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…sometimes burning and tyrannizing him and other times softening
his anguish and stress, only to turn him into an optimistic man
looking forward to when his time might come to take charge of his
career and benevolent work. His face got lit from his internal sun,
from his internal auspicious thoughts and beliefs. He felt as good as
any other young man coming back to his roots, every other young
man of this land who has mastered the art of beautifying their days
with a flask of red wine, with imagination, with a pure heart.
Yes, he understood. It was an art originated in the ancient
years, from the ancestors who have faded away but left behind them
a flooded stream of light, golden light and within this light, every
moment of the eternal memory of this island is resurrected, through
this light could be one’s imagination run wild, a drunken illusion,
or pure poetry like the flowers of wild saffron. The people of the land
took this poetry to heart, and with it, they created the destiny of this
land. Crete existed in an infinite twilight among three continents.
Hermes stared at this island, his face reflecting supreme exultation
and justified selfishness.
The ship was now making a turn to enter the harbour. Hermes
could clearly see the steep mountains rising straight from the sea.
The dock came into view. Many other small and large boats were
scattered here and there. The crew was now busy with preparations
to dock. There were a lot of people and cars on the wharf. He could
see some village men with baggy black breeches tucked in high
boots and wearing delicately embroidered vests with black scarves
bound around their heads; their shaggy hair, thick beards, and long
moustaches complemented the whole image. When the ship finally
docked, Hermes could hear them speak a kind of thick dialect and
saw their eyes sparkle with stubbornness and virtue. These people
were fierce, insubordinate, harsh souls. He felt it was hard to walk in
their footprints.
A few villagers eagerly waited for the gangplank to be lowered
so they could rush aboard to greet their loved ones. Hermes went
down to the locker room to retrieve his small piece of luggage.
Libros Libertad 