Green Neon

27 Petros means "the Rock"

"Ouzo?" asked Nikos.

"Ouzo," replied Tom.

They packed up their things and climbed up to the path barefoot, because their feet were still wet. Once at the top, they put on their sandals and made their way back to town. As they approached the cottage with the old man on the porch, Tom burst out laughing. He had seen the donkey in the garden. Nikos looked at him blankly until he pointed to the animal, whereupon he too laughed out loud.

The old man looked over at them and waved them over. They hesitated only briefly and went to the house. The man spoke a few words to Nikos, got up and shuffled into the house.

"He told us to sit down, he invites us to ouzo. He wants to tell us a story."

The panorama was breathtaking. The endless sea with a few fishing boats and a few islands that rose out of the water in the distance black and with sharp contours left them speechless for a moment. Then the man came back, greeted both boys with a handshake and put a glass of water in front of each one, into which he gave a good shot of "Ouzo 12". They toasted each other and took a small sip. The drink was ice cold.

Now he began to tell his story in a strong voice that sounded dramatic at times. Nikos translated quietly. It was the story of this coast and this house. Once upon a time, pirates' boats were moored in the bays, some of which could not be seen from the sea. In the house on the hill, or rather in a large house that had stood on this spot, was the headquarters of the pirates. From here the raids were planned and here the booty was brought.

Whenever a pirate made a particularly good catch, he built a small church on the island. There were hundreds of chapels, and tourists were told they were built out of gratitude by rescued shipwrecked people. That was less than half the truth, he asserted.

Tom noticed that the man was enjoying his story very much and asked Nikos to translate his question:

"Are you perhaps a descendant of the pirates?"

The man leaned across the table and effectively lowered his voice:

"I'm the last pirate of Mykonos, but guys, don't tell anyone or they'll come and lock me up."

They sat on their lookout above the sea for quite some time until they got hungry, which prompted them to leave. When they told Aunt Kyra about their experience in the evening, she laughed:

"That's Thomas the Pirate. Everyone calls him that, although everyone knows he was a fisherman. At one point he told the pirate story to a few tourists, and when he found they actually believed it, he told it to anyone who would listen. He probably believes it himself now."

They also asked Kyra for her opinion on the plan to make life a little easier for Petros.

"It would do him good to spend a day by the sea," she said. "We'll disguise him, then it's no risk."

At dinner they presented their plan to him. At first he turned it down because he didn't want to expose them to any danger, but he didn't stand a chance against their arguments. A brief flicker of adventure in his eyes, which were still far too sad, could not be overlooked when he finally agreed.

The next noon, the three of them slipped out of the house after making sure the alley was deserted. A man in tourist garb with a huge straw hat and two boys in polo shirts and gym shorts (but no straw hats at last!) actually went unnoticed. They were just a father with his two sons on their way to the beach, which was emphasized by the fact that they were carrying a parasol.

The bus took them to the other side of the island, where an enterprising ferryman named Basilis was waiting for his next victims. Nikos negotiated briefly and amicably with the captain, and soon they were aboard the boat to the beach of the colorful fish.