The Eagle of Spinalonga

by Nike Azoros

  ‘Mein Got.’

  Nikos had handpicked the residents who were the oldest and with the most advanced stages of leprosy. All the filthy old rags of their life pre Nikos had been burned so they had spent a lot of their preparation time making new old rags. Old Barba Timos with the one leg and completely blind hobbled towards them guided by the equally wretched Anthea who had no fingers left on one hand and whose face looked like an open can of tomato paste. She was supported by Mitsos whose ancient face was so distorted by his condition that he looked like the wind had frozen his face into an evil grimace. He had lost one eye but his elegant eye patch Nikos had ordered for him especially was now replaced with a tattered head bandage. Mitsos had lost all the toes on one foot many years ago as well as the use of his tongue which now hung out of the corner of his hideous mouth, dribbling saliva down his chin. His hardened skin had turned deep grey and the saliva glistened like large pearls, catching in the sweet Spinalonga sunshine. Anthea waved her stubby arm at them and with her good hand, well reasonably good hand, it still had two fingers on it, pulled out a wooden stick from her ragged dress. The other two lepers pulled out sticks too.

  In any other situation the soldiers would have viewed this as an act of aggression and opened fire without hesitation but they were transfixed by the macabre apparitions before them. It was almost impossible to look at these human ruins but also completely impossible to stop looking at them.

  The sticks were flag poles and each unfurled theirs. The two men waved theirs first. The flags were white, a tattered off white. It would not be in keeping with the image Nikos had worked hard to create to wave a pristine pure white cloth. That would signify there was some cleanliness on the island and he didn’t want them thinking that.

  Anthea then unfurled hers.

  The Germans were riveted to their spots, their breath caught in their throats. This flag was pristine, it’s crisp folds still visible, as if it had been storage somewhere on site because it was a standard requirement but with no intention of ever being used, unless in war. Squarely in the middle of the white cloth was the Red Cross. All three mutants shuffled forward and tried to speak. The two men could do nothing but expel muffled moans but the woman was clearer. She spoke one Greek word but that word had the same meaning in German.

  ‘Lepra.’

  Leprosy! The two junior soldiers had already started to splash back into the dinghy as if the very water they were standing in could infect them.

  ‘Halt!’ ordered their captain.

  ‘Do you understand what has just happened?’

  All the soldiers sensed movement and turned to look at the wall behind this terrible trio. It began to seethe with life. More wretched ragged creatures appeared, some sticking their repulsive heads over the parapets and others straining out of the narrow openings, all were chanting, ‘Lepra, Lepra.’

  ‘This is a nightmare Captain, why are we still here?’ The captain had a defeated look on his face. With utter frustration at the situation he informed them, ‘We have an obligation under the Geneva Convention to them.’

  ‘We do? Do you care about such things anymore, I mean with the concentration camps and all the other things?’

  ‘That is an entirely different situation.’ The captain snapped at him, ‘They have surrendered to us and they have displayed the symbol of the Red Cross which means this is a war time hospital zone. We have no invasion rights here.’

  ‘Do we want them?’

  The captain held up his hands to show the islanders he was calm. Anthea reveling in her power and loving the full knowledge she was the star of the show, played her role of the all powerful crone to perfection. She crept forward and in a grating, high pitched shriek said, ‘Food!’ They understood that word. Her cry for food was accompanied by the international gesture for ‘I need to eat’. A normal person would press their middle and forefinger to their thumb and make movements as if putting food in their mouth but poor Anthea with her two remaining stubs of fingers looked as if she was trying to claw at her face.

  ‘Ja. Ja’ the captain kept re-assuring. ‘Genfer. Genfer.’

  ‘What does Genfer mean?’ Nikos whispered to Lyras. ‘It means Geneva. You did it Nikos. Operation Cyclops worked.’

  Spinalonga would be the only part of Greece upon which no German soldier would ever set foot.

  Chapter 22: Healing

  The war raged around them but on Spinalonga life was virtually normal. The only way they could deal with the guilt of was by accepting that just as their disease had kept them from the joys of life it also kept them from some of the horrors. All of them agreed they would rather be healthy and fighting for their country than be on Spinalonga. Their radio kept them informed of the level of suffering of the outside world that seemed endless until finally they heard the one they had been waiting for, ‘As a result of pressure being exerted by the Greek freedom fighters, the withdrawal of German forces was continuing with increasing speed.’

  The world got down to the business of recovery from the horrific madness inflicted upon it by Nazi Germany. Spinalonga continued to run as the elegant city state Nikos had designed it to be except he was less of it than he would have liked. He had been feeling ill and Doctor Lukas had him confined to the infirmary for a week. His disease was progressing. For a while he felt that maybe there had been some sort of terrible error. He always felt good and he hadn’t appeared to have physically changed but he had been deluding himself.

  Beneath his shirt sleeves the skin on his arms was full of dry white patches, he could feel the pull of his facial muscles drooping and his eyes were hurting. His left arm had been hurting for weeks but he had put it down to carrying the weight of Artemis around on it for too long. When Angela examined him she excused herself. She returned with Doctor Lukas and both doctor and nurse studied him in silence.

  ‘Tell me what is wrong.’

  Lukas sighed and sat on the bed while Angela went over to the other side to hold his good hand, ‘Oh now I really know something is wrong. Speak up doctor.’

  ‘Nikos, the nerves and muscles in your lower arm are pretty much destroyed. Really the best thing I can recommend is that we amputate.’

  ‘Well hurry up then. Artemis needs to hunt. Can I be back with her by tomorrow? If not send Manoussos to feed her.’

  ‘I give the orders here my friend and we will inform Manoussos to feed your Artemis. Maybe you might be out of here within ten days but not before.’ The surgery was performed that afternoon and Nikos was tended to by one of the volunteer helpers. When he woke from the anesthetic, Athena was standing over him wiping his brow. ‘You are doing very well Nikos.’

  He smiled so much he couldn’t stop smiling. He smiled because he was full of gratitude that Spinalonga now had the resources to give life saving operations to its patients, and he smiled because Athena looked so beautiful. She had recovered from her trauma and spent most of her time helping out in the infirmary. She did not seem to be too affected by her disease. ‘Athena! How kind of them to send me such a beautiful nurse.’ Athena laughed, ‘You have such humor Nikos.’

  ‘You know that is the first time I have heard you laugh.’

  ‘I am feeling much better in so many ways. I have had my second blood test and it too came out negative. I have deliberately delayed having the third because if it too is negative then I will be able to leave. Except, I really have nowhere to go and everything I care for is here.’

  ‘Athena, that is very good news about your blood tests. And everyone here cares for you. We would like nothing more than if you stayed here with us.’ The two were temporarily trapped in their gazing at each other. They did not hear Angela walk in. She had stopped in her tracks when she saw the two of them stuck in their sweet stare. It was wondrous to see but she took a step back softly so as to give them this moment. Did they even know they were in love? She coughed, slammed a door and walked heavily for her footsteps to be heard. Nikos and Athena both looked away from other, too afraid to continue lo
oking at each other in case the other wasn’t feeling the same thing. Angela made her entrance into the room and checked on Nikos and read all the records Athena had written down. ‘This is all looking good but it is back to sleep with you Nikos, you still have a lot of recovering to do. Athena, make sure you are by his side when he wakes. Am I understood?’

  Nikos and Athena smiled at each other, ‘Understood.’

  That evening Athena spoon fed Nikos chicken soup. He looked directly at her the entire time and she delicately dabbed at his mouth with the napkin. At the final spoonful she used the napkin to disguise the way she used her finger to trace around his full mouth. Nikos did not disguise the sensuous sigh that was the result of her covert caress. She cared for him, fed him, sat with him and spoke with him every day for nine days.

  She wasn’t there on the last day. Another volunteer was on duty for his room, Aliki. When Aliki entered the room his face fell, ‘What did I do to deserve that?’

  ‘Oh sorry, I didn’t mean anything. I was just expecting someone else that’s all.’

  ‘I know but Athena volunteered to do your washing and housekeeping so you can go back to your house and find everything clean and in place. She is also tending to little Theodora. She has taken a real liking to Athena. Did you know Athena was a kindergarten teacher before she came here?’

  ‘Really?’ Nikos smiled in happiness. He knew his mother had everything in immaculate order and there would be little for Athena to do but he liked the thought of Athena in his home, dusting his books, washing his clothes and preparing a meal for him. He had always been proud of his independence and never thought of being with a woman just so she would do his chores for him. He had always wanted a real companion, someone he could talk to about anything, someone he could sit in silence with and not feel awkward and if there were chores to be done, they would do them together.

  Little Theodora was with him more than she was with her father. Now with her grandmother present to do the mothering, just as Nikos had predicted, Lyras withdrew into his music. Nikos and Theodora had developed a loving relationship exactly like father and daughter. The thought of Athena, his mother and Theodora together with him in his house made him feel pure joy. Aliki came to the side of the bed and started to feed him his breakfast eggs, ‘No thank you Aliki, I am fine. I can feed myself.’

  ‘Okay, I will just straighten up your bed linens then go.’ When Angela came in she could see Nikos was lost in thought. ‘What’s on your mind?’

  ‘I can’t stop thinking about Athena.’ Angela smiled at her friend and he smiled back.

  ‘She will be here soon. It is her job to help you pack and to walk you back to your house. You are going home today Nikos.’ Angela helped Nikos dress and the two chatted easily, like brother and sister. When Athena arrived Angela made a discreet exit. Nikos was feeling well. His walking was not affected and he could carry his small bag easily with his other arm. ‘Nikos please, I’m the one who is supposed to be helping you.’

  Nikos looked at Athena and smiled, ‘Do you really want to help me?’

  ‘Yes, Nikos I really do.’

  ‘Then let me carry my own bag and take what is left of my other arm and escort me home. They made a handsome couple as they strolled through the streets of Spinalonga, through the square, past the taverna, bakery and café and around the church. Everybody stopped and stared. The two fat, ugly whores Stella and Susan looked at each other in disappointment. ‘We won’t be seeing him again.’ When Nikos and Athena arrived at his house, Theodora came out. He opened out his good arm for her to come to him for a hug but she ran to Athena first. Manoussos and the senior Theodora had been watching them too as they walked from church.

  ‘Well Theodora, it looks to me like there is going to be another wedding on Spinalonga.’

  Chapter 23: Vincent Barry

  Nikos knocked on the doctor’s office door at exactly two pm, the time Lukas had requested the appointment, and walked in through the open door. Doctor Lukas usually had the permanently pleasant face of a seasoned professional whose day to day business was death and darkness. Today the doctor looked different, Nikos could tell.

  ‘Doctor you look like you have seen the second coming, what is it?’

  The men shook hands, ‘Sit down Nikos, I have news.’ Nikos sat and arranged himself to be sitting in a way that he could easily stand up again. He was expecting to be told that he and Angela were to be wed.

  ‘I want to share it with you first before we tell all the others.’

  ‘Well from the look on your face I believe it must be very good news. Are congratulations in order?’

  ‘Oh,’ the doctor blushed. ‘You are referring to my friendship with Nurse Venetis? No it is not about that but thank you for your good feelings in that matter, things are indeed very good in that regard. No Nikos that is not the good news I have today. My news is far better than that.’

  ‘Something has happened?’

  ‘Yes. Something has happened.’ Doctor Lukas poured a glass of water for Nikos and made sure he was comfortable then began his mini lecture. He knew he had to start with Nikos. He had considered first talking to Father Manoussos who was a wise man but he was by nature a hermit. Nikos was the one who could talk to people better.

  ‘Science is finding out more and more about leprosy every day due to brave men who approach their research with logic and caution. The Danish doctor Gerhardt Hansen made a tremendous discovery when he was able to prove leprosy is caused by a bacterium and is not hereditary. He was able to isolate this bacterium to see it under a microscope and through lab research and he found that most people have a natural immunity to it.’ He stopped there. The words had to sink in, and they did.

  ‘Most people have a natural immunity to it?’ Nikos repeated slowly but deliberately.

  ‘So that means that all for these years we have been forced to live away from our loved ones, we were killed off by society, when the reality was that we were less infectious than a man with a sneeze?’

  ‘Well yes and no. The ignorance of the past is something out of the control of either of us. We can now only help to shine a light to the future. The sneeze might have brought influenza or pneumonia at worst. More people would have been infected but the contagion would have been more minor. A leper might only infect one or two people but they too would have been made permanently ill with a terrible and fatal disease.’

  ‘So all these years of not even being able to write letters because of the fear the leprosy might somehow have found its way into the ink, of having to wear a bell so people could hear us coming and run away, all of that was for nothing.’

  The doctor could only hang his head out of sympathy for the unnecessary suffering.

  ‘Well thank you doctor for the insight but what now does that mean for us here on Spinalonga?’

  ‘There is more Nikos, there is more. A doctor in the city of Dublin in Ireland has done some excellent research work. His name is Vincent Barry, he and his research team have done wonders.’

  ‘Yes and what have Doctor Vincent Barry and his research team done?’

  ‘Doctor Barry was charged with studying tuberculosis and he found the bacteria of tuberculosis and the bacteria of leprosy are very similar. They are actually of the same strain.’

  The words of Doctor Lukas had seared into his brain. His body, tense from the trauma of the memories, slumped into the chair but only briefly, Nikos was now leaning forward. His one good hand gripped the arm of the chair, his disease had made him lose two of the fingers on the other. He looked straight at the doctor so as not to miss a word.

  ‘Similar to tuberculosis? They can cure tuberculosis. Doctor what did this Vincent Barry do?’

  ‘He performed tests. He used the same treatment for tuberculosis on people with leprosy and noticed a difference, an improvement. By the way how are you eyes today Nikos?’ For the last few weeks Nikos had been experiencing diminished vision in one eye, when he woke up this morning he could not see from
it at all. His other eye had also begun to have a burning sensation some time ago but he had narrowed it now to focus closely on Lukas and take in every word he was saying. ‘My eyes are not doing very well, but my ears are open, keep talking.’

  ‘Nikos, Doctor Barry and his research team did many more tests. The breakthrough is enormous. The therapy for those with the mild version of leprosy takes six months of the treatment. For those with the severe form like you, the treatment takes two years.’ Lukas was now sitting in the other chair directly across from Nikos so he could be looking straight at him when he said, ‘My dear friend, there is process involved and it takes time but, the cure has come.’

  ‘There is a cure now?’ Nikos could barely speak.

  The doctor nodded to confirm Nikos’ question. Nikos felt his body turn to jelly. He slid off the chair. He sat on the floor curled up like a foetus, all his strength went into trying to contain the great racking sobs that were contorting his lungs. A terrible sound emerged from his throat like a confusion of joy, anger and frustration that came out like the fearful howl of a wolf at full moon. The doctor fell to his knees too and embraced Nikos as tightly as he could. He wanted at that moment to be everything to him, protective father, brother, team mate, close friend. He held him tight as Nikos bayed out the terror of his past life and battled with the rage that even with the cure his body was too far damaged to ever be normal again.

  Angela had burst into the room when she heard the cries of pain and took in the sight of her beloved and her dear friend on the floor weeping together and gently backed out of the room to allow them the privacy that men need when expressing emotion. She wept for Nikos too, but quietly and alone.

  Educated men do not like to give in to their emotions believing it is a sign of irrationality, of weakness. They believe reason should rule but often neglect the equally important fact that a little venting is a very good thing. So when Nikos and the doctor composed themselves for a few moments they could not, and would not, look at each other. It was the doctor who broke the silence. ‘Yes Nikos it is indeed a very big step but there are still many to be taken. The therapy is long and painful, it will require injections over several months and experiments are ongoing.’