"Good morning, Telma. How are you and the little ones?”
"Exhausted, it's been a very long night. I'm still dizzy. You fell asleep and then the little ones wet themselves.”
"Yes, I can smell it.” He gave them a loving look. They were still asleep. “Last night I was so exhausted it was hard for me to keep my eyes open,” he tried to excuse himself.
"Almices, I'm worried. I can't see land anywhere; we have to do something.”
"We don't have another sail on board. We will have to use one of the blankets as a sail.”
"Do you think it will work?" Telma was ready to pick up one of the blankets that was soaked by the storm.
Noon was approaching and the wind, as strong the day before, did not show signs of abating. Janira, tired by the rugged voyage, was alternating between sleep and waking, between sobs and nightmares. Nerisa had closed herself off. She woke up shortly after her older siblings and without a word curled up in a corner looking toward the sea as if she were a statue. Telma had tried to talk to her on several occasions but she only replied with monosyllables, her gaze fixed upon the horizon. The old blanket tied to the mast was so heavy that it wasn't even blowing in the breeze. Almices constantly tried to steer the boat eastward, fighting the current with one oar while Telma held the helm.
“A boat!” Nerisa exclaimed with hope in her voice. “Look Almices, a, boat, over there.” Nerisa pointed insistently to the port side. Her brother glanced to where she was pointing.
"We don't know if they are friend or foe, Nerisa. It’s better if they don’t see us. We must be cautious," Almices replied. Indeed, a small sail could be seen on the horizon.
“We won't be able to get anywhere like this, brother," Telma chipped in. “We’ve almost ran out of water and we don't know where the nearest land is. Maybe they can help us.”
"It's very risky," her brother insisted, doubting whether it would be the best.
"Almices, you’re just like mother, always distrusting people," his older sister responded. “We cannot risk any more, Janira has to rest, or we will lose her too. We have no choice but to ask for help.” Nerisa nodded in agreement.
"Okay, we'll turn to that boat, see if they can see us." He took over from his sister at the helm and changed direction, then began rowing with the only oar toward the boat that appeared to approach them.
The sail was slowly approaching. The Theopoulos’ took for granted that they had been spotted. Almices calculated they were about five hundred stokes away when the ship turned to them. The die was cast. They had some money, if they were fishermen the children hoped they could pay their way to Kos; if they were not, better that everything happened quickly, the boy thought. It was a much larger vessel than the battered boat of Hermes Theopoulos. A large triangular sail pushed her decisively toward them. From the small boat they could see several people moving about on deck. The animation onboard warned Almices that they were preparing to board them, they began to retract the sail.
"Ahoy there! who are you?” a voice arose from the bow, a man with a strong complexion raised his hand with a friendly gesture. Almices was prepared to respond.
"We come from Samos, the storm broke the sail and we’ve been drifting. We need help getting to Kos.”
“Your ship is damaged, come on board, we’re going to Nisyros, which is next to Kos. I guess we'll be able to leave you somewhere on the island.”
The two ships were placed next to each other and the children went on board leaving the small boat empty, drifting by. The burly man who had spoken to them appeared before them.
"Good morning, children. I am Zamar, the captain of this ship, welcome.” He smiled sardonically. “These are my men.” He gestured to the crew. A dozen men of various ages, each more dishevelled and dirtier than the next. The siblings feared that they were not fishermen. Some of the sailors leered at Telma's breasts, which stood out thanks to the girl's clothing, still soaked by the storm. The ship was certainly large, had to have several compartments for the crew and considerable space for cargo. No nets were seen anywhere.
"Thank you for picking us up," said Almices. “What can we offer you as compensation?”
"Don't worry about that now, go and rest, and in a couple of hours we will eat and talk about everything.” The captain smiled, made a gesture to go below deck. The children, a little suspicious, felt exhausted, and after speaking briefly discussing the offer, ended up accepting the invitation.
The ship’s interior was sparse. They descended down some rough wooden steps and found themselves in the cellar. On both sides, some jars were irregularly stored near bunk beds that must be used by the crew. The sailor who guided them went to the bow and made them enter a small chamber. The sailor left, leaving the door open and the Theopoulos children relaxed. It was a small room, smaller than the deck; but it was dry and laying down they all fit perfectly. Almices and Telma were still uneasy, but their escape had been exhausting. They soon surrendered to sleep.
“Let me go, damn you! Get off me! Almices, help me!” Telma's screams woke her siblings up. The first thing Almices thought was that his sister was having a nightmare. He opened his eyes to see what was happening.
“Get off my sister!” The boy jumped up to defend her, but a tremendous punch made him fall on the little ones, who were screaming in fear.
“Stay there, brat!” The bearded sailor threatened. Almices got up again and without a second thought kicked the man between his legs. The surprised crewmember squirmed and howled in pain. The young boy jumped over him. Another sailor stuck out his leg and Almices fell flat on his face besides the ladder, at Zamar’s feet. The captain of the ship, strong and arrogant, was standing above him. Almices stared at his nose. It was large, half-crushed and deflated, a token of an unfortunate encounter with a powerful opponent. A thick scar covered his forehead, ending by the left eyebrow, giving him an even more fierce appearance.
“I ordered you to let them rest. Let go of her!” The sailors became defiant when they heard the captain's order.
“It's our reward," said one of his men, who was gripping Telma’s arm Zamar pulled out a small dagger without thinking drew it across the sailor’s throat.
“Let go of her! Right now!” his tone was sharp, leaving no room for doubt. The sailor released the girl. Telma crouched crying to her brother. “You three, go up on deck and don't let me catch you down here again.” He then bowed his eyes to the young ones. “As for you two, it will be better if you returned to your compartment. I apologise for my crew. They are men of the sea and lack the manners for how to treat guests. I assure you they will not bother you again.”
The two siblings, still startled, rose up and returned to their cabin. They hugged their sisters. Nobody spoke. Frightened, they didn't know if they could trust the captain of the ship. Zamar, who watched them leave mumbling something to himself as he also headed away. Noon passed and although they had a bucket full of water in their compartment, no one came down to offer them food. They refused to ask about it. Instead, they let the day pass in silence, thinking privately that it had been a mistake to climb into this ship, sharing looks of fear until late in the afternoon.
“Can you tell me what you were thinking, assholes?” Zamar asked, as he headed toward the three sailors in the privacy of his small deckhouse. “Are your heads filled with air?” One of the sailors, the one who caught Telma,
