VIII - Part 05

VIII

1. The next morning Manoli Strezovski went from house to house and woke up first Iana and then Lazaros. They both got dressed in a hurry and joined him in the yard of one of the houses. They quickly walked down the village road and then veered off and disappeared towards the mountain. The forest in places was very dense and they had difficulty getting through. They were scratched and scraped by the tree branches. The terrain was also rough and rugged and they quickly became fatigued. From time to time Manoli Strezovski allowed them to rest. Again and again they looked at each other wondering what was going to happen. Their biggest worries were that they might run into a government army patrol. These patrols were out there all the time crisscrossing the countryside and mountains. Twice they stopped to eat and ate all the food they had in their backpacks. They arrived at the outskirts of a small village and waited until it was dark. Led by Manoli Strezovski they slipped under the cover of darkness and softly knocked on the door of one of the houses. A moment later a lamp was lit inside. The weak light glowed through the window to the outside.

“Who are you?” asked the man inside.

“The scabby fish,” replied Manoli very quietly.

“Go in the barn! I will bring you food,” replied the man.

Manoli led them to the barn. A few minutes later a man arrived and handed Manoli a bundle wrapped in a colourful cloth.

“We have no more. If you plan to spend the night here you must go before dawn. We get visits from the government soldiers every day. If they find you here they will kill you and they will destroy the entire village. Good luck to you and have a safe journey!” said the man and went back inside the house.

Iana was not used to the smell of the barn and did not know what to make of it. Lazaros, from time to time, held his nose. Manoli laid

down his coat on the straw and, while the other two looked for a place to lie down, went to sleep. The other two eventually found their spots and lay down. Iana could not sleep. She kept thinking of her son. She was still awake at dawn. The day arrived in the village earlier than they thought. It was too late for them to escape. The village was filled with government soldiers. Lazaros was overpowered by fear. Iana noticed his restless eyes and tried to calm him down. She began to caress his head as if attempting to remove the government soldiers out of his head.

Manoli Strezovski looked around like a fox breaking into a chicken coop, trying not to scare the chickens and alert the farmer. He looked through the door cracks but all his eyes could see was himself in front of a firing squad. He looked into the distance. He saw soldiers coming towards the houses.

“Follow me!” he said quietly and they all slipped out of the barn. Iana pushed Lazaros in front of her and they went into the yard completely unnoticed. From there they fled into the dense forest. They climbed up the mountain and stopped to rest. Their minds were filled with bloody images.

“What was the man’s name? The man who gave us the food?” asked Lazaros.

“Hristo Sotirovski,” replied Manoli quietly. “Why are you asking?”

Lazaros did not answer. He watched the soldiers dragging the villagers out of their homes and gathering them for a village meeting. He noticed them dragging a man out of the house where they had received the food. The villager was an old man with a warped back. One of the soldiers hit him hard on the head with his rifle butt. The man collapsed on the side of the road.

“I don’t see Hristo Sotirovski among the villagers being dragged out. He must have escaped?” said Lazaros with a tone of uncertainty in his voice.

Iana Chakalarova’s face went pale.

Two soldiers broke into Hristo Sotirovski’s house. They were middle-aged men. Hristo cautiously welcomed them inside and offered them a place to sit down. The soldiers paid no attention to him. It was as if the hospitality in his own house did not matter. One of the soldiers rudely pushed him down and he collapsed on the floor. Paraskeva appeared at the door of the other room. She looked beautiful and proud. The soldiers were confused by her appearance. Paraskeva stood there quietly, avoiding any movement or facial expression that could provoke them. The soldiers went towards her. Paraskeva’s eyes were filled with fear.

“She is mine!” yelled the soldier with a pimple on his face.

The other soldier silently made his intentions. He could not get his eyes off Paraskeva whose breathing by now had drastically increased. The soldier with the pimple on his face thrust himself towards her in an attempt to grab the beautiful woman for himself, like he knew she would not come to him quietly and submissively.

Paraskeva pulled back a couple of steps. Then, suddenly, she thrust herself forward and collided with the soldier. She was about four inches taller than him. He leaned down and sank his head into her stomach. Paraskeva fell down, rolled on the floor and hit her head against the wall. It was a hard hit and her sight became blurred. All she could see was fog. She tried hard to regain her sight but was unable. She felt another hard blow on the back of her head which pushed her sight even deeper into the fog. She was half-conscious when she heard her dress ripping. The soldier was tearing it off while she struggled wildly to get away. Paraskeva tried very hard to focus but once again was unable. But she did gain enough of her sight to see the soldier attacking her. She pushed him away but only briefly. He attacked her again and butted her in the stomach with his head. Paraskeva fell to the floor face down and her nose began to bleed. The soldier jumped on top of her and clamped her down tightly with his chest. He laughed. Paraskeva took a swing at him, dropped him on the floor and grabbed him by his face. He screamed with pain. His face was covered with his blood. The other soldier was frightened by the sight. Paraskeva squeezed his face and dug her fingernails into his eyes. His eyes popped out of their sockets

and hung over his cheeks. She let him go, rose up and lunged at the other soldier. Her hands were bloodied. He moved aside and hit her on the head with the butt of his rifle. Paraskeva fell to the floor and passed out. The soldier went towards her and was determined to stab her in the stomach. He took his bayonet out. The veins in his face were pulsing. He looked very angry. The other soldier’s screams were driving him mad. Suddenly he stopped and turned around. Hristo was right behind him. At lightening speed the soldier swung his bayonet and drove it into Hristo’s stomach. Hristo slowly bent forwards and dropped to the floor.

“Now it’s your turn you bitch!” he yelled at her with clinched teeth. “I will fix you good so that you never forget this day.” He then took off his pants and lay on top of her. When he was done he buttoned his pants, picked up the other soldier off the floor and went towards the open door. He looked back to see if Paraskeva had gained consciousness. She still lay there unconscious. They left and went towards the village square.

3. The government forces commander on horseback became enraged when he saw the soldier with his eyes gouged out. He rode his horse closer to him.

“Who did this?” he yelled at the other soldier. “The whole village will burn for this,” he said and ordered the soldiers to line the villagers against the wall.

The commander turned his horse around. The horse jumped up with its front legs in the air. The soldiers quickly lined up the villagers against the school building. The villagers were afraid.

“Who did this?” yelled the commander and pointed at the blind soldier bleeding from his eyes.

“I killed them Commander. Those damned who did this are dead!” replied the other soldier.

The commander moved his horse closer to him.

“Form a firing squad! Quickly!” he ordered.

The soldiers lined up and took aim at the villagers.

“Fire!” he yelled anxiously.

The soldiers fired their guns and the villagers fell flat on the ground.

“Only bullets for this scum! I will cast you all out of Greece, you stinking bastards!” he then yelled.

The soldiers lowered their guns as their commander approached them.

“Follow me! Everything we meet from now on goes under the knife!” he ordered. “They will remember Kapetanios Theofilos.” He then moved his horse forward. The soldiers followed. They left the village and disappeared down the road.

4. “Let’s go back there! There may be survivors?” said Manoli with a cracking tone of voice.

IX

1. Iana, Manoli and Lazaros ran down the hill and went inside Hristo Sotirovski’s house. Manoli ran over to Paraskeva, picked her up off the floor and put her on the bed.

“Is she alive?” asked Iana.

“Yes, she is!” replied Manoli.

“Sprinkle her with some water,” yelled Lazaros and started looking for a water jug. He found one in the kitchen and quickly returned back to the room. He sprinkled the water on her face. Suddenly she opened her eyes.

“My child!” she yelled out.

“What child is she talking about?” Iana wondered.

“Down there, under the bed…” she pointed.

Iana Chakalarova lifted the bed covers on the side of the bed where she was pointing and saw a baby in a large basket. His mouth was tied with a head kerchief. He was huddling quietly in his blanket. Iana pulled the basket from under and untied his mouth. The child began to cry. Iana lifted him and put him down on the bed and washed his face. The baby calmed down and began to cheerfully wave his arms.

Paraskeva slowly stood on up on the side of the bed and looked down. There, she saw Hristo’s dead body lying on the floor. She did not react. She got off the bed, looked at Manoli and said:

“Let’s get out of here! I am afraid of this place…”

“Put on some heavier clothes!” suggested Iana.

Paraskeva went into the next room and come out wearing a black overcoat. She then took the baby in her arms and wrapped him in a blanket.

“Let’s go!” she said with a pleading tone of voice.

2. The forest they were traveling through was sparse. Their feet were hurting from constantly stepping on rocks. They did not rest at all. Paraskeva was very tired. Lazaros carried the baby. They arrived at Supreme Command Headquarters at night. The guards took them to the security office. The duty officer set them up in one of the houses. Paraskeva was sent to a different house. They all were very tired and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning Iana went to see Paraskeva. She was surprised when she walked in. Paraskeva was not alone. There were many women with small children in the house. Paraskeva was nursing the baby. She gave Iana a sad and painful smile. Iana sat at the end of

the bed and the two women sat there looking at each other in silence. Iana then stood up abruptly, stroked Paraskeva’s hair and left. An older woman, a little older than Iana approached her in the hallway and said:

“Hi, Donka!” with a cheerful tone of voice.

Iana Chakalarova looked at the woman carefully. She did not know her.

“Forgive me…” apologized the woman, looked down and said: “I thought you were Donka from Lerin, a good friend of mine who I have not seen for years...”

“I am sorry about that…” replied Iana and asked: “How do I get to headquarters?”

“Are you going to headquarters?” asked the woman.

“Yes,” replied Iana.

“I also am going to headquarters. Let’s go together…” said the woman and introduced herself: “My name is Sofia Grncharova. I am from Lerin.”

Sofia grabbed Iana by the hand and they walked together. They smiled as they entered the house where the headquarters was located. They went into one of the rooms. It was empty.

“Sit down! The officer will come. He is one of us (Macedonian), a villager from Pozdivishta,” said Sofia.

Iana sat on a wooden chair by the window. She looked outside.

“Do you have a family?” asked Sofia.

“No I don’t. I was orphaned at twelve. I was raised by relatives. I was married but my husband was shot and killed at Edi Kule because he was an anti-fascist. We had a boy together. I left him with a friend in a village in Yugoslavia where we were evacuated. I

don’t know what’s happened to him. I was unable to see him before I was brought here,” replied Iana.

“You left your boy and came here?” asked Sofia surprised.

“First I went to Katlanovo. There is a hospital there that looks after the wounded fighters from the Democratic army,” replied Iana.

“Were you wounded?” asked Sofia.

“No. I worked there as a nurse,” replied Iana.

“You left your own child with a friend to be able to participate in the struggle?” asked Sofia even more surprised.

“Yes! This is my fight!” replied Iana.

Sofia tried to imagine how a struggle could be more important than a child when the door suddenly opened and a tall man with a big moustache walked in. He welcomed the women with a head nod and sat on a wooden bench at the end of the table.

“This is a new friend. She is from Solun,” said Sofia.

Iana Chakalarova blushed slightly.

“I come from Kostaneria as requested by headquarters,” said Iana.

The officer gave her a friendly smile.

“Would you like some tea?” he asked.

Iana and Sofia shook their heads “no”.

“Then, let’s get on with the more important things… The women’s Congress is at twelve o’clock. It will be held in the building adjacent to the house in which DAG’s leadership is situated. This is why we called you here. Now you are free to go. I believe that you are prepared for the Convention?” said the officer and looked at the two women.

Sofia sighed. Iana smiled. They both left the office and parted company. Iana seemed very excited. The large number of armed fighters in the surrounding vicinity seemed to disturb the peace in her soul. She walked around in circles and kept looking at the fighters and their tired faces. Just before twelve o’clock she walked into the hall where the Congress was being held. It was a small school building. The hall was decorated with slogans such as: “LONG LIVE DAG!” and “DOWN WITH THE MONARCHO-FASHISTS!”

She sat on a wooden stool. The hall was filled with women. She saw Sofia sitting at the head table up on the stage. The Congress began. Many women spoke. There was a pause. Sofia stood up and loudly said:

“I nominate Iana Chakalarova to be appointed member of the immediate leadership. Please take a vote by show of hands.”

“Iana please stand up!” yelled one woman from the back row, “so that we can see who we are voting for.”

Iana Chakalarova stood up. All women turned to see who she was. Some sighed a quiet sigh.

“I am Iana Chakalarova !” said Iana excitedly.

“Iana Chakalarova is the wife of a pre-war communist who was shot by the Nazis in Edi Kule prison. In order to extend her notion of human freedom, Iana has left her own child in Yugoslavia to be taken care of by strangers, and had voluntarily come here to fight with us for the freedom of all our people and thus has shown her conviction and justification for our struggle…” said Sofia loudly for everyone to hear.

Moments later the women began to raise their hands.

“According to the number of yes votes, the majority of our membership has accepted Iana Chakalarova’s appointment to the immediate AFZH leadership. I now nominate Iana Chakalarova as

the first candidate for the presidency of AFZH,” announced Sofia. “Let us now continue with the elections, but first let us congratulate Iana in her new appointment and wish her much success in the struggle for our final victory for democracy in this country.”

Other women spoke after Sofia. Iana was also seen raising her hand up high, voting.

The Congress continued well into the next day. Iana calmly followed the presentations and program. Sofia’s voice kept ringing in her ears. The Congress ended late in the evening and Iana rushed to see Manoli and Lazaros. They were in their room.

“You are now an official. It is a great honour for all of us…” said Lazaros cheerfully.

“We should go and visit Paraskeva. It is not nice to leave without saying goodbye…” said Iana, changing the subject.

“Paraskeva Sotirovska was evacuated with the group that left for Poland,” replied Manoli.

Lazaros Papadoglu looked confused. He first looked at Iana and then at Manoli.

“What kind of evacuation are you talking about?” he asked frantically.

“Calm down, young man. Evacuation! Thousands of people leave this country and go north. Some will stay in Yugoslavia, others will go to Romania, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia ... According to Supreme Command, the number of people crossing the border to the north on foot, with only a blanket in their hands, is very large. Macedonia is emptying. Our people are being driven out of their homes. They are leaving for other worlds, frightened, tired and hungry, to start a new life… a life on wheels. No one knows where they will stop and when they will return back to their homes. Now they are leaving to avoid being burned by the flames of the government army… the gendarmes… the police… Nobody knows what will happen! May God help us... I am now going to command,

and if there are no new tasks for us we will be going back Kostaneria. I need to calm my soul down,” said Manoli, got up from his bed and went out through the wooden door.

Iana and Lazaros were surprised by Manoli’s comments and remained in the room looking stunned with much unrest in their own young souls. They looked like they were watching the devil taunting them.

3. Iana, Lazaros and Manoli left headquarters and traveled over the mountains which now became their temporary new home. Manoli moved fast over the rough terrain. Iana followed right behind. Lazaros kept complaining about his aching ankles. About fifty kilometres from Kostaneria they left the goat path and veered off into a grove.

“That was close, we almost fell into their jaws,” said Iana.

“Please be quiet until they pass!” said Manoli quietly.

Lazaros Papadoglu was stunned as he watched the military unit passing by. The soldiers were riding on horses.

“What kind of army is this? No uniforms… no symbols… This is one of those criminal bands paid for by the government to destroy us…” said Manoli.

“I know them… there is Hash, Alexei Ivanovich Starovkin, and Rasim Bey,” muttered Lazaros.

“What did you say?” asked Manoli.

“They are Monarcho-Fascists. I used to see them every day in the café “Macedonia” in Solun… I know them…” replied Lazaros.

Manoli Strezovski looked again. The three notorious figures now appeared clearly before his restless eyes.

“The bastards! Who knows how much they are being paid by the government to kill…” muttered Manoli and spat.

Hidden in the grove they kept quiet until the strange army bypassed them by. They left the grove and continued on their trek. Manoli looked nervous and angry.

“They will sell their own children for American dollars. The scum! The bastards!” he muttered angrily.

“I heard people talking at headquarters. They were saying that in Kostur the government troops have used chemical weapons and poisons. This is the kind of means the government in Athens has chosen to destroy us,” said Lazaros.

“You need to collect this kind of information, young man! You know how to write. One day when you are sitting in a comfortable chair you can write about it! Let us all know what happened...” advised Manoli.

They finally entered Kostaneria but walked very carefully. Iana Chakalarova decided to run ahead.

“Stop!” yelled Manoli.

Iana stopped, turned and looked surprised.

“Why?” she asked.

“We need to find the two guards before we get shot. We need to be careful,” he replied.

“But they are our guards…” complained Iana.

“We have been away for a long time. We don’t know if things have changed here, or not? And who here knows that the beautiful Iana Chakalarova is returning to Kostaneria? Or do you think everyone in the village knows that?” replied Manoli.

Iana Chakalarova bowed her head down slightly, recognizing her mistake.

“Don’t blame yourself! You need more experience…” said Manoli.

“Let’s go!” suggested Lazaros.

“Be vigilant!” warned Manoli and began to walk.

They entered the village unnoticed by the guards under the cover of darkness and quietly disappeared into their designated houses.

4. The next day Iana Chakalarova got up early in the morning and went to Stefanos’s store.

“Hello, Stavre!” she yelled, looking in from outside the door.

“Welcome back, doll! How was Supreme Command?” replied Stavre waving her in.

Iana Chakalarova walked in and sat beside him.

“Now I am an official. A great beast…” she said jokingly.

“Who will you now hunt?” asked Stavre jokingly and took a sip of his rakia.

“Women! I will hunt women. Is that okay with you?” she replied.

Stavre Nakovski thought for a moment, but before he had a chance to make another witty remark Manoli Strezovski entered the store. They shook hands. Manoli sat beside him.

“Bring some rakia for Manoli!” ordered Stavre.

“Bring me one too!” he added, looked at Iana and said: “Will you drink one?”

“I will have one. Let it be known!” Iana replied, laughed out loud and said:

“And look at you? You have become a big shot! A leader no less...!?”

“I like you. You are a smart woman Iana!” replied Stavre.

Stefanos, the Asia Minor colonist, brought the glasses of rakia and put them on the table.

Stavre Nakovski picked up his glass and drank it all at once. He then got up and said:

“I must go. I will see you later…” and walked out of the store.

Iana and Manoli sipped their rakia slowly. The Asia Minor colonist occasionally and curiously looked in their direction trying to catch what they were saying.

“It is a terrible time,” Stefanos thought to himself. His only wish at the moment was to survive the war. “The war will probably not last long. I will have to go far away where there are no people and stay there for a long time. The further away from this hell the better…” he tried to convince himself.

X

1. Manoli Strezovski came into Stefanos’s store panting.

“The great Stalin is quarreling with Yugoslavia. This is a bad thing. This is a terrible irregularity in Supreme Command. The ‘coma’ supports Stalin’s opinion. Now we are done for…” said Manoli all broken up.

“Slow down! Have a bit of faith in the people, Manoli!” replied Stavre with a calming tone of voice.

“They suspended the entire Macedonian leadership. They are being accused of fractionizing... Every day they send appeals to the government troops to fraternize with our fighters...” said Manoli.

“We heard about it on the radio from Kolio Bochvarov. Every day they feed us with new sugar-coated crap. But we need to fight and not play politics. Knife to knife, a tooth for a tooth, otherwise they will again exterminate us, this time to the last one…” replied Stavre, took a sip of rakia and looked at Pondilaki.

“I am not saying anything…” said Pondilaki calmly.

“We need to create a people’s militia in Kostaneria…” replied Stavre, got up and quietly left the store. He walked down the village street with a clouded mind and went into the house he rebuilt. Memories of Evangelia and his children began to fill his mind. He lay down on the dusty blanket on the bed and closed his eyes. He did not come out that day. All this time he slept in the house, which he himself had raised from the ashes.

XI

1. Stavre Nakovski left his house and went to visit Kolio Bochvarov. He was at home crouched in front of his radio.

“Sit!” said Kolio and pointed with his hand to the bed. “I am listening to the news,” he then added.

Stavre sat on the bed and leaned his back against the wall. He looked at the little box from which a voice was coming.

“The Democratic Army wants to put an end to the fratricidal war. The government in Athens is demanding unconditional surrender…” said Kolio with a worried look.

“Bastards!” muttered Stavre and stepped off the bed. “Let’s go to the store. I want to see Pondilaki,” he added and took a few steps towards the door.

They left the house and went up the street. They passed several fighters before entering Stefanos’s store. Pondilaki was sitting with Iana Chakalarova and Tushi Gonev drinking rakia.

“Are we going to surrender?” asked Pondilaki with a serious look on his face.

“Nobody gives a damn about us! We have been erased from this world…” replied Stavre jokingly.

“The chiefs are starting to resort to new tactics…” said Pondilaki.

What new tactics Pondilaki? Can’t you see what they are doing? They are carving a place for themselves in the government? They are asking the United Nations to intervene and remove the US and England from this country. We did not get involved in this fratricidal war alone and on our own! We were drawn into it. If it wasn’t for America and England intervening we would have lived beautifully. We won the war against the Nazis. We would have formed a democratic government and that’s the way it should have been. Did our leaders not know all this when they went to the mountains?” replied Stavre.

“All I know for sure is that the summer is passing fast and fall will be here soon. It’s best not to talk about it. I am afraid that we will all burn in the fire that we started. I am looking at the fire burning and spreading and it will soon invade Kostaneria. It will be difficult. The wagon has begun to roll downhill. Now anyone can say whatever they want,” said Pondilaki.

“Shall we have a drink, people?! The Monarcho-Fascists can go to hell! This land is ours and we are not giving it up!” said Tushi Gonev, raised his glass and took a sip of rakia.

XII

1. Kolio Bochvarov walked in Stefano’s store agitated and panting and said:

“According to the radio a battalion of government troops has crossed into our ranks. The soldiers killed their commander.”

“They will attract other battalions. We will win. I believe…” said Stavre, turned and saw Iana Chakalarova at the door.

“When did you return? What happened?” asked Stavre looking at her.

Iana Chakalarova slowly leaned on the table and came closer to Stavre. She then leaned on Stavre’s shoulder and sat down.

“Give me a glass of water! My throat is dry from the heat…” she said.

Stefanos brought her a glass of water. Iana took it, drank a little, and lowered the glass on the table.

“Speak! What happened?” Stavre demanded to know.

“Take it easy, Stavre, don’t rush me!” replied Iana in a broken voice.

“Tell me! Don’t keep me in suspense!” demanded Stavre sounding upset.

“We have a new president in the interim government and a new military commander. Markos Vafiadis was removed. He was suspended and expelled from the Party Politburo,” said Iana.

Stavre Nakovski looked confused. He looked calm now.

“Why did they remove him? What did he do?” asked Stavre.

“I don’t know. But there is more. General Headquarters at Mount Vicho has ordered the mobilization of all men and women ages seventeen to thirty-five. This smells bad, Stavre, it stinks…” said Iana with a concerned look on her face, sighed a deep sigh and continued: “There was also a fight between the movement leaders who were in support of our relations with Yugoslavia and those who followed Stalin’s line. Unfortunately those who argued for keeping

good relations with our northern neighbour lost their leadership positions. They and Vafiadis disappeared. Even though this was not yet officially resolved it will be resolved soon.”

“Idiots! Stupid idiots! Who cares about Stalin’s war with Yugoslavia? I don’t know why we squawk so much for Moscow. I waited for Stalin during the war. They assured me in the prison that he was coming to help us. But it appears he was wiping his ass with our requests... They collected the children by force to keep their own butts safe. The Macedonians will be the last rampart built from the bones of our dead who they promised to protect. They will crush us all…” mumbled Stavre to himself.

“The villagers are prepared for the winter, Stavre. We have started shooting our commanders and not worrying about ordinary fighters,” said Kolio Bochvarov.

‘What are you talking about? Who is shooting commanders? Where? Why?” asked Stavre in an angry tone of voice. “Nobody tells me anything! I am the last to find out!”

“Georgis Gorgadis, commander of the XIV DAG Brigade, was sentenced to death by the military court and immediately shot. This was because he failed to take Voden. He lost many fighters in the battle,” said Kolio.

“Solun! We need to take Solun and not Voden. One of these days I will personally go to Command and tell them how to run a war. The political types! That’s why the man and his friends who were providing weapons for us disappeared... You stupid idiots, you screwed up this war. Now we will have to fight with stones…” muttered Stavre nervously and left the store. He ran down the village street and climbed high up the mountains. He then began to scream profanities...

When he calmed down he said: “We sure screwed up things…” and sat down on the grass. He looked towards the grove and closed his eyes.