Winter Hearts

In Which Siana Returns To Itea

Siana's heart leapt and for an instant she felt relieved that her dad might be okay with that if that was what she wanted to do. But then she thought, in the big scheme of things, the fun and excitement of seeing the concert would fade once it was over, and she would have left her dad alone for a few hours of fun. She wanted to be honest, though, so she thought about what she wanted to say.

"Well, that would be great, but then I would miss out on another month here."

"Then come back after."

Siana shot her dad a scowling look. His comment made up her mind.

"No, that would be totally frivolous and would make me angry with myself. Don't worry, it's just a concert." She sighed dramatically and slouched into her seat. "I guess I will have to fangirl from a distance. As usual."

"Aww, honey, you're so tragic."

She smiled into her chest. She suddenly felt much, much better.

Perspective always gave her the answers she needed.

The road started to rise up into the sudden mountain range. They were approaching the Parnassus mountain range, and would pass below its peak as they went through the historic Delphi. Before that, they would go through the old town of Arachova, which was the last stop before skiers and adventure seekers would stop for supplies and nourishment on their way up to the ski resort on the mountain.

She wanted to see Arachova very much, because she had just finished watching Descendants of the Sun, in which Joongki confronts the gangsters in the town before all hell breaks loose. She recognised the municipal council building and cafes next door where they shot the scene.

When she saw the locale in the episode, she literally squealed and pointed at the screen. She used to visit there for touristy paraphernalia and a spot of glamorous cafe lounging. She knew that if the camera had just panned left a little more, it would see a tourist shop with overpriced old stock and magnets and traditional woollen shepherds' bags in the window. A little further left by a few metres was the clock tower perched on the edge of a precipice that you could walk down into via a paved walkway to view the huge crevice in between two mountainsides. It was the clock tower where he and she had had their heart to heart.

She felt enormously proud of her Arachova, even if it was only hers by proximity to Itea.

She chatted to her dad about it, her excitement growing even more as they approached. He laughingly suggested she should take a picture of the location, even though she had seen it and walked through it hundreds of times before someone ever put it onscreen.

Her eyes brightened.

"That's a great idea! Please stop, I want a picture!"

Mikhalis rolled his eyes. He was happy to see her usual cheerful self back. He worried a little when his daughter became quiet and sullen, not because he thought she was troubled, but rather because he didn't want her to feel the weight of sadness. That was for older people who had seen harder times, or at least, had been through more of life.

He gladly slowed to a stop when they came to the turn in the narrow street at the spot she told him about. The road was relatively wide until their parking spot, and then it became a bottleneck nightmare, a main street running past cafes, local artisans and ski shops through which trucks and buses would clog up traffic as they passed.

There were alternative roads to Itea, but he always took this road on their trip home for Siana's sake, because she loved it so much. Further on, past Arachova, they would turn the corner and snake past the Delphi Museum and the ruins of the Agora and the Stadio, and then they would see a large metal statue that looked like two flames making the shape of a man. Between the two metal flames, if you were approaching at just the right time, you would catch the sun glinting through like a bright burning heart. It was of Prometheus, and for him, symbolised the fighting human spirit, and sacrifice.

Just at that corner, the magnificent view of the sudden drop down to the olive groves and plains below would be revealed, with the distant Itea on the near horizon, before the calm waters of the Gulf of Corinth stretched out towards the mountain ranges on the land opposite. It was a magnificent view and he was willing to tolerate the sometimes dreary drive through Arachova tourist traffic just to see it.

He watched as Siana bounced out of the car, pulling on her jacket and readying her phone camera. She trotted over to the corner of the municipal building and posed against its red exterior. It had been red for as long as he remembered it, which was decades. He watched happily as she flashed her bright almond eyes at the camera and smiled, exposing the tiny dimple high up on her cheek. Her hair, shiny and straight, shimmied as she shook it out of her eyes. He felt she was very precious, and wanted for her not to be lonely or alone.

He noticed a bunch of school boys across the street ogling her, some even trying to catcall with their pubescent voices. He scowled at them for letting their hormones get the better of their manners. He suddenly agreed with 5-year old Siana: boys were dirty all over.

He decided that it wasn't so bad for Siana be lonely, that it wasn't the end of the world. Hard work and good meals every day can keep many people happy, why not her?

She came running back and plopped into the seat as he shifted into drive and pulled back out into traffic. Soon they were rounding the the bend at Delphi and watching the gorgeous view roll out before them. She took a picture of Metal Prometheus and murmured with pleasure as they drove up the sharp incline into the one way street in Delphi that took them above the old town.

They descended down onto a road that winded down the barren mountain face. All the way down they had a spectacular view of the valley which opened out into the sea beyond. There, she could see Itea glinting under the sun.