Green Neon

28 A code word

Distant sounds invaded Tom's dream. Birds warbled, crickets chirped, the sea murmured softly, there as a hum in the air. Brightness was his second perception, and slowly, gently, he slipped from sleep into the new day. He carefully opened his eyes and was confused for a moment before he remembered where they had chosen to sleep that night. He sat up.

The sun rose from the sea as a huge, orange-red ball, and the first sunrays bathed the surroundings in a soft light. Nikos also stretched and – quoting Petros - said instead of a morning greeting:

"Let's go swim, boys!"

With stiff joints they trudged down to the sea. They stripped, threw their clothes on the rocks, jumped into the water and swam far out. A light breeze caused tiny ripples. As they turned and swam back to shore, not only were they the only people, there was no sign of civilization at all - no house, no path, nothing to indicate that the island was inhabited.

The Robinson Crusoe feeling faded slowly as they approached the house on the hill. The alleged pirate, who probably only got out of his chair on the veranda in an emergency, waved at them, and despite the rising hunger they trotted back into the busy world.

Kyra and Petros were sitting in the kitchen behind large coffee mugs and smiled when Tom and Nikos entered. They sat down and greedily devoured tomatoes and cheese. Nikos suggested going back to the beach on the other side of the island in the afternoon.

"I have a little surprise for you," he said to Tom.

After breakfast they went into town. Tom had promised to send postcards to many people at home, but hadn't written a single one yet. He bought a whole stack showing the harbor with a pelican in the foreground. The bird must have been retouched into the photo because the healthy and happy looking bird bore no resemblance to the sad, disheveled island mascot "Peter" who crouched day after day near the spread out fishing nets at the east end of the harbor.

Nikos bought yesterday's Athens newspaper and they sat down at a shaded table in front of their favourite tavern. Tom had trouble finding anything to say for his holiday greetings. He started a sentence, found it a lie, tried another that didn't fit either.

Eventually he came up with a few meaningless words about the weather and the beach. The only exception was the postcard to his friend Dave, whom he had met during a visit to his aunt's in Newcastle and who had already visited him in Hohenberg – this card he filled using his smallest handwriting.

The innkeeper joined the boys, who politely declined his friendly invitation to a round of ouzo so as not to end the day at noon. When he found out that they only had two days left on Mykonos, he invited them to a farewell dinner on the last evening. Not only did he have in mind to honor the two likeable guests, he insisted that "his dear Kyra" should also take part in the meal. He asked the boys to persuade her to make an exception to her rule against leaving her house, just for a few hours. They promised to try their best, although they could not imagine that she would betray her principles.

Then they rode to the beach, where, as every day, Basilis was waiting for customers. Nikos' surprise for Tom was two wooden skis standing in the sand. Nikos had learned that Basilis also used his boat for water skiing, especially in the early afternoon when there were no passengers to the gay beach. The boat was quite slow for this purpose, which made it all the more difficult to get out onto the water with your skis and stay afloat. But Basilis didn't have the money for a more powerful outboard engine, and somehow it worked.

"Have you ever water skied?" Tom asked Nikos.

"No, but I'm sure it's fun," his friend replied.

Basilis explained to them how to squat in the water, how to hold their arms and straighten their bodies, all of which sounded easy in theory. Nikos let Tom go first because at least he could ski, which in Greece only people living in the mountains to the north could do, or rich people who could afford to travel to Switzerland. Although there was enough snow in some Greek areas in winter, skiing did not exactly have the status of a popular sport.