Among the Olive Groves

by Chrissie Parker

  He ran a finger down her face and across her lips, making them tingle. Leaning forward he kissed her deeply, and Elena allowed him to do what he wanted. She knew that he could no longer resist the urge to be with her and she allowed him to spend the rest of the night making love to the woman he loved under the stars.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Zakynthos, Greece, 1943

  Elena continued to feed information back to the resistance, which kept them strong and ahead of the Italians. She visited the Richard every week and sat and talked with him, sometimes for hours. His wounds had healed and he could now put pressure on his leg and stand, although he still found it difficult to walk. She told him everything about her life, how she was still laying with Pietro, and how her daughter was growing almost daily. In turn he told her more about his life in England and how he missed his family and friends.

  Dionysis had been working on an escape plan to try and get the Richard back to his own country, but so far everything they tried had failed. The closest they had come was organising a rescue boat, but two of the resistance were caught on a midnight recce and had been shot dead by Italian soldiers. For weeks, their bodies had lain dead over the top of a barbed wire fence, bloodied and riddled with holes. No one dared move them; they were too scared of getting caught. It was a stark and horrific reminder to the islanders that they were still under the rule of the enemy. Dionysis had made the decision to wait a few months before trying again. It would be safer to all involved to keep hiding Richard rather than attempting another escape so soon.

  In turn, Loukas, Stelios and Angelos continued to spy on the locals for the Italians, but by now the Italians were becoming bored, and a wind of change was blowing strong. As summer arrived, news filtered through that the Allies were advancing with some, albeit limited, success. Zakynthians’ hopes were raised and they dared to dream of a swift end to the war.

  Elena was late arriving to the resistance meeting one night in July. It was almost over by the time she got there and she was breathless and could barely speak. Dionysis could see the terror in her eyes as he passed her something to drink. “What is it?”

  “I have just heard from Pietro. Mussolini has been imprisoned. He has been replaced and Germany is mobilising its troops.”

  “What does this mean, Dionysis?” one of the men asked.

  “It means nothing has changed. For now the Italians remain here, but they may get new orders. We keep doing what we are doing. The Allies are beginning to win the war; it will not be long before they are here.”

  Filled with reassurance, the men took their orders and disappeared into the night.

  Elena remained to have her usual chat with Dionysis.

  “I need you to keep a very close eye on Pietro and report everything back to me, Elena, however insignificant. This war is far from over.”

  “But you just said the Allies are winning the war. I do not understand.”

  “Elena. The Germans are the real leaders of this war. The Italians are just the hired help. With Mussolini now in prison, it means Germany no longer has a use for Italy. Unless the Allies reach us I fear this war will continue, and the Germans could invade us.”

  “Oh god.”

  “I try and speak the truth to you, Elena, as I know you will use it to your advantage. I hope that I am wrong and that we will soon be at peace, but we just do not know what will happen. Go home to your family. Your daughter needs you.”

  She could only nod. Leaving Dionysis behind, she crept through the darkness, eager to get home as fast as she could to hug Athena tightly.

  ~

  The next two months were the most unsettling of the war so far. The Italians had all but given up, many of them were jaded and fed up and just wanted to go home. They were as worried about the news of Mussolini’s imprisonment as the Greeks were. They may have been Germany’s allies but many still feared their ruthlessness. Pietro was worried by the news of their great leader’s demise. He knew it spelled trouble for the Italians. He hated politics, but was well aware that they were a mere pawn in Germany’s giant game. If the Germans came, as they were predicting, he would have to choose a side. He no longer wanted to be associated with a nation that killed innocents in their thousands. Neither did he want to die at their hands for desertion. It was a difficult choice he hoped he would never have to make.

  Life for Angelos had become easier. The meetings between his father, Stelios and Captain Cipriani had stopped and he was no longer required to spy upon his fellow citizens. He felt relief, but Loukas was furious at this turn of events. The Italians had promised him the earth and the promises had all been broken. He was no longer inside the trusted circle and he felt unsettled by it. Things changed at home too. Maria gave birth to a beautiful healthy daughter called Sophia. It reminded Angelos of all he had lost, but the moment he looked into Sophia’s eyes he knew that none of it was her fault, and he would always love her, even if he could never truly love her mother.

  ~

  Elena awoke to beautiful burnished autumn sunlight piercing through the curtains. Pietro stirred beside her and she rolled over to lie on top of him. Staring into his eyes, she smiled, leaned in and kissed him. He ran his fingers through her hair and down her back.

  “This is a nice way to be woken, Elena. When I am asleep I miss you, when I am working I miss you, when you leave the room…”

  “…you miss me!” Elena laughed.

  As much as she hated what she was doing, she had become used to Pietro’s presence and realised that in some ways the Italians were as much pawns in the German’s war as everyone else.

  Suddenly the bedroom door banged open, making them jump, and an embarrassed Italian soldier stood there wringing his hands.

  “Captain Cipriani, we have company!”

  Rolling Elena off him, Pietro jumped from the bed, pulled on his uniform, and ran from the room. The soldier hung back for a moment, eyeing Elena’s nakedness. Reaching to the floor, he lifted her clothes and passed them to her, and lustfully ran a finger down her bare arm.

  “You should get dressed and leave, whore.”

  He fled the room, following in Pietro’s wake. Shaking slightly from her encounter, Elena quickly dressed. Peeking through the window she watched the scene before her. Pietro and the young soldier were standing with two men in very recognisable uniforms. Her body went cold and her hands became clammy. Realisation hit her square in the stomach and she ran to the bathroom, vomiting until there was nothing left to come up.

  It was the ninth of September and the Germans had landed.

  ~

  Pietro was furious at being disturbed, but as he stepped from the house, placing his cap squarely on his head, he knew the soldier had been right to get him. The sight of two German soldiers made his heart plummet. Why had nobody told him that they were coming? Did this mean that the island would now be under German rule? Glancing back at the house, he saw no sign of Elena. He hoped she would have the sense to get home as quickly as possible. Stepping forward, he greeted the two men and climbed into the waiting vehicle. When everyone was aboard, they set off towards Zakynthos Town. As Pietro stared at the passing trees and houses, he knew it was going to be a long day.

  ~

  After leaving the house, Elena knew what she had to do. Running through fields and past hedges, leaping over fallen branches and crossing small roads and tracks, her feet pounded the ground until finally, breathless and aching, she reached home. Banging through the front door, she tore through the small house yelling for her brother Georgios.

  “Elena Petrakis! What is all this noise?” her mother demanded.

  Elena ignored her mother and yelled for her brother again.

  “What?” he appeared moments later, not happy about being woken.

  “Mama, Papa, I need to talk to Georgios alone.”

  “Whatever you have to say to your brother can be said in front of us,” her father said.

  “It cannot.”

  “Yes, it can.�
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  Elena stared for a moment then shrugged. They were her parents, what harm was there?

  “Georgios. You need to go to Dionysis. It is urgent. You must avoid the main road and take great care. Tell Dionysis that the Germans are here. We have been invaded and are under German rule now.”

  Without another word, Georgios quickly pulled on his shoes and ran from the house. Elena saw the shock on her parents’ faces. They both stared at her, unable to speak.

  “You cannot tell anyone Mama, Papa. You have to understand no one must ever know. You cannot even talk about it between yourselves.”

  Her father spoke, “I have questions.”

  “Only if they are quick. I cannot promise to answer them, but if I can I will.”

  “You and our son. You are both resistance? You both help the locals, give them food, and medicine and keep the evil that is suffocating our island at bay?”

  Elena nodded. She decided that a simple action would be safer than words.

  “My daughter. I am so very proud of you.” Her father reached for her and hugged her for the first time in her life.

  “You cannot and must not tell anyone. If anyone ever asks, you know nothing. You must promise me!”

  “We promise,” her father said as her mother nodded in agreement.

  “I must go. I have work to do.”

  With that, she swept from the house, leaving her parents in dumbfounded silence. She had no idea where she was heading but one thing she knew was that she needed to see her enemy. She needed to get close to them, to get an idea of who they really were. The island was truly at war now and it was every man and woman for themselves.

  ~

  Angelos and Maria were having lunch under the shade of the veranda with Loukas and Pigi. Sophia lay asleep in her basket. A car trundled along the drive and came to a stop in front of the house and they looked up to see Captain Cipriani stepping from its confines. Loukas stood to greet him.

  “Captain, welcome to my home. How can I help you?”

  “I am here on business. I would like you to meet Commandant Brandt. He has been appointed Governor of Zakynthos by the Führer himself.” He allowed the gravity of the situation to hit home with the family. “The commandant is now in charge of the island of Zakynthos. You are now under German rule. The commandant needs a headquarters and has chosen this house. You will move your family out immediately and your possessions will become the property of the German Army. We will, of course, allow you to take your clothes and a few items of personal sentimentality.”

  Loukas stood and strode forward. “How dare you! I have helped you for years. You must tell them, Captain Cipriani! Without me you would not have known what half the peasants on the island were getting up to. This is my house; it has been passed down through the generations. I will not give it up.”

  Pietro was unsure of what to say, but the commandant took control. He stepped forward, while removing thick black leather gloves. “I am sorry you feel that way, but you have no choice. The house is ours.”

  “Over my dead body!” Loukas yelled.

  The commandant shrugged, and pulled a Luger from his pocket. “Have it your way.” Without hesitation, he pointed it at Loukas’s head and pulled the trigger. The lone shot echoed around them and Loukas fell forward, landing with a thud. Pigi screamed as blood oozed from her husband’s head staining the soil. Maria stood and reached for baby Sophia, holding her tightly to her chest to protect her from the chaos. Pietro was as sickened as the Sarkis family at the callous murder, but he had to hide his feelings. If he showed any sign of weakness he would likely end up dead, too.

  The commandant put away his gun and pulled on his gloves. “You have one hour, then we return. If you are not gone by then we will kill you one by one, until you do as we ask.”

  Pietro followed the commandant back to the car and climbed in, and seconds later they were disappearing down the drive. Rushing forward, Angelos knelt next to his father and checked for a pulse, but the glazed dull light in Loukas’s eyes already told him he was dead. There was nothing he could do. Behind him, Angelos could hear his mother whimpering and his wife crying as she continued to cradle their child. Standing, he went to comfort them.

  “Father is dead. There is nothing more we can do for him.” Then with urgency, he continued, “You must listen to me. I need you both to go and get your belongings. Pack up as much as you can. Maria, go to our house, get what you can. We do not have long. I will help Mother.”

  “Where will we go, Angelos?” Maria asked, shaking.

  “The only place we can go, to your father’s house.”

  She nodded and did as her husband asked.

  Angelos steered his mother towards the main house. Once inside, he sat her down, and ran around the rooms filling carpetbags and crates. In his father’s office he rummaged through the files in the desk. Finally locating the paperwork he was searching for, he stuffed it under his shirt. They may have lost their home for now, but who knew what the future would hold?

  With only five minutes to spare, the donkeys were harnessed onto two carts that were loaded with everything they needed. As they passed through the gate onto the lane, the large car pulled alongside.

  The commandant smiled up at Angelos.

  “I am glad you have seen sense, boy.”

  The car moved on and the family was left to continue the lonely journey south, no longer the island’s richest and most prominent family. Loukas Sarkis was dead. They had lost their homes and most of their possessions, and they had no one to turn to except for Stelios. Angelos hoped and prayed that his wife’s father would take them in or they would be forced to sleep in the street like peasants. The irony did not escape Angelos.

  ~

  Elena ran through the lanes and fields trying her best to avoid the Germans that now seemed to be everywhere. She had been out all day and was exhausted. The Germans had been on the island for less than a day but in that small period of time they had invaded Zakynthos en masse. Wherever she looked there were grey uniforms, motorcycles, flatbed trucks, and small armoured cars. She had made her way straight to Bohali and stood under the cover of trees, staring at the activity in the busy harbour. Boats had been landing on the shore for hours, unloading troops, guns, hand grenades, cannons and other war paraphernalia. Dionysis was right. The Allies had not been able to protect them and there was nothing left for the Zakynthians. The enemy had arrived with full force, and the islanders were abandoned, alone and left to fend for themselves.

  Elena had seen enough. She left Bohali and made her way north, back towards home. It would be getting dark soon. As she passed one of the Sarkis olive groves, she saw two carts coming towards her. She ran to them, wondering who it could be. She had to warn them to get off the road. As she neared, she was shocked to see it was the Sarkis family.

  “Angelos?! What are you doing out here?”

  Angelos pulled on the reins and the donkey stopped. He signaled for Maria in the other cart to do the same. As they came to a halt, Sophia, who was nestled in her basket in the base of Maria’s cart, stirred and began to cry.

  “The Germans are here, Elena. They have commandeered our house and land. Father tried to resist but...” he trailed off.

  Pigi whimpered, tears falling down her face.

  “I do not understand,” Elena said.

  Angelos could only point over his shoulder. Slowly she walked to the back of the cart to take a look, but she was not prepared for what she saw. Loukas Sarkis, her sworn enemy, lay cold and dead wrapped in an old rug. There was a hole in his head and the rest of his face was caked in blood. It was evident that he had been shot. Staggering back, she gripped the side of the cart, trying hard not to vomit. As much as she had hated Loukas, she was not convinced he deserved that.

  “They killed him? But why?”

  “Because he said no. They demanded our house. Father said no, so they shot him.”

  “What will you do now? Where will you go?”

&nbs
p; “To Stelios’s. There is nowhere else we can go.”

  “Okay, travel as quickly as you can, and stay safe. The Germans are everywhere. We must protect ourselves from the enemy. Do not worry, Angelos, we will keep fighting. I have to go and report this.”

  Before he had a chance to respond, she was gone. He flicked the reins and the carts continued their journey. The soothing motion of the cart settled Sophia and she once more drifted off to sleep. Angelos was the man of the house now and Elena was right, he had to get them to Stelios as soon as possible. While they were on the road, they were in grave danger.

  ~

  Elena carried on. She knew where she had to go, but she was taking a long and circuitous route in case she was being followed. Tiredness was beginning to overwhelm her and she was starving, but she had to keep going. She was stunned by what she had learned from Angelos. She knew his relationship with his father had always been strained, but Loukas’s death must still have come as a huge shock to him. She wished there were something she could do, some way of comforting him, but it was no longer her job. That task would fall to his wife. All Elena could do was her job, and hope that in the months and years ahead, the man responsible would be held to account. A few hours later, she had finally finished the climb up into the hills and entered the cave under cover of darkness. Dionysis was patiently sitting and waiting for her.

  “Is Georgios safe?”

  “Yes, Elena. He is fine. You did the right thing in alerting us. I have sent men out to gather information. The Germans are everywhere. It seems that we have a big task ahead of us, and I just pray that their invasion will be as peaceful as possible.”

  “They have already killed.”

  “They have?”

  Elena explained about the Sarkis family and even Dionysis looked shocked.

  “As much as I disliked the man, that seems terribly harsh.”

  “I agree.”

  “What will Angelos and his family do?”