HEADLAND of Flowers

An angel in a dusty and bumpy road

Chapter 11.1

It was a little later than five-thirty on Saturday morning when Antonya awoke at full steam to the sound of the alarm clock. She stepped out of bed and took a shower. The cold was very intense, and with the wind, well... It was even more cruel. That night's storm eerily reminded of stories told by sailors from afar, narrating their adventures amongst the salty waves of the sea to the fishermen of the great freshwater lake of Headland of Flowers. Tales of immense sea monsters, entire populations of penguins caved in by snow that would survive months of temperatures below zero, mermaids, water snakes larger than their boats, alas, robust stories that left the Point's fishmongers both uneasy and covetous.

Wind blew hard at Headland of Flowers; a trait attributed to its altitude, but that became even more extraordinarily intense during the winter. It took much courage to be in this town during the cold months; arguably more so than the sailors...Those ludicrous storytellers with their fantastic tales, that albeit an occasional nuisance, at the very least spent their money and contributed to the flourishing of local commerce near the lagoon beach, helping to sustain those families.

Antonya poured alcohol fuel on the sieve, enough for a five to ten minute shower. Gervasius always said, "After leaving the shower, don't turn it off if there's still fire burning. If the valve is clogged up, it may explode!" It was therefore normal to let the fire be extinguished entirely, and only then turn off the water that was left running while they dried themselves and got dressed.

In Headland of flowers, when the houses did not have electricity, it was common to use showers heated by the burning of alcohol. The fire, almost a bonfire, was just above our heads, and the water just below the shower. We could only close the shower, so that the water would stop flowing after the fire had gone out. If water stopped running while there was a fire, the shower could explode. The water passed through a copper (years later, steel) pipe winding in a pyramid shape, and that pipe had a pressure valve. The fire stayed in the middle of that structure. While the fire burned, it was only possible to add more alcohol for another to bathe, or to increase our bath time, with an accessory similar to a "candle extinguisher". Used on the contrary shape, the small glass at the end of the handle received the alcohol that was poured into the flannel that was in the furnace sieve. At a distance, usually our mother was pouring the alcohol gently on the fire. No one has ever died or been injured, from bathing in an alcohol shower! With winters of negative temperatures below 32 °F (almost 14 °F), it was a great bath!

The sieve for the alcohol-fueled shower was indeed good. It had a round base with approximately 15 cm in diameter full of concentric holes that were aligned in and out, hence why it was called the "sieve". On the internal surface, there was a thick felt that was two to three cm wide, where the alcohol fuel was poured in small measures in the form of a mug with a long rod that was taken to the shower. Although not recommended, it was possible to prolong the shower by pouring more alcohol fuel while there was fire and running water. The instructions were very clear: 'EACH MEASURE PROVIDES APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES OF BATH'. Just above the base, it spiraled upwards, gradually tightening the concentric circle to connect itself to the water pipe. There the water circulated, heated by the alcohol-fueled fire on the felt, which was lit by a matchstick. Temperature was regulated by increasing or decreasing the flow of water, and the fire was only lit after having water flow out first. Gervasius would do this so as to transform the bathroom into a sauna, a he used to say himself. However, only he would put two or more measures of fuel while there was still fire.

It wasn't rare for Antonya to wash one of the children while another was drying him or herself. The second and third would stand by and prepare themselves while the shower gushed an abundance of hot water. Gervasius had installed the sieve just a few months earlier. The showering was delicious! Hot, plentiful, and in that huge bathroom with a large wardrobe for towels and dirty clothes, became a sort of "Greek sauna"- completely taken by steam, and depending on the time spent made it impossible to see oneself in the mirror.