by K. T. Tomb
Cash looked out over the Anatolian coastline in the distance and tried to recall more. Alexander the Great had been here, and taken this land from the Persians, much to the delight of the Ionian Greeks on the coast. After his death, this had become part of the Seleucid Empire, one of the three successor states. When Macedon fell to the Romans, they had tried to invade Greece, encouraged by the defeated Carthaginian general, Hannibal, and failed. Eventually, they were conquered themselves, by the Parthians and Armenians coming from the east, and the Romans coming from Greece.
Her history lessons served her well, even though they were never as complete as those her husband or Laura had gotten. She had researched a lot of it over time, especially because she found the comparison fascinating between the Peloponnesian War and the Cold War, which in some ways was sadly still ongoing. There were quite a few things the two had in common. She had always found that funny, how history could repeat itself in such a way. Sometimes moments in the present were so like moments in the past, it was like someone was holding a mirror to them. And yet so many still remained too blind to see the reflection on the mirror’s surface.
Suddenly, a woman in a headscarf stumbled into the stroller and Paddy woke up. He let out a cry of surprise and distress and Cash jumped at the baby’s bawl and turned, glowering at the woman. “Bloody hell, watch where you're going why don’t you!” Cash snapped her. The woman raised her hands in apology and walked away. Very much on her guard since the earlier pickpocketing attempt, Cash took a quick look at the stroller's contents as she stood up to tend to her crying son. Of course, the diaper bag was gone. She caught a glimpse of it in the woman's hand, as it disappeared beneath her robes. She swung Paddy to her hip and in a few strides, Cash was on the unsuspecting woman and clapped a strong hand on her shoulder. The woman had obviously thought with the distraction from the crying child, Cash wouldn’t have missed the bag until she was long gone.
Cash turned the woman around and snatched the bag from her grasp, the robes ripped at the shoulders and almost came away in Cash’s hand as well. “Clear off, you bloody thief! What kind of woman steals a baby bag anyway?” she shouted at her. She swung the bag over her shoulder and then used the resulting momentum to slam the palm of her hand into the woman's chest, shoving her away quickly. The woman stumbled backward and fell over a man who was lying stretched out on the deck with his back up against the gunwale. The man got to his feet angrily and began a furious argument in Greek with the woman, which she didn’t seem to understand.
Cash stepped back and repositioned Paddy, who was still crying, on her hip. As she walked back to the stroller, she looked again at the rack below it. The other bags were still there. She threw the diaper bag into the stroller and spun it around to face her, sat down on the bench and began singing softly to the crying boy. She sang Waltzing Matilda, and then Kookaburra sat in the Old Gum Tree. It worked to calm Paddy down, and he settled closely to his mother, hugging her and resting his head on her chest.
After a bit, she sat him down beside her and dug some food and drink out of the bag. She had prepared a cup of juice for Paddy with sandwiches and cut up vegetables. She started by giving Paddy carrot sticks and apple wedges which he devoured, then she handed the boy a sandwich, which he began eating straight away. When he finished, she handed him the drink cup, keeping a careful eye on the boy and making sure he didn’t drink too much.
The ferry pulled into Chios harbor after what seemed like an eternity, but Cash could tell by the sun it wasn’t even halfway through the morning. They had left early and the ferry was fast enough. A lot of people got off, but she, with a number of others stayed on board, as the same boat would sail to Karlovasi, on Samos.
When the engines started again, the boat was nowhere near as full as it had been. Cash could even walk around a bit and make her way down to the lower deck again, dragging the stroller with her into the restroom. Being able to lock the door behind her, she knew the stroller was safe while she relieved herself and leisurely changed Paddy’s diaper.
Just before two o'clock, the harbor of Karlovasi came into sight. The houses on the hills overlooking the sea were white with red-tiled roofs—like most of the towns in the region—making them stand out amongst the green hills of Samos. But something did make the little port unique. There were dots of orange around the beach to the sides of the town.
The harbor of the city itself was crowded with gray boats. Cash had expected there to be luxury yachts and enormous sailboats, but these vessels were not pleasure crafts at all. Most flew a Greek flag, but there was a plethora of other colors up their masts as well. The closest vessel bore the Greek flag and the flag of the Irish Republic.
They were coastguard and navy vessels that had come from everywhere to help stem the tide of people flowing from the east to the west. Only one large vessel in the harbor didn’t look like it had some military use; the next ferry she would have to board. It was waiting patiently at the dock for the scheduled departure time.
When the vessel docked next to it, Cash sprinted down with the stroller and her bags and ran toward the other ferry. There were only about five minutes left to board, and missing it would mean a huge delay.
There was space in the small restaurant on that ferry and Cash sat down there. She took Paddy out of his stroller and let him walk around a bit, though he never strayed far from the stroller. The passengers on that leg of the trip were much sparser than the previous one and, like the ferry itself, a little more sophisticated. Cash had been right in thinking that the smaller the islands got and the further south they went toward Crete, the more luxurious the ride and the company would get. It was a socio-economic fact in Greece; living on the smaller, distant islands took money, lots of money.
Just as the boat set off, Cash put Paddy on the seat next to her and took out her lunchbox and drinks again. She had some milk and a thermos of tea as well, and Paddy seemed as hungry and thirsty as she was. She took her time, enjoying having a bit of peace around them. She’d be damned if she gave up their cushy table in the restaurant sooner than she had to. After eating, Paddy would have to take his afternoon nap and she knew he would wake up again the moment they reached Agios Kirykos. The island of Ikaria was only some ten miles away, and the moment they rounded the island of Samos, her hawk eyes could make it out in the distance.
Not long after they were finished eating, Cash changed Paddy and tucked him in. She hung a cloth over the stroller, hoping it would make it dark enough for him to fall asleep. She returned to her book but again couldn’t focus. She pulled her tablet out and found she had a signal. She pulled up a playlist, put her earphones in and then used the device to continue her research on the Cottas.
She knew the family tree well enough by then and had no doubt she could make something out of it; something good enough to write a book on. But it wasn’t yet a story worthy of putting his name on. She wasn’t even sure if it was a new addition to her historical fiction pen name or one of the true fantasies she’d started writing under her own name. That would all depend on what she found out and how the investigation progressed.
There was pressure from her publisher to come up with something quickly, but she didn’t want to lower her standards. Her abilities had come to light with that story of the Eureka Rebellion, and she would remain true to herself and only write stories worth putting out there. She still faced a problem with whether the story would be allegorical or about a quest or an actual object, and she couldn’t decide which it should be. There was simply no evidence at all for any of it being real, and she doubted she could make a credible case in fiction for a pre- Common Era transatlantic journey. All great fiction has a base in truth, and she simply couldn’t see how to put that story together.
When the ferry docked in Agios Kirykos, Cash found the harbor very similar to the one they had left just over an hour before. Paddy woke up as the stroller hit a bump at the end of the gangway. Cash picked him up for a bit and then set him down on the ground to walk. Th
ere was half an hour before they would have to board the last ferry for the day, so they could walk around a bit. Cash looked up at the mountains, seeing the vineyards on the slope. She would have to come back there some time, she reckoned. It was absolutely beautiful.
She knew the name of the island was based in lore as well. Ikaria was named after Icarus, the son of Daedalus. To escape an island, Daedalus had fashioned wings from wax and feathers and they had flown up and out of the tower they’d been imprisoned in. Icarus got carried away and flew too high and too close to the sun. His wings had melted and he crashed to the sea and drowned. Apparently, it had happened close to the shore of this island.
After a short walk along the quay, and a quick stop at a shop, she put Paddy back in the stroller and headed back to the ferry that would take her and Paddy to Syros. She had booked a hotel room there and after the entire day at sea, she was looking forward to having a hot shower, a good meal and a soft bed. No doubt Paddy was looking forward to something similar, even if he was incredibly adventurous.
She approached the gate at the gangway and stopped there. She had thought the gate would be open by now, but it wasn’t. Nothing was happening.
Suddenly there were sirens. Two cars and two motorcycles raced around the corner and pulled up just in front of the ferry. Soldiers alighted from the vehicles and clambered up the quay, unslung their rifles and formed a line to rush up the gangway, followed closely by the police.
A woman behind Cash growled and said something in Greek; she sounded angry.
“What's going on?” Cash turned around and asked the woman.
The woman shook her head. “They have not been paid.”
“Huh?” Cash asked, not understanding what she meant.
The woman nodded to the gangway without another word. Cash looked, and then looked back to the woman. There was nothing happening. The woman said nothing. Cash looked back to the gangway.
After a few minutes, there was some movement. A few police officers walked down, followed by men in crew uniform. Walking beside them and behind them were the soldiers.
“They have not been paid for three months. They must have refused to work,” the woman sighed.
“Well, I wouldn’t either!” Cash frowned. “If I'd not been paid for that long, I would refuse to work too.”
The woman shook her head. “Ferries are considered an essential service. Those bastards in Athens passed a law a while back. If people in essential services refuse to work, they risk between a month and three years in jail.”
“What the hell?” Cash said softly. “Even if they've not been paid?”
The woman shrugged. “Well, unless they find a crew, it doesn't look like we're going anywhere today.” She sat down on the quay with a sigh and leaned back against a post. “Unless they have skilled guys ready somewhere to take over the operations, we're stuck here.”
Cash swore and looked at Paddy, who was taking a keen interest in the men with the guns. It wasn’t just the inconvenience that got to her, but the fact that he might miss a very rare weekend with his dad. She swore loudly and sat down too.
Chapter Four
It was a quarter past eleven when Cash and Paddy got off in Syros. Paddy was awake and unmanageable. He was exhausted, even more so than his mother. Both of them were hungry.
Half the crew from another ship had been moved to the ferry to Syros and with that skeleton crew they had begun the journey several hours late. Because of the delay and the skeleton crew, the ship didn’t make the same time she would have made otherwise, and she didn’t get permission to dock straight away.
Fuming, Cash made her way to the hotel she had booked. She had called ahead to explain what had happened on Ikaria, and the woman had promised that someone would remain at the front desk until she got there to check her in. It was only a short walk to the hotel from the dock, and Cash was happy to find they had kept their word. She placed her ID and the money for the room on the desk and the young man promptly handed her a key. With a quick check of the name and face on the drivers’ license, he handed it back to her and moved around the desk to assist Cash with the bags.
She spoke to the innkeeper for a moment, mainly asking about food and got permission to use the kitchen to warm some milk for Paddy, and with the woman’s help, she ordered some food from a bar down the street.
“It’s not fancy but it is good and fresh and well prepared.”
That satisfied Cash and she went up to the room and sat Paddy down in the toddler bed that had already been placed in the room while she peeled her clothes off. She took a very quick shower, put some fresh clothes on and then took Paddy down to warm some milk for him. The milk wasn’t because he still needed it, but it always helped him sleep. She reckoned if she let him eat any solid food that late, he would have a hard time falling asleep, and with the next ferry leaving at seven the next morning, he needed his rest immediately.
The woman knocked on the door just as she put Paddy down, making him cry. Cash sighed and answered the door. She took the food, gave the woman some money and thanked her profusely. She apologized for being short with the innkeeper and for all of Paddy’s fussing and crying, but the woman was a mother herself and was completely understanding.
She set the food down and picked Paddy up. She took his clothes off, changed him and put him into his pajamas. She gave him his bottle and spoke gently to him in Welsh. He seemed to calm down a bit and began to doze off. The bottle finished, she cleaned his teeth with a moist washcloth and tucked him in the cot.
Then Cash took a seat at the far end of the room by the window. She placed her laptop on the side table, selected a movie and sat down to eat her supper. She drank what remained of her tea and when she had finished, she set an alarm on her phone, undressed and got under the sheets in the dark room. She listened for a moment to Paddy's breathing and then closed her eyes.
In the morning, she went through the motions quickly before Paddy woke. She went down to make some fresh tea and fill up the bottles and lunchboxes from the breakfast buffet and the kitchen. She ate quickly and by the time she returned to her room, Paddy was sitting up in the bed, looking around bleary eyed.
Cash rushed to change his diaper and get him dressed before getting everything packed up and taking him downstairs. She had no time to feed him properly, but she had plenty of toast, cheese and fresh fruit to take along. With her bill paid, she checked out and a quarter of an hour later, they were down at the dock again. As beautiful as the surroundings were, the novelty of the journey had worn a bit thin for Cash by then. She just wanted to get to bloody Crete already.
They changed ferries on Paros and Ios. On a break in Santorini, Cash bought some diapers and more food and drink and she sat down on a terrace by the harbor for some decent coffee. To her relief, Paddy had pretty much slept through the whole morning. Even then, he was still sleeping. At two o'clock, she went back to the dock and boarded the last ferry, the boat to Crete.
They arrived in Heraklion exactly on time, five o'clock. Cash had kept checking her messages and knew Tim had flown from Coventry via Munich and Athens and would be at Heraklion airport at the same time. Just as they docked, she saw a plane flying overhead with the blue stripes of Aegean Airlines on the tail. In her mind, that was the plane carrying her husband, Paddy's father. She texted him the moment she had her feet on the dock. She had again booked a hotel room in advance, so Tim only had to meet them there.
The hotel was in the center of Heraklion, close to Saint Minas Cathedral. She had chosen it specifically because it was close to restaurants and all the museums. Tim had said he would rent a car at the airport, and they could use that to get around, but being able to do everything else on foot would be very pleasant.
It was a two-mile walk from the dock and since Paddy had begun complaining about being in the stroller they moment they left the harbor behind them, he walked along with her for a few streets.
At the hotel, Cash checked in, got the room key and dropped of
f all their stuff. She changed Paddy again, determining to potty train him as quickly as possible, and then headed down to the terrace outside.
It was winter, but the sun was shining brightly on the Aegean. There was a fresh wind, but the buildings sheltered Cash and her son from most of it. Even so, she had put on a jacket and had made sure Paddy was wrapped up properly as well.
Around six-thirty, a familiar figure walked around the corner toward the hotel. Cash didn’t get up, figuring he would notice them sitting there. When he didn’t and walked past them, she let out a catcall. “Polý séxi!” she shouted. She had picked up a bit of Greek in the last few weeks, this being one of the phrases that had been exclaimed in her and Laura's direction several times.
The man looked around and in her direction, but still didn’t see her.
“For fuck’s sake, Tim!” Cash got up and looked straight at him. “Don't you recognize your wife and child?”
Tim laughed and strode forward to hug his wife. He kissed her on the lips and then let her go to pick up his son. “Dad!” the boy crowed, holding his arms wide to say he wanted a hug. Tim took him into his arms and hugged him closely. Paddy laid his head on his chest and held on to him tightly.
“Two weeks is too long to not see you.” He turned around and winked at his wife. “And you're a sight for sore eyes, as always.”
“You'd best get checked in and join us.” Cash nodded to him. “He's tired and needs his bed soon. I’ll be wanting something else once he's dozed off.”
Tim sat Paddy back down and picked up his own bag. “I'll see you again in a moment then.”
Having tucked Paddy in, Cash and Tim sat down outside again. They ordered coffee and brandy and watched the people walk through the street in front of them. Here too there was a large number of Middle Eastern and North African people, mainly men, walking around.
Cash took Tim's hand and laid it down on her thigh, just above her knee. She looked into his eyes for a moment and then moved forward to kiss him.