoreexcitingthanthesexualactitself.

ButPelagiafought.Hernailsbrokeinhisflesh,shestruckhimwithhandsandkneesandelbows, shescreamedandstruggled.ToMandrasher resistancewasunreasonable,hewasfailingdespitehisweightandstrength,andhesatbackand hit her repeatedly.Then suddenly he tried to pull up her skirts. The solidweightofhergunfelloutofitspocketandlandedbesideherheadonthepillow,butMandrasdidnotseeit,andwhenthebulletcrackedthroughhisshoulder,the

shockknockedhimbackwardsandhegazedatPelagiainshockandaccusation.

Drosoula heard the crack of the gunshot just as she came through thekitchendoorandatfirstshedidnotrecognizethesound,butthensheknewwhatitwasandtooktheItaliangunfromthedrawer.Withoutthinking,knowingthatthoughtwouldmakeheracoward,shepushedopenthedoorofPelagia'sroomandsawtheretheunthinkable.

ShehadthoughtthatPelagiamighthaveshotherself, that theremightbethieves,butwhensheburstin,shesawthedoctor'sdaughterleaninguponherelbow, her face swollen and bloody, her lips split, her clothes torn. DrosoulafollowedPelagia'sgazeandsaw,leaningagainstthewallbehindthedoor,amanwhomight have been her son. She ran to Pelagia's side and took her into herarms,rockingher,andheardthewords,'He...tried...to...rapeme.'

Drosoulastoodup,andmotherandsonexaminedeachotherindisbelief.Somuch had changed.As the anger grew in thewoman, the fire inMandrasdied. A wave of self-pity overcame him and all he wanted to do was weep;everythinghadcome tonothing,everythingwas lost.Thehorrorof thewar inAlbania, the years in the forest, his new power and importance, it was all adream,andhewasafrightenedlittleboyagain,tremblingbeforetheangerofhismother.Andhisshoulderhurtsomuch.Hewantedtoshowittoher,towinherattention.Hewantedhertotouchandhealit.

Butshepointedthegunathimandspattheonewordthatseemedtomeanthemost,'Fascist'.

'Mother...'hesaidinavoicethatwaslowandfrightened.

'Howdareyoucallme"mother"?Iamnomotherandyouarenotmyson.Ihaveadaughter...' shepointed toPelagia,whohadcurled intoaball, '... andthis iswhatyoudo. Idonotknowyou,never inmy lifedoIwant toseeyouagain, I have forgotten you, my curse goes with you. May you never knowpeace,mayyourheartburst inyourchest,mayyoudiealone,'Shespatonthegroundandshookherheadwithdisgust.'Pigrapist,getoutbeforeIkillyou.'

Mandras left his gun leaning against the wall of the kitchen, and withbrightredbloodonhisrighthandwherehestillheldhiswound,hestumbledoutinto the coldDecember sun.He looked through tearful eyes at the treewhereoncehehadswungandlaughed,andwhere,heseemedtoremember,therehad

oncebeenagoat.ItwasatreethatwasincompletewithoutPelagiaasshewas,fresh and beautiful, slicing onions beneath it and smiling through the tears.Awaveofgriefovercamehimandhisthroattightenedwithsorrow.

Itdidnotoccurtohimthathewasjustonemorelifetwistedandruinedbythewar.Hewasawareonlythatheavenhaddisappeared,thathopehadturnedtodust, that joy, which had once shone brighter than the summer sun, haddisappearedintotheblacklightandcoldheatofmassmurder.Hehadstruggledforabetterworldandinsteadhaddestroyedit.

Therewasonceaplacewhereallhadshonewithdelightand innocence.Hestoodstill foramoment, recallingwhere itwas; thenhewentdown to thesea, stood on the waterline, and kicked off his boots.With his right hand heslowlyremovedhisclothestillhestoodwithnothingon.Herealizedhewantedonlytofeeltheseaandsanduponhisskin.Heneededtobewashed.

He remembered days in his boat with nothing to do except fish; herememberedhisjoywhensomethingfinewaslandedforPelagia,hispleasureatherpleasurewhenhegave it toher.Heremembered that in thosedayshewasbeautiful. He began walking into the sea that would take his life, and bydrowninghimmakehimclean,makehimpureandinnocentoncemore.

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

Antonia

There had been so many rapes that Pelagia and Drosoula were notsurprised to findanabandonedbundleon theirdoorstep. IthadbeenbornatatimewhenitsfathercouldhavebeenaGermanoraCommunist,andthemothermight have been any unfortunate girl at all. Whoever this sorrowing anddishonouredgirlhadbeen,shehadcaredenoughaboutherchildtoleaveituponthedoorstepofadoctorshouse,knowingthatthoseinsidewouldbeabletocope.The disorder of the timeswas so great that the twowomen could think of nosolutionexcepttotryandcareforit themselves,thinkingthatintimethechildcouldbeadoptedbysomeonechildlessorhandedtoacharitableorganization.

They had taken the child inside and unwrapped it and discovered that itwasagirl.Shewasverycalmandcriedonlya little.Shesuckedthethumbofherrighthand(ahabitsheneverlost,eveninoldage),andshesmiledalot,herlegsandarmswavingupanddownindelight.

Thetwowomen,whohadsufferedsogreatlyfromlossandunhappiness,found that the child, whom they named Antonia, gave new meaning to theirlives.Becauseofher,thewomen'stragicmemoriesbegantofade,andshetookherplaceintheirlivesasifshehadalwaysbeenmeanttobethere.Inallherlife,Antonianeveraskedaquestionaboutherfather,andonlywhensheappliedforapassporttogoabroaddidshediscoverthatshedidnotofficiallyexist.

Shedidhaveagrandfather,however.WhenDr Iannis returnedafter twoyears, stumbling into the kitchen supported by two charity workers, utterlybrokenbyhistreatmentintheprisoncampandforeverspeechless,hebentdownandkissedthechildbeforeretiringtohisroom.JustasAntoniadidnotenquireaboutafather,DrIannisdidnotenquireaboutthechild.Itwasenoughforhimto know that the world had gone down a path that he had no hope ofunderstanding.He accepted that his daughter andDrosoulawould sleep in hisbed,andthathewouldtakePelagia's,because,whicheverbeditwas,hewoulddreamthesamedreamsofaforcedmarchofhundredsofkilometreswithouthisboots,withoutfoodorwater.Hewouldhearthecriesofvillagersastheirhousesburned, the crack of gunshots as they weremurdered, and he would witness,

over and over again, Stamatis and Kokolios dying in each other's arms andbegginghimtoleavethemintheroadincasehehimselfwasshot.

Inhiswordlessness,DrIannisdrewthesamecomfortfromAntoniathathehaddrawnfromhisdaughterafterhisownyoungwifehaddied.Hewouldputthechilduponhisknee,arrangingherblackhair,gazingintoherbrowneyesasif this alone was the way to speak, her smile filling his heart with sorrow,becausewhenshewasoldshewouldloseherinnocence,andlearnthattragedydestroysthemusclesofthefaceuntilasmilebecomesimpossible.

In 1949 the national government succeeded at last in defeating theCommunists,wholost theircontrolof thecountry.DrIannis tookupmedicineagain,helpinghisdaughterinareversaloftheirroles.ItupsetPelagiatoseetheshakingofhishandsashedealtwithpatients'wounds,andsheknewalsothatheworkeddespiteaterriblesenseofuselessness.Whypreservelifewhenallofusmustdie,whenhealthisonlyanaccidentofyouth?Shewonderedsometimesatthestrengthofhisdesiretoheal,despiteallhehadsuffered.Intheeveningshewrappedherarmsaroundhimandheldhimashismindwanderedbackoverthepast, his eyes wet with sadness, and she buried her head on his chest,understandingthatbycomfortinghimshewascomfortingherselftoo.

SheattemptedtointeresthiminworkingonhisHistory,andwhenshetookthepapersfromthehiding-holeandarrangedtheminfrontofhimathistable,heseemedwillingenoughtowork.Hereadthroughthem,butattheendofaweekPelagiafoundhehadaddedonlyoneshortparagraphinashakyhandwritingthatdidnot look likehisold, firmhandwritingatall.Thenshesawthatacross thebottomofthelastpageherfatherhadwritten,'Inthepastthehorrorscamefromoutside.Nowwehaveonlyourselvestoblame.'

Whileshehadbeeninthehiding-hole,PelagiahadrediscoveredAntonio'smandolinandCarlo'spapers.Shereadthroughthelatterinasingleeveningandwas astonished; she had never imagined that that powerful, good-naturedmanhad suffered sogreatly froma secret sadness that hadmadehima stranger tohimself.Shesawthathehadbeenasdeterminedtolosehislifeashehadbeentosave Corelli's and she realized that if her own adopted child was at risk, shewouldfindthesameextraordinarycourageinherself.

Antoniagrew tall and lovely, a childwhosemovementswere filledwithconfidenceandgrace.Shewasincapableofbehavinglikea'lady',andwhenshe

sat inhergrandfather's armchair shenotonly suckedher thumbbutalsohungonelegoverthearmofthechair,ignoringhermother'sandDrosoula'sprotestswithlaughingcriesof,'Don'tbesoold-fashioned.'

The familywere regardedaseccentric.Theempty-headedgossipsof thevillage regarded Drosoula, with her extreme ugliness, and Pelagia, with herassumption that shewas anyman's equal, as a pair of crazywomen.Childrenthrew stones at them as they passed, and adultswarned their children to keepaway and encouraged their dogs to bite them. Nevertheless, Pelagia earned aliving,becauseafterdarknesspeoplewouldarrivesecretlyinthebeliefthathertreatmentsweresuretowork.

DuringallthistimePelagiabecamecertainthatAntonioCorelliwasdeadand, like her father, she also became certain beyond doubt of the reality ofghosts.

Ithadhappenedfirstin1946when,onedayinOctober,shewasstandingoutside the housewith the infantAntonia in her arms. Shewasmaking babynoisesandgivingthebabyherfingertosuck,whensomethingmadeherlookup.Shesawafiguredressedinblack,standingbeforeherinexactlythesameplacethatMandrashadbeenwhenhehadbeenshotbyVelisarios'cannon.Thefigurewaslookingather,asifitwantedtotakeasteptowardsher,andherheartleapt.There was an atmosphere around him of nine thousand weeping ghosts, andsorrowseemedtopourfromhisface.Thinandbeardedthoughhewas,shewassureitwashim.Excitedbeyondalljoy,sheputthebabydowninordertoruntohim,butwhenshelookeduphehadgone.

Herheartjumpinginherchest,sheran.Aroundthebendshestoppedandlookedwildly around, crying out, 'Antonio!Antonio!'But no voice respondedandnomancametowardsher.Hehaddisappeared.Herhandsrosetotheskyinconfusionandfelldownagaintohersides.Shestoodwatchingandcallinguntilhershoutshurtherthroatandtearsblindedhereyes.

Thesameghostappearedat thesameplace in1947andeveryyearafterthat at roughly the same time, but never exactly. It was because of this thatPelagiacametotheconclusionthatAntoniohadkepthispromisetoreturnandthat it was possible to keep such a promise and continue to love even frombeyondthegrave.Shewasabletolivesatisfied,knowingthatshehadnotbeenabandoned,and,filledwithhappydreamsofbeingdesiredandloved,shelooked

forward to her own deathwhen shewould once again have all that had beenstolenawayinlife.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

1953:Earthquake

The thirteenth ofAugust, 1953was a fine day,with smallwhite cloudsscattered here and theremost charmingly in the deep blue sky. ThatmorningAntonia,noweightyearsoldbutastallasachildoftwelve,wenttopickupasheetofpaperfromthefloor,andwhenthesheetflewupwardsandstucktoherhand,shecried,'It'smagic,'andranexcitedlyoutside.

StrangethingswerehappeningallovertheIonianislands.Therewerenobirdsinthesky;onthehillsidesandintheundergrowth,snakesandratslefttheirholes,andinthevillagesallthedogsbeganbarking.

Drosoula came inside sweating and shaking and toldPelagia, 'I am ill, Ifeel terrible, somethinghas happened tomyheart.' She sat downheavilywithher hand to her chest, taking deep breaths, and Pelagia went to hermedicinecupboard and made a drink for her. Antonia, who had come back inside,suddenly burst into tears, exclaimed, 'Mama, I've got to get out,' and ranoutdoors.

Drosoula andPelagiawere exchanging surprised glanceswhen suddenlytherecamealow,terribleroarfromtheearththatmadethetwowomenfeelasiftheir hearts were exploding in their chests. 'A heart attack,' thought Pelagiadesperately,andshesawDrosoula,withherhandsonherstomachandhereyesstaring,stumbleasifsomeonehadstruckher.

Itseemedthattimehadstoppedandtheindescribableroaringoftheearthwouldneverend.DrIannisrushedoutoftheroomthatusedtobePelagia'sandspokeforthefirsttimeinyears.'Getout!Getout!'hecried.'It'sanearthquake!Save yourselves!' His voice sounded small and far away, and immediatelyafterwardshewasthrownviolentlysideways.

More frightened than they had ever been in their lives, the twowomenstumbledtowardsthedoor,werethrowndownandattemptedtocrawl.Butagainandagaintheywerethrownupwardsandsidewaysand,unabletocrawlontheirhandsandknees,theyspreadtheirhandsandlegsandmovedtowardsthedoor

likesnakes,reachingitjustastheroofbegantofallin.

Outsideintheyarddustwasslowlyrisingastheearthwentupanddown,while in thecentreof thestreetastreamofwatersuddenlyrose toaheightoftwelvemetres and then disappeared as if it had never been.Houses suddenlyleapt upwards and solid stone walls moved like paper in the wind, and thensuddenlytherewasastillnesslikethatofdeath.

Pelagia, spitting and covered in dirt, filled with a sense of utterhelplessness, began to struggle toher knees.Suddenly the strange silencewasbrokenbythewildcriesofthepriest,whorushedfromthechurchwithhisarmsraisedtoheaven. 'Youpig!'heroared. 'Youevildog!'Hefell tohiskneesand,withtearsinhiseyes,struckattheearthwithhisfists.

Atthispoint,asifinresponsetohiscries,theterribleroaringbeganagainand once more the Cephallonian earth danced, the peaks of the mountainsrocking like boats. During those intervals when the motion stopped, Pelagia,DrosoulaandAntoniaheld tightlyontoeachother,gazinginhorrorat theoldhouse,ofwhichtherewaslittleleft.Thewallswerereducedtohalftheirheightandtherooflayinruinsonthefloor.Thisruincontainedthesadsoulandtiredoldbodyofthedoctor,whohadplannedhislastwordsforyearsandnowdiedbeneaththestoneswithoutthechancetosaythem.

***

TheBritishwerethefirsttoarrive,sendingfourlargeshipscarryingwater,food,medicines,doctorsandrescueequipment.Italy,rememberingitsshamefulpast,sentshipsloadedwithrescueworkers,andAmericanshipsarrivedcarryingearthmovers,helicoptersand3,000sailors.TheGreekNavy turnedup latebuteager,and theKingofGreeceandhisfamily travelledaroundthe islands.Theearthmoversbegantheslowworkofclearingtheruinedhouses,andforeignaidworkers built cities of tents as temporary accommodation for the islanders.Aeroplanes andhelicopters dropped food to hillside communitieswhose roadshadbeencutoffbytheearthquake.

InCephallonia,becauseofthewidestreetsandthefactthatmostbuildingswere only one storey high, few people actually died in the earthquake. Therewere theusual stories concerningpeoplewhohad lost their senseof time andappearedfrombeneaththeruinsofhousesafterninedays,believingithadbeen

afewhours.

Theislandersreacteddifferently,accordingtowhetherornottheyfoundanaturalleaderamongthemselves.Wherenoneappeared,peoplebecamesadandpurposeless and had terrible dreams of falling into endless space. During theearthquakeitselfperhapsaquarteroftheislanders,likethedoctor,hadremainedcalm, but afterwards the remaining three-quarters suffered terrible shamerememberingthewaytheyhadabandonedtheirchildrenandelderlyparents.

Althoughhehadalwaysbeenconsideredaslow-thinkingman,Velisarios,who was now forty-two years old and stronger than he had ever been, tookcommand inPelagia'svillage.Witha strength that seemedgreater than thatofthe earthquake itself, he threw off the beams and stones that imprisoned thecrushedbodyof thedoctor,becausehewasaware thatdecaywasfollowedbydisease. Then he gathered together the confused and hopeless villagers andorderedthemintosmallworkingparties.

Formonths after the earthquake, therewere timeswhen the earthwouldshake and tremble, not violently as it had done in the earthquake itself, butenoughtomakepeoplescreaminfear.ItwasVelisarioswhotoldpeopletogetbacktowork,threateningthemwithbrokenbonesunlesstheyreturnedtotheirtasks. Even Pelagia,whowas almost crazywith grief,was given thework ofcaringforpeople'swounds,whileDrosoula,whoatfirstcouldonlycry,wasputinchargeofthechildrensothattheirparentscouldwork.

When the aid workers finally arrived at the village, they found a smallcommunity living in tents made of sheets of iron, with toilets dug at a safedistancefromthewatersupply.Anenormousmanwasincharge,whoinoldagewouldbemorelovedandrespectedthantheteacherorthepriest.

For threemonths theearthmoved,as if itwasbreathing.Then,at last, itbecame quiet and motionless once again, and reconstruction began, to becompletedthreeyears later.AncientandbeautifulItaliantownswererebuiltasplainwhiteboxes.Pelagiasvillagewasputupfurtherdownthehillandheroldhousewas abandoned, the contents of thehiding-hole in thekitchenburied, itseemed,forever.

Theearthquakechangedlivessogreatlythat,eventoday,itisstillthemostimportanttopicofconversationinCephallonia.

Islanderscannotresist informingstrangersofthefacts,andtouristguideswillmentiontheearthquakewhenitseemedtheywereonlygoingtodiscusstheweather.Oldpeople rememberaneventaccording towhether itwasbeforeoraftertheearthquake.Thedisastercausedpeopletorecallthewarasunimportantbycomparison,andtheywokeupeachmorningamazedandgratefultobealive.

In the new house that Pelagia, Drosoula and Antonia now lived in,Pelagia'sguiltwasthecentralissueinthethreewomen'slives;thethoughtthatshehadplayedapartinherfather'sdeathmadePelagiasufferhorribly.

'Hewasseventy,'saidDrosoulasensibly. 'Itwasbettertodiequicklylikethat,tryingtosaveus.'

ButPelagiacouldnotacceptthis.Sheknewthatinthemomentofdisaster,hermindhadbeenspinningwithnothingexcepttheneedtosaveherself,andsheknewthatwhenherfatherhadfallensheshouldhave tried,evenat theriskofherownlife,todraghimthroughthedoorbeforetherooffellin.Shefellintoabottomless pit of self-blame, took no interest in her appearance and did notperformherhouseholdtasks,preferringtositbythedoctor'sgrave,chewingherlipsuntil theybled.Withheruntidygreyinghairandherpaleface,shesimplysatandwatched,asifexpectinghisghosttoriseupthroughtheearthandspeakto her. Time after time, in thewinter storms and rams,Drosoula andAntoniawouldgotothegraveanddragPelagiaaway,whileshesighedandwept.

One dayAntonia andDrosoula could stand nomore; they began to feelimpatientandangry,andtheoldwomanandtheyounggirldiscussedhowtheycouldcurePelagiaofhersorrow.

'Whydon'twejusttiehertothebedandhither?'suggestedAntonia.

Drosoulasighedwithpleasureatthethoughtandforamomentwonderedwhether or not it would work. Then her eyes brightened and she kissed theyounggirlonthetopofherforehead.'I'vehadanidea,'shesaid.

At breakfast the next morning, Antonia suddenly announced, 'I had adreamaboutGranddadlastnight.'

'That'sfunny,'saidDrosoula,'sodidI.'

TheylookedatPelagiaforsomekindofreaction,butshesimplycontinued

totearapieceofbreadintotinypieces.

'Hetoldmehewasgladhewasdead,'saidAntonia, 'becausenowhecanbewithMama'smother.'

'That'snotwhathetoldme,'repliedDrosoula,andPelagiaasked,'WhyareyoutalkingasifI'mnothere?'

'Becauseyou'renot,'repliedDrosoulatruthfully.'Youhaven'tbeenhereforalongtime.'

'Whatdidhetellyouthen?'enquiredAntonia.

'HetoldmethathewantsMamatowrite theHistoryofCephallonia thatgotburied in theearthquake.He said it spoils the funofbeingdead,knowingthatit'sgotlost.'

PelagiaregardedthemsuspiciouslyandAntoniaaskedherinnocently, 'Soareyougoingtowriteit?'

'There'snopointinaskingher,'saidDrosoula.'She'sonanotherplanet.'

'That'snottrue,'protestedPelagia.

'Welcomeback,'saidDrosoularudely.

Pelagiawentback toher father'sgraveand thoughtaboutwhatDrosoulahad said; although she knew that the story of the dream was nonsense, itoccurred to her that rewriting theHistorywould indeed be away to keep herfather's spirit alive. She travelled intoArgostoli and returnedwith pens and athickpadofpaper.

Itwas surprisinglyeasy.Although theHistoryhadbeendestroyed in theearthquake,shehadreaditsomanytimesthattheoldphrasesrolledthroughthekitchendoorandfloweddownherarmandrighthandintoherpen:

'The ancient, half-forgotten island of Cephallonia rises from the IonianSea...'

DrosoulaandAntoniaspiedonherasshesatathertable,tappingherteeth

with her pen. They crept away to a safe distance, embraced each other anddanced.

Pelagiaalmostbecamethedoctor.Shedidhardlyanyhousework,leavingit all to the women. Her father's pipe had been found in the ruins of the oldhouse,andshestuckitbetweenherteethashehaddone,butdidnotlightit.Shebegan to add small details to the text that she remembered sowell, supplyinginformation about such matters as clothes and baking, and the cruel buttraditional treatmentofwidows.The joyof theworkcausedadeepchange inher. She sent letters of enquiry to universities anddiscovered that all over theworldtherewerepeoplewholovedknowledgesomuchthat theywouldspendmonthsmakingenquiriesonherbehalf.

Finally,attheendof1961,sheputhercompletedworkintoanenormousfileandwonderedwhattodonext.Shelearntfrompublishersthatsuchabookwouldhavenomarketandwasadvisedinsteadtogiveittoauniversity. 'IwillwhenI'mdead,' thoughtPelagia,andshe left itproudlyonhershelfasvisibleevidenceof the fact that shewasan intellectual in the traditionof theAncientGreeks.

By this timeAntoniawas a fresh and beautiful seventeen-year-old,whoopposedheradoptedmother'sideasasamatterofprinciple,andthetwowouldsituplateintothenightdiscussingphilosophy.'Whenyou'remyage,you'lllookbackandseeIwasright,'Pelagiawouldsay.

AntoniahadnointentionofreachingPelagia'sageandsaidso. 'Iwanttodie before I'm twenty-five,' she said. 'I don't want to get old. You old peoplecausedalltheproblemsandit'susyoungoneswhohavetosolvethem.'

'Enjoyyourdreams,'commentedPelagia.

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

Alexi

ItwasaboutthistimethatmysteriouspostcardsinratherpoorGreekbegantoarrivefromallovertheworld.FromSantaFecameonethatsaid,'Youwouldlike it here. All the houses are made of mud.' From London: 'Mad people:terriblefog.'FromMadrid:'Toohot.Everyoneasleep.'

AlthoughPelagia'sfirstthoughtwasthatherfather'sghostwasvisitinghisfavouritecountriesandwassendinghercommunicationsfrombeyondthegrave,hersecondthoughtwasthattheymightbefromAntonio.Buthetoowasdead.Perhaps,shethought,theseunsignedcardswerefromsomeonewithwhomshehadexchangedlettersduringthewritingoftheHistory.Puzzledbutpleased,shetiedhercollectionsofcardstogetherandputtheminabox.

'You've got a secret boyfriend,' suggested Antonia, who was pleased todiscuss thematter since itdrewattentionaway fromherownromanticaffairs,whichbothPelagiaandDrosoulawereattemptingtodiscourage.

TheyhadmetwhileAntoniawasearningalittlemoneybyservingcoffeeinacafeontheplazaofArgostoli.Therehadbeenanoisybandplayinginthesquare,andthegentlemanwhohadhadtoriseandshouthisorderintheyounggirl's ear had at the samemoment realizedwhat a deliciously attractive ear itwas. Antonia had also realized that here was a man whose eyes expressedexactlythecorrectmixtureofstrengthandgentleness,calmnessandhumour.

Alexiwaitedatthecafedayafterday,choosingthesametablewheneverhecould,hisheartburstingwithhisdesiretoseethetallyoungwomanwithherperfectteethandlongfingers.Shebroughthimhiscoffeeeagerly,forbiddingtheother girls, thewaiters, and even theowner himself to servehim.Onedayhetookherhandwhileshewasputtingdownacup,lookedpassionatelyupatherandsaid,'Marryme.'

Alexiwasalawyerwhoseskilfulspeechescouldmakeajudgeweep,butwhile Pelagia recognized his excellence in this area, she could not stand thethoughtofhimmarryingAntonia.Shewasverytall,hewasshort.Shewasonly

seventeen,andhewasthirty-two.Shewastallandgraceful,hewasoverweightand had a habit of tripping over things. Pelagia remembered her passion forMandrasatthesameageandforbadethemarriage,certainthatthiswastherightthingtodo.

The wedding day was nevertheless delightful. Antonia, beaming withhappiness,kissedeventhestrangerswhohadcometostare,andAlexi,sweatingwithalcoholandjoy,madealongandextremelypoeticspeech,muchofitverywisely in praise of his mother-in-law. She would always remember the exactmomentduring thecelebrationswhenshehadseenwhat itwasabouthimthathadawakenedAntonia'sheart.Itwaswhenheputhisarmaroundher,kissedheronthecheekandsaid, 'Wearegoingtobuyahouseinyourvillage,withyourpermission.'Thehumbletoneofhisvoiceandhisimplieddoubtthatshemightnotwant him near herwas enough to cause her to become extremely fond ofhim.

While Pelagia waited impatiently for a grandchild, Drosoula becamedeeplyinvolvedinwork.Intheemptyspacebytheharbourthathadoncebeenher own house, she put up a wooden roof and some romantic lamps. Sheborrowed some ancient tables and chairs, bought a cheap oven and grandlystartedthetavernathatshewouldruneccentricallybutwithgreatsuccessuntilthedayofherdeathin1972.

Itwasthe1960s,andtouristswerejustbeginningtoarriveinCephallonia.Wealthy boat owners passed on information to their friends about the mostunusualplacestoeat.Germansoldierswhohadturnedintogentlecitizenswithvast families brought their sons and daughters and told them, 'This is whereDaddywasinthewar.Isn'titbeautiful?'Italiansarrivedbyferry,bringingtheirprettywhite dogs.Consequently, as the owner of the only taverna in the littleport,Drosoulaearnedenoughinthesummertodonothingatallinthewinter.

Lemoni, who was nowmarried, immensely fat and the mother of threechildren,helpedwiththeserving,andPelagiacamedown,takingtheopportunitytopractiseherItalian.Theservicewasnotfast;totellthetruth,itwasextremelyslow.TheguestsweretreatedunapologeticallyasmembersofDrosoula'spatientfamily,andquiteoftentherewasnoserviceatallifDrosoulahappenedtolikeaparticular customerwithwhom shewas deep in conversation. The foreigners,who loved and feared her, never complained about her forgetfulness and herindefinitedelays,andwouldsay,'She'ssonice,pooroldthing,itseemsashame

tohurryher.'

Meanwhile, year after year, Pelagia waited for a grandchild that nevercame.'It'smybody,'declaredAntonia,'andIhavetherighttochoose.Anyway,theworld'spopulationisalreadytoolarge.Alexiagreeswithme,sodon'tthinkyoucangoandshoutathim.'

'I'mgettingold,'Pelagiawouldsay,'that'sall.'

Time passed. It was Drosoula who died first, perfectly upright in herrockingchair,soquietlythatitseemedshewasapologizingforhavinglivedatall.Shewasacourageouswomanwhohadlivedafewshortyearsofhappinesswith a husband that she had loved, a woman who had rejected her son as amatterofprincipleandlivedtherestofherdaysinwillingservicetoheradoptedfamily.

AfterDrosoulawasburiednear thedoctor,Pelagia realized that shewasnowtrulyalone.Shehadnoideaanymorehowtorunalife,anditwaswithfearand hopelessness in her heart that she took over Drosoula's taverna andattemptedtomakealiving.

Alexi,whobyhisearlythirtieshadlostallhishair,achievedsuccessasalawyer,asPelagiahadknownhewould,andacquired,amongotherthings,abigCitroencar.Whenatlast,in1979,Antoniagaveintothedemandsofnatureandbecame pregnant, she and Alexi started to hold hands again in public, stareddreamilyatbabiesandmadelonglistsofpossiblenames.

'It'sgoingtobeagirl,'saidPelagia.'Really,youmustcallherDrosoula.'

'ButDrosoulawassobigand...'

'Ugly?Itdoesn'tmatter.Welovedheranyway.Hernameshouldlive.'

'Oh,Idon'tknow,Mama...'

'Iamanoldwoman,'declaredPelagia,whogainedgreatsatisfactionfromrepeatingthisstatement.'Itmightbemylastwish.'

'You'resixty.Thesedaysthatisn'told.'

'Well,Ifeelold.'

'Youdon'tlookit.'

'I didn't bring you up to be a liar,' said Pelagia, terribly pleased,nevertheless.

'I'mthirty-four,'saidAntonia.'That'sold.'

Whenthelittleboyappeared,PelagiabegantorefertothechildasIannis,andshedid thissofrequently that itsoonseemedobvious to itsparents that itcouldnotbecalledbyanyothername.IfyoucalleditIannis,itsmiledandblewbubbles,soIannisitwas.

Alexi,nowrealizingthatamanmustpasssomethingontohisson,beganto look around for good investments. He built a small block of holidayapartments and installed a modern kitchen and toilets in the taverna. Hepersuaded Pelagia to allow him to hire a proper cook, leaving her as themanager,andtheysplittheprofitsfifty-fifty.OnthewhitewallsPelagiastuckallthepostcardsthatcontinuedtoarrivefromthefourcornersoftheworld.

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

AnUnexpectedLesson

Atfiveyearsold,Iannis,whospentnearlyallhistimeatthetavernainhisgrandmother'scare,alreadyknewhowtosay 'Hello'and'Isn'thesweet?'insixdifferent languages. The reason for his continual presence at the 'TavernaDrosoula'was that his fatherwas building new holiday apartments and tenniscourtsandhismotherwasopeningshopsthatsoldcheapsouvenirsallovertheisland.Theirsongrewupcontentedlyinhisgrandmother'scompany,playingintheclearwatersof theportandslowlylearningtheItalianthatPelagiainsistedonspeakingtohim.Intheevening,thereunitedfamilywouldsittogetherinthetaverna, arguing both in Italian and in Greek, while Pelagia would embarrassIanniswithreferencestohisinfantyears.

Whenhewastenyearsold,Pelagiahiredabozoukiplayertoentertainherguests in the taverna.His namewasSpiridon and he played his bozoukiwithsuchskillthathecouldpersuadeeventheGermanstoputtheirarmsaroundeachother'sshouldersanddanceinacirclewhilestampingonthefloor.IannislovedSpiridon,withhisbroadshouldersandhiswidemouththatseemedtocontainahundredflashing teeth.Pelagiaalso lovedhimbecauseheremindedherofherlong-lost captain, and occasionally her heart wished desperately for a time-machinetotakeherbacktothedaysoftheonlyrealloveofherlife.

IannisdidnotfailtonoticethatSpiridonwaspopularwithwomen,whoatthe end of every performancewould seize the red roses from the vases in themiddleoftheirtables,andthrowthemathim.SoonedayIannisdemandedthatSpiridonshouldteachhimhowtoplaythebozouki.

'Yourarmsaren'tlongenoughyet,'saidSpiro.'Itwouldmakemoresensetostartwithamandolin.It'sthesamethingreally,butsmallenoughforyou.'

'Willyouteachmetoplayit?'

'Ofcourse,butwe'llhavetofindamandolin.Otherwisewemighthavetodojustthetheory.'

Iannisbeggedhismotherandfathertogethimone,andtheypromisedtobuyonewhentheynextwenttoAthens,butforgot.EventuallyPelagiatoldhim,'In fact we have one already, but it's buried under the old house. I am sureAntoniowouldn'tmindyoudiggingitup.'

'Who'sAntonio?'

'MyItalianfiancewhowaskilledinthewar.Itbelongedtohim.Therewasabigtrapdoorinthemiddleoftheflooranditwasinaholeunderneath.'

So Iannis dragged Spiridon up the hill and showed him a ghostly ruinovergrownwithlonggrass,itsbrokenstonesjustvisibleabovethegrowth.Allarounditlaythesilentanddesertedremainsoflonelylittlehouses.

'It'sthesaddestplace,'saidIannis.'Icomeheretoexploresometimes.'Hepointed. 'Mygrandfatherdied in there. I'mnamedafterhim.GrandmasayshewasthebestdoctorinGreeceandthathecouldcurepeoplebytouchingthem.'

Thetwoofthemwentthroughwhathadoncebeenthedoorandscratchedtheir headswhen they saw the rubbish that lay all around. Spiro blew out hischeeksandsighed. 'We'vegot twodaysworkhere,'hesaid. 'We'll justhave togetonwithit.'

Bythenexteveningtherewasaclearspaceinthemiddleoftheoldfloorandthe trapdoor layrevealed in thearea thathadoncebeen thekitchen.Spirotried togethis fingersunder the iron ringof thedoorbut,hardashe tried,hecouldnotmoveit.Heandthechildweregazingattheringandscratchingtheirheadswhentheybecameawareofaverybigoldmaninablacksuit,standingalittlebent in thedoorway. 'Whatareyoudoing?'heasked. 'Oh, it'syou,youngIannis.Ithoughtyouwerelooters.'

'We're tryingtoopenthis,'said theboy. 'It'sstuck,andit'sgotsomethinginsidethatwewant.'

Theoldmancameinsideandexaminedthetrapdoorwithhiswateryeyesbeforeslowlybendingdownandputtingthetipsofthefingersofonehandundertheironring.Heleanedsideways,puttingallhisweightandstrengthintoliftingtheringand,withasuddenloudcrack,thedoorflewupwardsinacloudofdust.Velisariosrubbedhishandstogether,blewonthetipsofhisfingersandseemedsuddenlytobecomea tiredoldmanagain. 'Goodbye,myfriends,'hesaid,and

madehiswayslowlydownthepathtothenewvillage.

'Unbelievable,'saidSpiro.

Insidethehiding-place,inperfectcondition,theyfoundanantiqueGermanrecord player, a handmade blanket, a bundle of papers written in Italian andanother package of papers with the title, 'A Personal History of Cephallonia'.TherewasalsoaclothbundlecontainingthemostbeautifulmandolinthatSpirohadeverseen.

When Iannis showed Pelagia the mandolin, she started crying and, toIannis'samazement,shedidnotstopforawholeweek.Ianniscomfortedherasbesthecould,climbingontoherknees,whichhewasreallyalittletoooldfor,andwipinghertears,wonderinghowitwaspossibletoloveanoldwomanwithstiff knees and thin grey hair somuch.While Iannis comfortedPelagia, Spirocarefullycleanedandpolishedthemandolin.HetightenedandtunedeachstringandtoldIannis,withgreatseriousness,thatthemandolinwasthemostpreciousthinghewouldeverown,sothatIannislearnedtoregardtheinstrumentwitharespectthathehadneverfeltinchurch,whendraggedtherebyPelagia.

***

InOctober1993Ianniswasfourteen,andhehadhadawholesummerinwhichtoplayinpublicwithSpiridonandhaveredrosesthrownathim.Inordernottoannoyhisgrandmotherwithhisconstantpractising-infactnottomakehercryagain-hehadgoneupto theruinsof theoldhousetoplayinprivate,andwas concentratingveryhardon a particularly difficult pieceofmusic.Hewasbitinghislipwiththeeffort,anddidnotnoticeanoldmanwhoapproachedhimandwatchedhimwithcriticalbutdelighted interest. Iannisnearly jumpedoutofhisseatwhenavoicesaid, inaverystrangeaccent, 'Excuseme,youngman.'

'Ah!'Iannisexclaimed.'Youfrightenedme.'

'I couldn't help noticing,' said the man, 'that you are doing somethingwrong.'

'I know, I'mhaving troublewith this piece,' replied Iannis, noticinghowunusually bright-eyed the old man was, and how there was about him anatmosphereofenergyandlaughter.

'Letmeshowyouhowtoplaceyour fingers.'Theoldmancameover toIannisandstartedtopulltheboy'sfingersintoplace,explainingashedidsowhythe fingerswerebetter in thisposition.Thenhestooduprightandadded, 'Youcanalwaystellareallygoodmusicianbecauseagoodmusiciandoesn'tseemtobemovinghisfingersatall.'

'Youseemtoknowalotaboutit,'saidIannis.

'Well,Ioughtto.I'vebeenaprofessionalmandolinplayerfornearlyallmylife.Icantellthatyou'regoingtobegood.'

'Playme something?' asked the boy, offeringhim themandolin.Theoldmantookthemandolin,settleditintothisbodyandbegantoplayinsuchawaythat Iannis'smouth fell openwith amazement. Suddenly the oldman stopped,turned the mandolin over, examined it with an expression of disbelief andexclaimed,'MotherofGod,it'sAntonia.'

'Howdidyouknowit'scalledAntonia?'askedIannis,bothsurprisedandsuspicious.'Haveyouseenitbefore?'

'Wheredidyoufindit?Whogaveittoyou?'

'I dug it out of that hole,' said Iannis, pointing to the open trapdoor.'Grandmatoldmeitwasthere.'

'AndwouldyourgrandmotherbeKyriaPelagia,daughterofDrIannis?'

'That'sme.I'mcalledIannis,afterhim.'

Theoldmansatnexttotheboyonthewall,stillholdingthemandolin,andwiped his foreheadwith a handkerchief, seeming suddenly very anxious. 'Tellme,youngman,isyourgrandmotheralive?Isshehappy?'heaskedfinally.

'Shecriessometimes,eversincewedugAntoniaandall theother thingsoutofthehole.'

'Andwhataboutyourgrandfather?Ishewell?'

Theboyseemedconfused.'Whatgrandfather?'heasked.

'Notyourfather'sfather.ImeanKyriaPelagia'shusband,'saidtheoldman,wipinghisforeheadagain.

'Thereisn'tone.Ididn'tevenknowshehadone.'

'AreyousayingthatKyriaPelagiahasn'tgotahusband?Youhaven'tgotagrandfather?'

'I suppose I must have, but I've never heard of him. I've only got myfather'sfather,andhe'shalf-dead.'

Theoldmanstoodup,lookedaroundhimandsaid, 'Thiswasabeautifulplace.Ihadthebestyearsofmylifehere.Anddoyouknowwhat?Iwasgoingtomarryyourgrandmotheronce.Ithinkit'stimeIsawheragain.'

The two of them were walking down the hill when Iannis stoppedsuddenly. 'If you're the onewhoplayed themandolin andwas going tomarryGrandma... does thatmean you're the ghost?' The autumnal sun shone brieflythroughthecloud,andtheoldmanpausedforthought.

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

TheReturn

AntonioCorelli,althoughinhisseventies,rediscoveredacertainyouthfulenergy in his old limbs as he danced about, trying to avoid being hit by thefrying pans that Pelagiawas busily throwing at him. 'You pig!' she screamed.'Allmylifewaiting,allmylifethinkingyouweredead.Andyoualiveandmeafool.Howcanyoubreaksuchpromises?Betrayer!'

Corelli backed against the wall, trying to hold off the broomstick thatPelagiawaswavingathim.'Itoldyou,'hecried.'Ithoughtyouweremarried.'

'Married!' sheexclaimedbitterly. 'Nosuch luck!Thanks toyou,you rat.'Shemadeamoveasifshewasgoingtohithimacrosstheheadwiththebroomhandle.

'Icamebackforyou.1946.Icameroundthebendandthereyouwerewiththelittlebaby,lookingsohappy.'

'WasImarried?Whotoldyouthat?SoIadoptababythatsomeoneleavesonmydoorstep...Couldn'tyouhavesaid,"Excuseme,butisthisyourbaby?"'

'Pleasestophittingme.Icamebackeveryyear,youknowIdid.Yousawme,Ialwayssawyouwiththechild.IwassobitterIcouldn'tspeak.ButIhadtoseeyou.'

'Bitter?Idon'tbelievemyears.You?Bitter?'

'Fortenyears,'saidCorelli,'fortenyearsIwassobitterthatIevenwantedtokillyou.And thenI thought,well,OK,Iwasawayfor threeyears,perhapsshethoughtIwasn'tcomingback,perhapsshethoughtIwasdead,perhapsshethoughtI'dforgotten,perhapsshemetsomeoneelseandfellinlove.Aslongasshe'shappy.ButIstillcameback,everyyear, just toseeyouwereall right. Isthatbetrayal?'

'And did you ever see a husband?And did you thinkwhat it did tome

whenIrantoyouandyoudisappeared?Didyouthinkaboutmyheart?'

'OK,soIjumpedthewallandhid.Ihadto.Ithoughtyouweremarried,Itoldyou.Pelagia,please,thisisaterribleembarrassmentforthecustomers.Can'twegoforawalkandtalkaboutitonthebeach?'

She looked roundat all the faces, someof themgrinning, someof thempretendingtolooktheotherway.EverywheretherewereoverturnedchairsandtablesthatPelagiahadthrowntothefloorinheranger. 'Youshouldhavedied,'sheshouted,'andleftmewithmydreams.Youneverlovedme.'Shemarchedoutof the door, leaving Corelli bowing repeatedly to the customers and saying,'Pleaseexcuseus.'

Twohours later theyweresittingona familiar rock,gazingoutover theseaat theyellow lightsof theharbour reflected in theblackenedwaters. 'I seeyougotmypostcards,then,'hesaid.

'InGreek.WhydidyoulearnGreek?'

'Iwasashamedofbeinganinvader.IwassoashamedthatIdidn'twanttobeItaliananymore.I'vebeenlivinginAthensforabouttwenty-fiveyears.I'maGreekcitizen.'

'Didyoubecomeacomposer?'

'Yes,I'veplayedmymusicallovertheworld.Iwrotemyfirstbigpieceofmusicforyou.It'scalled"Pelagia'sMarch".'Henoticedthatshewastryingnottocry,andthoughthowemotionalshehadbecomeinheroldage.Shehadevenknocked out his false teeth, so that they had fallen in the sand and had to bewashedinthesea.

'Ifeellikeanunfinishedpoem,'saidPelagia,withaheavysigh.Corellifeltastingofshameandavoidedareply.

'Everything's changed.Everythinghereused tobe sopretty andnow thehouseslooklikeboxesmadeofcement.'

'And we have electricity and telephones and running water and propertoiletsandearthquake-resistanthouses.Isthatsobad?'

Therewasasilence,duringwhichthethoughtsofbothofthemreturnedtothepast.'Iseeyoustillhavemyring,'hesaid.

'OnlybecauseIcouldn'tgetitoff,'sheanswered.'IhaditalteredtofitandnowIregretit.'Shehesitated.'Sodidyougetmarried?Isupposeyoudid.'

'Me?No.AsIsaid,Iwasverybitterforyearsandyears.Iwashorribletoeveryone,especiallywomen,andthenIbecamesuccessfulandIwasallovertheworld, flying from one place to another.And, anyway,whowants to bewithsomeonewhoisdreamingofsomeoneelse?'

'Antonio Corelli, I can see that you can still tell lies with your silvertongue.And how can you bear to look atme now? I'm an oldwoman. I feelashamedtobesooldandugly.Youlookthesame,justoldandthin,butIlooklikesomeoneelse,Iknowit.Iwantyoutoremembermeproperly.NowI'mjustalump.'

'YouforgetthatIcametospyonyou.Ifyouseethingshappengradually,there'sno shock.You're just the same.'He squeezedherhandgentlyand said,'Don'tworry,it'sstillPelagia.Pelagiawithabadtemper,butstillPelagia.'

'DidyoueverthinkthatImighthavebeenrapedandthatwaswhyIhadababy?'

'Yes,Idid.'

'And...?'

'I admit itmade a difference.We had some ideas about dishonour then,didn'twe?ThankGodwe'renotsostupidnow.'

'Themanwhotriedtorapeme...Ishothim.'

Helookedatherindisbelief.'Youshothim?'

'Iwasneverdishonoured.HewasthefianceIhadbeforeyou.'

'Youneversaidanythingaboutafiance.'

'Jealous?'

'OfcourseI'mjealous.'Theemotionwasbeginningtostirhimalittletoomuchandhetriedtocontrolhisfeelings.Pelagiadecideditwastimetochangethesubject. 'Iwant toshowyousomething.YouneverreadCarlo'spapers,didyou?Comebacktothetavernaandeat,andI'llgiveyouhiswriting.Wedoanexcellentsnailsdish.'

'Snails!'heexclaimed.'Irememberallaboutsnails.'

Corellisatatthetablewithitsplasticclothandreadthroughthestiffoldsheets that had curled up at the corners.As he read, he frowned, and once ortwiceheblinkedasifindisbelief.Whenhehadfinishedreading,Pelagiacameandsatoppositehim.'Well?'sheasked.

Hetappedthepileofpapers.'Iwishyouhadn'tshownmethese.I'mmoreold-fashionedthanIthought.Ihadnoidea.'

'Helovedyou.Areyoudisgusted?'

'Sad...It'sashock.Ican'thelpit.'

'He wasn't just another hero, was he? He was more complicated. PoorCarlo.'

Theybegantotalkmorefreely.'Areyouveryfamousthen?'Pelagiaasked.

'Onlyinthesensethatothermusicianshaveheardofme.I'veretirednow...Infact,Iwasthinking...Iwanttorebuildtheoldhouse.Iwanttoliveinaniceplace.Aplacewithmemories.'

'Withoutwaterandelectricity?'

'I'llputthemin.Wouldyousellmethesite?'

'You'reinsane.Idon'tevenknowifweownit.'

'Thenyoudon'tmind.I'dpayyoutocomeandcleanit,'hesaidwickedly.

Shetookhimseriously. 'What?DoIneedmoney?Withthis taverna?GohometoAthens.Anyway,Lemoniwoulddoit.'

'LittleLemoni?She'sstillhere?'

'She'sasbigasashipandagrandmother.'

He fell silent again, remembering thepast, then said, 'Sodo Ihaveyourpermissiontorebuildthehouse?'

'No,'shesaid,stillholdingontoheranger.

'Oh.'He lookedatherdoubtfully.Hewould return to the topicat a laterdate, he decided. 'I'm going to come and see you tomorrow,' he said, 'with asurprise.'

'Idon'twantanysurprises.Gotohellwithyoursurprises.Youowemealife.'

'Ah.I'llbringyoualifethen.'

'Stupidoldman.'

Heturnedupthenextdaywithscreamingbrakesinacloudofbluesmoke.Pelagia shook her head disapprovingly as he climbed carefully off themotorbike,whichwasbrightredandlookedasifithadbeendesignedforracing.'Doyouknowwherewe'regoing?'thecaptainsaid. 'We'regoingtoseeifCasaNostraisstillthere...'hetappedthemachine'...onamotorbike.'

'Doyou really think thehut survived theearthquake?Anddoyou reallythinkI'mgoingonathinglikethat?Atmyage?'

'Ihireditspecially.Itgoesverywell.'

'No,'shesaid.'Mykneesaretoostiff.'

'Don'tyouwanttoseeCasaNostra?'

'Notwithamadman.'

'I'vegotitfortwodays.Wecansitonarockandwatchthesea.'Ittookalong time topersuadeher.As theyswungdangerously fromside to sidealongthe stony roads, she held on tightly to his waist, her face buried between his

shoulders.Corellinoticedthatsheheldontohimevenmoredesperatelythanintheolddays,andfromtimetotimehedeliberatelyswungtoonesideoftheroadsothatshewouldholdhimtighter.'Maythesaintssaveme,'thoughtPelagia,andin search of safety slid her arms right round his waist and linked her fingerstogether.

-THEEND-

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