Winter of 1942: Greece, World War II. The Italian occupation first, then the German occupation in the second year. The freedom fighters are now shooting Germans, who in turn are hanging and shooting civilians. I am 11 years old.7 PM: One hour past the curfew imposed by the occupation. My youngest brother goes into the yard to gather cut wood for the stove. He returns with another boy, who has climbed over the fence to ask for our father s help. Our young visitor's father, a man with diabetes, is said to have high fever and an abscess in his jaw.My mother has just enough time to put a sandwich into my father's coat pocket. Who knows when he will come back, if at all? My father gets his bag and follows the boy to his house, taking the same route that the boy had taken. Mother quickly crosses herself in front of the Virgin Mary icon.From time to time, we can hear gunshots in the town. We do our best to console my younger brother, who has started crying.
Demos,N.
展开 >
Department of Surgery, Hoboken University Medical Center, Hoboken, NJ 07030, United States, New
NSTL
