Under a Greek Spell

by Simone Hubbard

  ‘I like to see a woman taking equal responsibility for these matters. By the way, I am sorry about last night. I must be getting old. How embarrassing to fall asleep! I was planning to make it up to you later, and now this has happened.’

  ‘Oh, don’t worry. I was too drunk and knackered. I’m glad you fell asleep because I’d like our first time to be special.’ I can feel myself blushing.

  Stefanos smiles and says, ‘Me too.’

  I push a tablet out of the blister pack, chew it and wash it down with my water, which I nearly end up wearing as we make our way, Wacky Races style, back down the winding road.

  ‘You okay?’ Stefanos enquires, taking his eyes momentarily and worryingly off the road.

  ‘Yes, fine, thanks. I’m just self-medicating so I don’t get seasick.’

  ‘I keep saying you will be fine if you look at the horizon.’

  ‘Well, on this occasion, Stefanos, I’d rather be safe than sorry.’

  ‘Okay, you are right, I understand.’

  We have reached town in record time. Stefanos weaves round a bus that’s turning in the square and drives quite erratically down a narrow street, which is a car’s width at a pinch. He hoots the horn to disperse the poor unsuspecting tourists, who are wandering about like tourists do. I just look ahead; I can’t bear to make eye contact with anyone. This would be a good time to have my sunglasses on, but mine are somewhere in my black hole of a bag and as I’m unable to locate them at this crucial moment, I’ll just have to carry on looking ahead. Perhaps I can imagine that we’re filming a James Bond film. Thankfully, we get to the harbour, with people flailing their arms at us but luckily no casualties. I can see Stavros waiting for us. He’s with a woman.

  ‘Stephanie, I need to tell you something,’ says Stefanos suddenly.

  ‘That sounds a bit serious.’

  ‘The woman standing there with Papa is Selena. She was my fiancée until she had an affair with my cousin Nikos three years ago.’

  ‘Oh,’ is the only word that comes out of my mouth.

  ‘Yes – “oh”. We have not really spoken since.’

  ‘Well, this will be interesting.’ I could let Stefanos in on my information about Selena and James, but this is not the right time.

  ‘Well, interesting or not, Stephanie, there is no place in my life for her. I just want you to know that.’

  ‘That’s all I need to know.’ I take a deep breath and get out of the car.

  ‘Stephanie, this is Selena.’ Stefanos sounds quite business-like. ‘Selena, this is Stephanie. We are both going to Syros. Costas and Stephanie’s sister are both at the hotel and we can’t get hold of either of them.’

  ‘Hello, Stephanie,’ is all Selena says to me. She turns to Stefanos. ‘Would you mind if I come with you?’

  Stefanos looks at me for approval. ‘I don’t see why not,’ is all I can say. I’m hardly likely to turn round and refuse, but I feel quite smug because he’s asked me.

  Stefanos has a chat to his father. Stavros hands him a bag and the tickets for the ferry before giving him a hug. He looks quite emotional; he’s obviously really worried about Costas and Nikos. But Stefanos is doing a good job of reassuring him.

  ‘Okay, we had better get in the queue for the ferry.’ Stefanos puts his seat forward and beckons Selena to climb in the back. This offer doesn’t go down well. She huffs and tuts, but Stefanos immediately reprimands her. I get the impression she’s quite high maintenance. I can’t imagine Stefanos and her together at all.

  Stefanos drives to the barrier, where our passports are checked. The guard asks Stefanos some questions. There seems to be a lot of discussion. The guard then makes a phone call. We seem to be waiting forever. Thankfully, he finally hands back our passports and lets us through.

  ‘What was all that about?’

  ‘It is essential journeys only going to Syros. Some people do not know about earthquake and they want holiday people to stay here to await further news. I explain our situation so he had to get authorisation. They suggested that we speak to someone from the army personnel that are travelling over on this boat. They will be able to radio the emergency services in Syros and get someone over to the hotel.’

  The situation now seems surreal. This just can’t be happening! I must be having a nightmare. Oh no, not a panic attack! I feel like I’m being strangled. I can’t breath. Poor Helen could be trapped or even worse… I break down sobbing. Stefanos puts his hand on my arm and tries to reassure me. ‘Stephanie, try not to worry too much. We will soon be there.’

  Chapter 25

  Stephanie

  It’s taken an hour and a half to get to Syros but it feels more like ten hours. It was clear right from the start that Stefanos wasn’t going to let Selena call the shots, so she went off in a sulk. I’ve been trying to ring my parents to no avail and have ended up texting them, which I didn’t want to do.

  As we approach the harbour, the realisation of why we’re here hits me again like a brick wall. Only a few hours ago, this small Greek island was shaken by an earthquake. I try and stop my thoughts drifting any further than finding Helen, Costas and Nikos safe and well. Stefanos did manage to speak to some army personnel, and they took down the details of the hotel. That was a huge relief. At least someone should already be there.

  We can see from the ferry that the port is really busy, with cars, trucks and people going in all directions. Various sirens are sounding continuously. There’s an announcement made as we jostle along with the other passengers back to our respective vehicles. Stefanos tells me that they want the army personnel off first. Apparently, they’ve got a specific meeting point.

  Selena is already waiting for us at the car. Stefanos gives her an update as she climbs reluctantly into the back. Wearing some sensible shoes instead of her ridiculous heels might have helped her. We’re soon driving off the ferry. Stefanos pulls up to get out and speak to someone at the army meeting point.

  He jumps back in the car. ‘There is a search and rescue team at the hotel. They are radioing ahead to let someone know we are on our way.’

  ‘And have they found Helen, Costas or Nikos?’

  ‘I am sorry, Stephanie, they have no update. It is all quite a lot of chaos at the moment but at least they are there.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose. I just want to get there as soon as possible but it looks like we’re going to be stuck in this traffic for ages.’ Nothing is moving.

  ‘Well, hopefully I can find my way round the back streets, the way Costas took me when I visited.’

  Sure enough, once we leave the port, we get moving. We’re soon on a coastal road travelling out of town. Most of the smaller buildings we’ve seen so far seem to be okay, but we spot some emergency vehicles at bigger buildings. We pass one that looks like it’s collapsed, and there’s debris in the surrounding area. There are also people everywhere, looking dishevelled.

  The airport comes into view. There doesn’t seem to be much activity there. It could be that they have only a few flights a day and it’s nothing to do with the earthquake. As the runway ends, we turn off the tarmac road and join a dusty track.

  The hotel comes into view. It’s still standing! As we pull into the car park, I notice that a couple of plant pots have smashed to the ground and there are a few other bits of debris scattered about as well. A couple of army vehicles are parked up but there’s no sign of anyone. We can hear a noise that sounds like it’s coming from the back of the hotel. We get out of the car and cautiously make our way towards the noise, with Selena stumbling on the debris in her silly shoes.

  The noises get louder and we’re greeted by the army personnel beavering away. One of them urges us to move away from the building. It’s then that we notice its collapsed roof. The realisation that Helen, Costas or Nikos could be trapped beneath it hits us all at once.

  ‘God help us,’ Stefanos mut
ters and Selena breaks down sobbing. I stare at the roof in disbelief.

  Someone who must be in charge comes over to update us; I brace myself. He explains what’s going on in Greek, using a lot of hand gestures, which include pointing up at the sky and over to some scrubland.

  Stefanos looks concerned and nods slowly, taking the information on board.

  Selena shakes her head, mutters ‘O Theós na has voithísei’ and puts her hand to her mouth.

  Finally, the guy hurries off and leaves Stefanos to explain things to me. ‘Oh my God, Stefanos, what did he say?’

  ‘He say that when they arrived they thought they could hear a faint muffled voice under the roof. They were not sure if it is was a man or a woman and have not heard anything since. They cannot confirm how many people are trapped in there. A dog is being sent to go in and look. It will let the team know if it finds a person and where the person is. They are securing the roof as much as possible in case it drops again. Then they will use some cutting tools and start the rescue. They have searched the hotel and there is no one there. So they assume Costas, Helen and Nikos are all under that roof. There is a helicopter on standby to take them to Athens if need be.’

  ‘Oh, Stefanos, what if…?’ I break down sobbing again.

  Stefanos puts his arms round me to console me. ‘Stephanie, we have to be positive and pray that they are all okay.’

  ‘Yes, I know,’ I sob, ‘but it’s so hard.’ My sobs are interrupted by a phone ringing. ‘That’s Helen’s ring tone.’

  ‘It is Nikos’s ring tone also,’ Selena adds. ‘It seems to be coming from that direction.’ She points to the garden.

  We begin to move towards the spot. But then the noise stops. I get out my phone to ring Helen’s phone. Sure enough, it rings somewhere nearby. Of course, when the voicemail cuts in, the phone stops ringing. So I ring it again. My heart races. Maybe she’s not in the building? Then I spot her phone on a table near a sunbed. A couple of goats are chewing the straps of her bag.

  I clap my hands furiously and chase them away. ‘Shoo, shoo! Go on!’ I pick up Helen’s phone to see who was ringing her. Unsurprisingly, there are some missed calls. Five from her work, ten from me. The last one, unbelievably, is from James. ‘Bloody James Hobbs, you just couldn’t write the script!’

  ‘I wonder if he has heard about the earthquake?’ Stefanos asks, completely unaware of the situation between James, Helen and Selena, who is looking decidedly uneasy.

  Helen’s phone pings with a new message, which scrolls across the top of the screen. ‘Oh, speak of the devil, he’s sent a message instead. I’ll read it hot off the press.’

  Selena suddenly looks even more worried. ‘Maybe you should let your sister read her own message, Stephanie,’ she says, in a rather panicky voice.

  ‘Really, Selena? And how is she going to do that when she’s trapped under a bloody roof?’ Selena correctly realises it’s a rhetorical question and remains silent. ‘So, if you don’t mind, I’ll do what I bloody well like with my sister’s phone until she says differently, and that includes reading this text.’ Stefanos is smirking. ‘Right, here goes: “Hi, tried to ring but no answer. I don’t want to keep putting this off. I think it’s only fair that we go our separate ways. You deserve to share your life with someone special and that sadly isn’t me. Take care. James.” I can’t believe he’s done that! What a complete and utter moron. Right, I’m texting him back on Helen’s behalf.’

  ‘Are you sure about this, Stephanie?’ Stefanos asks cautiously.

  ‘Absolutely positive. Helen is better off without him.’ I furiously type my reply.

  Hi loser, my sister is currently

  unconscious under a collapsed

  roof and unable to reply,

  but what she’d like

  to say is thank goodness that

  ****** ******* ******

  is finally out of my life.

  Yours, Stephanie.

  ‘Send. How easy was that? Hopefully, she can now find someone who’ll treat her properly. What do you think, Selena? You’ve gone very quiet all of a sudden. I believe you know James.’

  ‘Well, of course I know James. He is the Loving Luxury Travel representative. I had no idea that your sister was Helen, who I met earlier this week.’ She casually brushes her hair behind her ear. She thinks she’s off the hook because there was no mention of her in James’s text.

  Then Stefanos interjects. ‘And I had no idea that your sister was going out with James either. He is a nice guy, but he likes to party and play with fire. That is why my brother has fallen out with him.’

  I seize my opportunity to find out what else Stefanos knows. ‘Why has Costas fallen out with him exactly?’

  Selena is now winding her hair nervously round her finger.

  ‘Well, Costas knew that James had a girlfriend in the UK. Because of what happened to him, he is really against anyone having an affair. James had confided in Costas and told him he was meeting someone.’

  ‘Who was this woman?’ I ask, knowing that Selena’s game is up.

  ‘I do not know if it is my place to say anything.’

  Selena is looking at the ground, hoping a fresh new fault line will appear and swallow her up. It’s about time her affair with James was exposed. I’m determined to drop her in it for Helen and Nikos’s sakes.

  ‘Well, he’s clearly finished with Helen, so I can’t see why,’ I reply.

  ‘Okay, but please you have not heard this from me. It was a man. James was seeing another man. I think he is a manager at one of the hotels.’

  ‘O theé mou!’ Selena gasps as she flops on to a sunbed. She puts her head in her hands.

  ‘Oh my God, this just goes from bad to worse! That thought had crossed my mind, but I just dismissed it. For now, I think it’s information that Helen doesn’t need to know. We’ll just end this situation with the text from James.’

  ‘Yes, I agree,’ Stefanos nods.

  Selena has gone very quiet. I decide to leave my campaign to expose her for the time being.

  The army guy is striding towards us again. He gives us another update. Stefanos and Selena are listening intently. My stomach is in knots, I’m full of anguish and my mind is awash with hundreds of what ifs. Once again, the guy leaves and Stefanos fills me in.

  ‘Okay, Stephanie, we need to go back to the collapsed roof. The dog has been under it and the team are pretty sure there are three people there. They heard the voice again and they think it’s a woman speaking in English. They want you to see if you can make a positive ID, and to try and keep her awake and calm. They have secured the roof as much as possible, so now they will start the rescue. They want you to reassure her because it will be noisy with all the cutting equipment.’

  ‘And what about Costas and Nikos?’

  ‘They assume they are trapped with Helen. Maybe you will find out a bit more if she can hear you.’

  Stefanos and I run over to the collapsed roof. Selena follows at her slower high-heeled pace. The army guy shows me where to stand and gives Stefanos some more instructions.

  ‘He said there will be about ten minutes before the cutting starts. Also, there has already been one aftershock, so if we feel any tremors we need to move back into the garden immediately.’

  ‘Okay. Well, here goes … Helen, can you hear me?!’

  We all listen intently for an answer, but there’s silence.

  Stefanos shouts, ‘O Costas me akoús?’ Selena shouts the same to Nikos. But there’s still nothing. ‘Try again, Stephanie. We need to try and wake them up,’ Stefanos urges.

  ‘Helen, are you there? It’s Stephanie!’

  We listen for an answer and then Stefanos shouts out for Costas and Nikos again. Then one of the army men starts shouting. He beckons us over and says something to Stefanos.

  ‘They are pretty sure they
heard a woman’s voice coming from this area. They want you to shout again.’

  ‘Helen, are you there?!’

  This time, we hear a muffled voice and relief washes over me. Helen’s weak voice replies, ‘Yes, I’m here.’

  I immediately break down. ‘Oh, Helen, we’ve been so worried! Are you hurt?’

  ‘I’m not sure, I can’t move,’ comes the laboured reply.

  ‘Well, don’t try to move. Are Costas and Nikos there?’

  ‘Yes, they are both here, but they’ve lost conscious … ness.’ I can tell that talking is hard for Helen, and it’s going to be a battle to keep her awake.

  ‘Listen, the rescue team are going to start cutting their way through. Don’t panic at the noise. And you need to stay awake.’

  ‘I’ll try,’ comes the weak reply.

  The cutting starts; it sounds like the dentist on a bad day. There’s absolutely no point in me trying to shout over the noise of the cutting equipment and I’d be really surprised if Helen could fall asleep, anyway, through the racket that they’re making.

  ‘Stephanie, is that you?’ I spin round. Either I’m hallucinating, or Mum and Dad are heading in our direction.

  ‘Oh my God, thank goodness you’re here!’ I throw my arms round them both. ‘Did you get my message?’

  ‘No, sweetheart, our phone network is down. The captain of our ship heard the news. He knew Helen was on this island because we told him our plan to visit her here. Anyway, the group we’re with insisted that we come straight here, and the captain negotiated the rest. So, where’s Helen?’ Mum looks around.

  I break down sobbing. Stefanos answers for me. ‘Hello, I am Stefanos. I am afraid she is trapped under this roof with my brother Costas and my cousin Nikos.’