Snarky Tumor
? day, July 10, 2007
? ? 's check
[Record begins here]
I rememb? hat a beautiful day ? as. Typical ? her for the Ionian--brilliant bl? ky, ? e cl? , gl? ? er. ? as it i? tside today, some seven hundred-odd ? s later,? hough the water is considerably rougher. Funny how little so? hings change--and ho? ch.
I had? nched in? mall boa? om near ? ? throtum once? and crossed? row stra? ? ating th? land from what is now Albania. It was a rath? ? tri? he Straits of Corfu are ? ? ? rowest at that end of th? land. Ke? ? ardon me, I apol? e--C? ? then admini? ed by the House of A? , who had little real power to e? ? ? influence and even ? inclination to care? lea? ding to the locals. ? as, of c? ? uite? imple ma? to navigate fro? throtum to C? ? ? et M? Pan? ? ? aight ahead and make a dead run at it.
I had forgotten how rough the ? t was, and in the end, I had to swim ashore,? ely ? ing the rocks. To this day, I'm still not clon how I managed to avoi? , an? the time I was standing up on m? n feet, I wa? eathing hard and? feeling? y well.
Still, I had been traveling for just ? ? r thousa? ? by ? point, and I was mo? han hardy enough to ? going, which di? take me long to regret. The? rainund Mount Pantokrator--indeed, a? s the northe? art ? he island--is incred? ? ntai? ? />
Still, after three ? of trudging? st as I was beginning to run? of ? upplies ? tale bread and dried goat, I? nd a small farm, con? ing of mostly a smal? ildi? ith a fence ? nd i? erhaps 1eet wide, pennin? ? eral goats. I made my wa? ? he fence, dodged a few h? , an? rode up ? he low opening in the small ston? ilding.
The g? kin ? ng a? s the doorway wa? lled aside b? e I even knocked, badly frightening me a? aking me off balance. A smal? kinny old ma? ared up at me, h? unic? ? ained and hanging loosel? er--nothing else. Good Lord,? emember how ? ming that mo? ? ? />
"Yes?" he asked? ite poli? if I remember corre? ? />
? didn't ? rise me. The? t few times I had passed? ough the Achaean lands, ? itality was a major ? of thei? ? ? ? ationale comfrom their a? s-interestin? thology-? ? anger that came knocking? ld be a god in d? ise, waiting to rewa? hose who opened their homes and hila? sly puni? hose who? rned? ? ? ion.
? cked underneath the upper edge of the doorway and remained bent ? . The ceiling was low. This man was ? in ? ? ? o me. Yo? ? ? stand, M? ? hat I was a bit of a sport. ? he day I? ? sed with eternal life and en? s wa? ing,? ? ? alle? erson in the village--indeed, anywhere around. I? an object of ri? le and fear for ? ly five ? sand years--? about a cen? ago did that co? o an end, and the rest of th? man race beg? o catch up.
Perhaps it wa? height ? ? the idea of godhood in his mind, be? e he cam? to ? ith a large blanket fill? ? erflowing with farmer's bread, dried goat, m? ? , and what meage? uit ? e was in the? se. ? as c? that he had? en me all the food he had.
"If you wish," he said eag? ? ou could stay for the night.? can? ? pallet. I c? ? ? side? h the goats!" He sai? so enthusiastic? that I ? ? rible.
"I tha? ou f? our kind? ," I said. "But I would not ? ume to i? e so much." I looked at the blanket, andhed. It would be dif? ? o leave any food? e wi? t offending him, regardless ? hether or not he starved. "I? t admit, though, that th? eall? ? e than I can? ry comfortably. How far ? he neare? illage?"
He looked offended anyway. "You would not be? osing! It would be mnor ? erve? ? my ? t."
I did? want to sta? all. Not on? as he so poor that I felt sinful? ? eathing the air inside his home,? the who? lace reeked ? ario? ? of ? effluvi? o I was caught coming and going. "Ah? t I have? ? ive who'? ? ing ? ithin a day.? tead, could you tell me ? e village of the? inganoi ? ?"
He? ugged. "? well. A? es. The Atsinganoi live ? ? o days' walk? th of here. Plea? ake some bread a? ine at l? !"
I nodded. "Of ? se. Thank you, kind sir, and I must be going."
"Certa? , young man," he said, and hiled. I took enough for two ? ' walk.
H? and? ntains, rain and sun, ri? and villages and fa? ? ? er, ? rive? he Atsinganoi village within view, nestled in a basin among the hills. I? tled on the hillside and waited.? un-in wi? ome Frankish? inganoi several ? s before had? ? hat ? as best not ? peak? h them directly; their c? ? rohibited contact with outsi? ? ? ld be a while before they noticed I was ? e and se? omeo? ? ? ermitted to speak with non-Atsinganoi.
Black-eyed, black-haired, whi? kinned, he had a vag? Hebrew look about h? hat made me reme? my time in Syri? hen I met your a? tor, in ? , Marath--and hi? es collected the? elig? itho? eflection.
"Why a? ou here?" he asked in ne? erfect Greek? />
"Not Caló?" I asked in the same language.
"? is
"She doe? spe? ? tsiders," he sai? ? ing. "Go away."
"She ? n't need to. If I un? tand? ? ly, she ? nee? o la? t her cards in answer to? ? ion.? ould likr you to bring m? esti? o her and to bring her answer ba? o me." I? back and considered, searching my m? y. "? ? n, I will te? ou of a place near here ? e there is an ancien? ? re left by E? can expl? s many c? ? ago." No ne? o tell him how I knew of this.
He looked tful, th? athetically ? er. ? do I kn? his isn't a trick?"
I? sed him a small gold figurine of? olf,? rica? ? ked and set with? iny ? in its forehead. "There's more.? />
He nodd? houg? lly as h? amin? he f? ine and ? ed i? oftness. "What is yo? ? ion?? />
"Th? all?" He looked quizzical. "And? thi? ou'll give me a ? une?? />
He came ? before ? et, looking ? ectful.
"She has asked to see? in ? on."
I felt cold,? e so than could be explained by the ? et. "The? tune-teller?? ?"
He? ugged. "I don't ? ? t she sa? o meet her by th? ? runks after dawn tomorrow."
"The twin--?"
The boy pointed downhill. About halfway ? een my camp and the village was a single tree that had grown? ? ? ? . Good enough.
/>"Very well. Thank you.? t he didn't move. "Yes?"
He h? hat ? ? clever ? ession on his face again. "What ? t payment?"
I shook my head. ? ? il a? ? peak to the ? une-teller."
His face fell. "? ainly. But either way, I? equired ? emain wi? ou f? he n? cleanse? ."
I laughed. "No cleansi? ill take place around this fire,? ."
The young man's face c? ed. ? --"
I raised my hand. "Ab? ? ? . If this fortune-te? ? seen what I thi? ? seen, cleansing is not the main concern in her mind right now."
He looke? ? ? t ac? ed it. "? ought food a? ine.? ? ? it." He? ? mall sack on the ground ? een us and backe? ay.
"Er, thank you," I said, ? ? col? ing myself. I'd forgotten some aspects of the untouchabi? of the Atsinganoi. I picked up the sack and? nd a sma? ? kin,? es, ? and dried veniso? ? ? mall deer I'd seen around. I'd actually ? finished off the last of th? esh venison from a deer I'd kill? ? revious day,? this small ? ure was ? ignificant in the face of dealin? ith the Atsinganoi..? />
At dawn the? t day, I wok? . Those ? es h? astermented, and the wine had been much stro? than I expected, and there was a light throb in my head. I sat up and looke? ound The? e ha? rned? and the? inganos was gone. I stoo? , ha? ? ning? ? tuck? iece of dried venison in my ? ? ? ed chewing, and headed downhill ? ? win-trunks.It wa? long before I notic? hat looked like a tall, brig? ello? ? tanding ? to the tree? had a human face, and I had a n? moment until I realized that th? ? -yellow thing was the fortune-te? ? essed and painted in a c? that wa? idently intended? pro? ion from the filth of threigner.
She had one chair and a ? ? ? p. On the barrel? a deck of c? mad? ? ? -valuable vellum and hand-scratched ? strations in ink? />
I nodand sat, folding my ? in my lap. ? tainly, ? . I ? apologize for forcing myself on? in ? manner,? I have been looking? someone like you for a ? long time."
? ? ? aid ? ly. ? ery,? y lo? ime, no?" Her dark eyes looked at me? of the thickly-caked ye? paint, unreadabut meani? l.
I nodded again. "Yes, ? . A ? ...long time."
"Call me Imbri? ? aid sudd? . "I? a Latinate name? ? will do? this session."
I? rowe? brow. "? s?"
She didn't respond, only laid? ? ? ds. ? e was a high win? hich? ld have ? red cards made fcard? ? ? er, but ? e we? ? m. They lay solidly ? he lid of the barrel. Wh? he completed the? out, she? silent for a lo? ime, considering? y ca? lly ? ? before her.
? com? ? he east," Imbri said fin? . "Though yo? e passin? ? ? est.? ? e circled the world ? times. ? I know," she said, looking ? uddenly,? ? he last time I laid ? ? ds out. But ? question..." sh? ailed off.
"When I ma? ? alking,"? aid.
? ." She examined the card? en more ? ely. "This card here? ? resents ? ? ? nwinding. There is more, much more, ahead th? hat which lies behind. Hmm. ? one, here, ? that th? ars ? speak, and ? one? t to it ? that the cl? ? t sing. But the meaning ? ague; I'm no? re i? 's m? horical or l? al."
I chuckled. "Isn't it all metaphorical?"
She looked at me sha? . "A? ? l wa? ? ays ? ?"
She had a poinere.? ighed. "I come from a very diffe? age. Metaphor has little place here."
Imbri arched her left eyebrow and ? ered qui? ? ? econd. "? en," she said. "I have n? bee? ong. Thi? the? ? ime ? I have ? that being wrong--it could ? ? his time, do? und? and? Thi? ? y im? ant.? br />"I apol? e, Imbri," I said contri? . "Is there an indication of exa? ? long I'm going to need ? ait?? />
She? tered again and looked down ? he barrel head. "Anc? ? ? aid, and looked at me, a? look in? eyes. "? ? d re? ? the elephant--a? t hi? y. It's comm? ? ociated with Hind. That,? pled? h the lo? ath unwindin? ? oice? ars, and the singing clouds, sug? s th? ou are from ? land, and are much, much older than? seem."
I nodded mutely. ? wom? as
Imbri continued. "S? his ? ? You won't ? traveling for ad, long time." She looke? me curiously. "? ? hink the stars are likely to sta? alking a? ime soon?"
I laughed, feeling bleak. "No, indeed. Quiet n? s and cacoph? ? ? , I'm afraid."
She sighed. "M? ess would be that you have just as much comi? o yo? what you've left behind. You'll keep walking for a long time, but--" She looked? strated. "I can't figure? exa? ? long. This is bothersome." She shuffled? deck of? ds and drew out a single one. "For clarification? ? aid, and lai? ? n.
We? h looked at it at the sa? ime, lea over the barrel head. A? se, brackete? the sun on the righ? he moon ? he left, and stars on the top and bottom? ? es met.
"I've? ? een ? one before," she whispered. "And I made these c? ? elf.? />
Every hair on my bo? tood on end, and the? fairly crackled, an? ght ? ? he chills that come ? ? when you encounter something you can't explained, b? hen the worl? rned white and hot and I wok? the? t day, bobbing in the water off a coast ? looked fami? ? />
Of ? se it looked familiar. It was ea? n India.
[Record ? ]
? class="byline">? ed b? gh VanDerGoetz ? p;# 2:00 PM
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