‘Pray! Pray! That’s all you people ever do! It’s action we need. Action and medicines. That’s why I’ve come.’
Andreas looked at Yannis with troubled eyes. He had never heard him be derisive of the church or religion before and it came as a shock to him that his cousin’s faith could be shaken. ‘Tell me,’ he said quietly. ‘If I’m able to help I’ll do so.’
‘Do you know why Athens is delaying sending us our medicines?’ asked Yannis directly.
‘I’m not a doctor.’ Andreas was evasive.
‘Then who would know?’
‘Nikos, if anyone.’
‘Where can I find him?’
‘I don’t know where he lives. I see him occasionally at the hospital.’
Yannis switched his line of questioning. ‘When does the government meet next?’
‘Wednesday.’
‘May I stay here until then?’
‘I cannot refuse you sanctuary, but I’d like to know exactly why you’ve come here.’
Yannis’s eyes gleamed. ‘I intend to confront the government and ask why Athens hasn’t sent the results of our tests or the medicines. I’ve written to them on numerous occasions and not had a satisfactory reply. I’ve written to you and you’ve been evasive, so I’ve come to ask you and them for the reason. I’ll not be fobbed off with excuses. I want the truth.’
Andreas crossed himself fervently. He should have foreseen this long ago. ‘Wouldn’t it be better if you ate and rested thoroughly and I’ll see what I can do about contacting Nikos through the hospital?’
Yannis rubbed his hand over his now throbbing head. ‘Andreas, answer me, honestly, yes or no, do you know why there is this delay?’
Andreas stood dumbly. Had he the right to tell his cousin? The information had been given to him confidentially, but not under the sanctity of the confessional. What would Yannis’s reaction be if he did tell him? He could be so impetuous.
‘Yes or no, Andreas?’
‘Yes.’ Almost unbidden the answer came.
‘Then don’t you think I have a right to know, my own results at least?’
‘I’m not competent. I haven’t the medical knowledge.’
‘I just want to know. I’m not asking for details.’
Andreas looked at Yannis with troubled eyes. ‘Your results are negative.’
‘Negative?’ Yannis’s voice had dropped to a hoarse whisper. ‘Negative?’
Andreas nodded. He poured a glass of wine and handed it to Yannis, watching as he sipped slowly. The colour that had drained from his face gradually returned. He shook his head.
‘I can’t believe it. There must be some mistake.’
‘That’s what Athens thought also.’
‘Am I the only one?’
Andreas shook his head. ‘Nearly all of you.’
Yannis looked disbelieving. ‘It can’t be.’
Andreas leaned forward and clasped one of Yannis’s trembling hands. ‘I don’t pretend to understand. All I know is that the first tests showed most of you to be negative. Athens thought the cells had died during transit and asked for more. They arrived at the laboratory more quickly, but still no cells showed up. They decided to wait awhile and then take more tests, getting them over even more quickly, and they still had the same results.’
‘What about the medicine, the new drug?’
‘If the results are true you don’t need it.’
‘But suppose the results are wrong, we’re just wasting time.’
‘Why should they be wrong, Yannis?’
‘Because we’re lepers.’
‘Yannis, I told you, I don’t pretend to understand the medical facts, but they’ve referred to you as “burnt-out”. In other words the leprosy has run its course. You won’t get any worse.’
Yannis sat back in his chair. He finished the last of his wine. ‘I need to think about this.’ He closed his eyes and Andreas thought he had fallen asleep. Suddenly Yannis sat bolt upright. ‘What’s going to happen to us?’
Andreas spread his hands. ‘That’s the problem Athens is up against. You have to understand, Yannis, they’re frightened. If they declare that none of you are infectious and a danger to the populace they’ve no reason for keeping you on the island, but where will you go?’
‘Go? I don’t want to go anywhere.’
Andreas looked at his cousin. ‘You don’t seem to understand. They could probably close the island to you. Why should they keep you there and provide for you if there’s nothing wrong with you?’
‘They couldn’t just abandon us.’
‘Why not? You’ve said yourself that you’ve been an embarrassment and a nuisance to the government for years. They could say that as you’re no longer sick, you’re no longer their concern.’
Yannis moistened his lips. ‘I don’t believe it.’
‘I’m not saying they will. I’m just mentioning it as a possibility. Put yourself in the position of the Athenian doctors and government. What are they to do? Continue to say you’re diseased and send you medicines that could do you more harm than good? Tell you that you may go and turn you off the island to return to the mainland and those families who would accept you back? Isn’t it better to just leave things as they are?’
‘The island is our home. They couldn’t just turn us off.’
‘They could. The island doesn’t belong to any of you. It belongs to the government.’
Yannis looked at his cousin in horror. ‘It would be inhuman.’
‘They were inhuman when they sent you there, why should they be any different now?’
‘What can I do?’
‘You can’t do anything.’ Andreas frowned. He had expected Yannis to storm and rage indignantly.
‘I must get back and tell them. We have to decide what to do.’ Yannis rose from his seat, only to be pushed firmly back by Andreas.
‘I thought you’d come up here to confront the government?’
‘I’ll do that later. First I must take the news back to Spinalonga.’
‘You can’t do that. Think what would happen if you told them. Some of them would rush off to try to find their families and would be arrested or stoned. You have to wait until the government in Athens has made its decision.’
‘They have a right to know,’ answered Yannis stubbornly.
‘Of course they do, but in the right way at the right time. You mustn’t encourage them to do anything foolish.’
Yannis challenged Andreas with his eyes. ‘So what are you proposing to do?’
‘Me? I can do nothing. It’s a government decision.’
‘As a man of the church you could influence them. Come with me to the next meeting, Andreas. If they know I have your support they’ll listen.’
‘I doubt it, but we have a couple of days to work something out. I’ll have to ask you not to set foot outside whilst you’re here. I can’t give you protection against a mob.’
Yannis bowed his head. ‘I’m grateful to you, Andreas.’
The two men walked down the road, Yannis keeping his head bent to hide his disfigured face. He slipped into a seat at the back of the council chamber, hoping Nikos would not notice him. The council members ignored him, along with a few other men who were sitting in the chairs at the end of the long room, waiting to present petitions or request a favour. At first he tried to follow their discussion, then gave up. They shouted across each other and at each other, with Dimitris continually calling for order and threatening to move on to the next item. An hour later there was a sudden silence, then hands were raised and Dimitris declared the motion carried. Yannis still had no idea what the motion had been. The scene was repeated three more times before Yannis saw Andreas stand.
‘I would like to ask a question.’
Heads swivelled and curious eyes stared at him. Nikos said something in an undertone to Dimitris and both men looked down at their papers.
‘State your name and address.’
‘I am Father Andreas, priest residing in Heraklion, with responsibility for Aghios Manathaeus.’
There was an uneasy silence. ‘What is your question?’
‘I would like to know what decision Athens has come to regarding the inhabitants of Spinalonga.’
‘What is your concern in this matter?
‘I am representing a man who has come to me for succour, protection and salvation. The way to salvation, gentlemen, is truth. I ask again, what decision has Athens come to regarding the inhabitants of Spinalonga?’
There was a sharp intake of breath, an uncomfortable shuffling, throat clearing and looking at watches. Andreas stood patiently and waited.
Eventually Dimitris cleared his throat. ‘Do you mean by that statement that you are harbouring a diagnosed leper?’
‘No. I am harbouring an ex-leper.’
‘There is no such thing as an ex-leper. Leprosy is not a disease that can be cured.’
‘I have with me a man who has spent the last twenty one years of his life as an outcast on an island, designated as a leper colony. He was a leper, but the results of his tests show he no longer has active leprosy cells in his body. Therefore I call him an ex-leper.’ Andreas spoke as he did from the pulpit, his voice resonant and clear.
Dimitris bent towards Nikos, who was playing nervously with a pencil and spoke quietly. Nikos shot Andreas a glance, shuffled his papers and rose to his feet. His voice was hardly audible across the chamber.
‘Various tests have been carried out. They’ve been checked and double-checked. Athens still does not think the findings conclusive. They would not like to comment at present and raise the hopes of these unfortunate people.’
Before Andreas could say any more Yannis jumped to his feet. ‘So what is Athens prepared to do about us? Forget us? If they leave us long enough we’ll die of old age. We are human beings who deserve to live, to experience all that life has to offer us. We’ve had our share of sickness and suffering. If we’re no longer contagious we deserve to have our freedom.’
Members of the council had shrunk back instinctively as Yannis moved forwards whilst he was speaking, until he stood directly in front of Dimitris. ‘I beg you, Dimitris and Nikos,’ he continued, ‘For the sake of our friendship whilst we were students together, help us. Help us to become human beings again. Give us back our self-respect, our dignity, our lives.’
Nikos cleared his throat. ‘Yannis, it’s not our decision.’
‘Then you must pressurize Athens. Insist that they either give us a clean bill of health or good reasons for staying as outcasts for ever more.’
‘You have to be patient.’
‘I’ve been patient long enough. We’ve all been patient long enough.’ Yannis’s gaze swept over the council members. He moved towards a young man at the end of the table who was taking notes of the proceedings. ‘Would you like to join me on the island? Suppose I touch you, breath on you? If I’m still contagious you should be with us very soon. Are you frightened? You don’t appear to fear me. Is that because you know I’m free of the disease?’
The clerk did not answer and Yannis swung towards the next man, extending his hand. ‘How about you? Shall I shake your hand? Do you think I’m unclean?’
Nikos rose from his seat. ‘Enough, Yannis. We are none of us frightened of you. We’ll provide you with an escort back to the island and then I promise you we’ll try and get a decision from Athens. You have to trust us.’
‘Trust you? How can we trust you when for years you’ve denied us the medicines we’ve needed?’
‘There were reasons. We could not defy Athens.’
Yannis thrust his face towards Nikos. ‘You may not be able to defy them, but I can. If you send me back to the island I’ll leave as soon as I can and make my way to Athens to petition the government there.’
Dimitris rose and faced Yannis across the table. ‘Maybe it would be as well if we placed you in custody until we can arrange for you to be sent back.’
‘No!’ Andreas rushed forward. ‘He is under my protection, the protection of the church. He won’t go to Athens. I’ll be responsible for him.’
Yannis glared at his cousin. ‘Don’t you see? If we don’t keep on fighting we’ll get nothing?’
‘Calm yourself. Let me talk to them. Threats are no use. Go and sit down. Let me try my way.’
Yannis hesitated. If he were sent back to Spinalonga under guard it was most unlikely he would ever be able to carry out his threat to petition the Athenian government.
‘We want justice,’ he muttered.
Andreas waited until Yannis had returned to his seat, then he looked at the gathering of ministers and directed his words to Dimitris and Nikos.
‘You knew Yannis for a brief time during his stay at High School. Do you remember how he talked? How he wanted to attend University in Athens? Put yourself in his position. From being a happy student he is stricken with a disease that makes him an outcast from his fellows. He does not run away and hide; voluntarily he goes to the hospital, only to find the expected treatment does not exist.
From Heraklion he is sent to Athens, where again he finds no treatment. The hospital conditions are disgusting. He is kept a virtual prisoner, denied even the consolation of writing a letter to his family to let them know of his plight. Finally he could accept no more violence from the orderlies, no more mouldy food unfit for human consumption, no more degradation and neglect. All he and his friends asked of the hospital authorities was decent treatment and conditions. What did they get? They were sent to Spinalonga as criminals. How could sick people, who were merely asking for humane treatment, be branded as criminals? They were left on that island to fend for themselves. They had little shelter, no medicine, and were dependent upon the mainland to send them food and water.
It was to their credit and thanks to Yannis’s spirit that they survived. You, Nikos, have seen the homes they made for themselves, built with their own deformed and crippled hands, how they have tried to be independent and how they suffered during the war years from starvation. Now, once again, they are an embarrassment to you and to Athens and you want to wash your hands of them like Pontius Pilot.
You may be able to send Yannis back to the island and detain him there for the rest of his life, but you cannot curtail my movements. If you will give no guarantee that Athens will give a decision within the next few weeks I shall visit Athens. I shall take his cause to the highest authority and not rest until I have satisfaction. He asks for very little. The medicine they need to help them recover from their disease, or the freedom to leave the island and go wherever they please if they are no longer contagious. You have no right to deny either course to them. It is not a criminal offence to become ill.’