A Strange Christmas’ Event

 

          -“Hey, you, finish tying and come in. Captain is looking for you.”          

            -“Strange, very strange”, said the sailor, whose hands were still shaking.

            If this is, for what have been done before? However … no one has seen him. No one has seen him slipping on the deck and falling into the sea. On the other hand, if he had been seen? That incident he had lived was magic. It was a truly wonder, sign from the God. While he was falling into the sea, he closed his eyes and imagined himself falling. However, before he met the surface he had felt something pull him up. There was another sailor, who smiled to him.

            -“You’d better watch out”, he said, “You never know what would happen”.

            Then he just disappeared from his eyes. “He couldn’t be human” he thought, “How is it possible to catch me half a meter above the sea’s surface and then pick me up to the ship?” Did God help him? Did he help that poor sailor? But what had said father Anthimos, the priest of his small village?

            -“Nicola, my boy, you are blessed by the God. I can see it deep in your eyes. He will help you in the future. Don’t forget to thank Him when He does help you.

            That was the last knot. He knelt; he closed his eyes and thanked God for saving him. When he finished his prayer, he remembered that this day was on Christmas Eve and that he was away from his house where his family is. He still had some recollections from his childhood. Every year they were decorating the Christmas ship two weeks before the Christmas day.

            -“Father, I have heard at school that some people decorate a fir tree instead of ship.”

            -“Then these people are not from Greece because Greeks are seafaring people. That’s why we decorate every year a ship.”

            Anyway, they had a very good time as children, himself, and his friends. They were singing the Christmas carols from door to door.

            -“Good morning Lords…” He began singing and then he laughed. The people were giving them something for reward for example sweets (the traditional honey cakes) and if they were lucky, they may have been given money instead of sweets. Then they were just playing with the snow all day long.

            There was always snowing at his village on Christmas. He could not remember Christmas without snow; it was strange to him after all. Then they were all sitting round the fireplace and his grandmother was telling them fabulous stories with fairies and with some too ugly creatures. These creatures were living at the centre of the earth and they were trying to cut down a huge tree, which is holding the Earth steady.

            -“Grandma, I was wondering if these strange things try more and they cut down this tree? Could the earth collapse?”  He asked one day. She laughed and answered:

            -“Don’t worry, my boy. Father Anthimos comes every year two weeks after Christmas day and sends away these gruesome things. They are afraid of the holy water, which is blessed by God”.

            On Christmas day they were all ready. The pork in the oven smelled wonderfully and the wine was already on the table. His mother from this day began making preparations for the New Year’s Eve making the New Year’s cake which is called “vasilopita” (it means: pie of Saint Vassilios, whose name day is on January 1^st) . There is always a coin in it. The one who finds the coin in his piece is the lucky one for the next year. However, before eating the delicious food, they were going to church of his small village and when it was finally crowed father Anthimos was starting the festive service. When he finished, he reminded them the meaning of Christmas, which he had just understood: to be with his family. His eyes were away from his family for four years and that is why he, at last, understood after so many years the inner meaning of this fest.

            -“Hey, sailor! Do you know that the whole crew is looking for you instead of sleeping? However, you are here and you have – unfortunately – nausea as far I can see”.

            This voice was like getting out from deep in the sea. It was the Captain.             -“I told you to come because I think that you don’t know where we are going. We will moor at a harbour near your village. So you can go and see your family”.

            -“Is that for real”?

            -“Of course it is”, said the captain, “Now go in and ready yourself, you will soon see your family”.

            -“Thank you”, he managed to say the blissfully happy sailor, who ran immediately to the cabin.

            The lights were getting closer and closer. Would they expect him to come? Would they have hoped for him to return? There was no snow. This was very strange. He was at last there. He knocked at the door. A woman opened. Something had shone at her face but she hid it quickly. She called her husband. He came and saw the stranger. Then they hugged each other and white snowflakes crowned their heads. 

 

Chris Mourelatos

2nd High School of Komotini,

Greece