406 - The letter of the world

N. Lygeros
Translated from the Greek by Evi Charitidou

A monogrammed letter on the table. Extreme close up.

Andreas: When has it arrived? Close up.
Eva: Today… Medium close shot.
Andreas: Didn’t you open it? He takes it into his hands. Medium shot.
Eva: No… Time. I’ve been waiting for you… Medium long shot.
Andreas: But why? It’s for both of us…
Eva: For this reason exactly…
Andreas: Do you want me to open it? The woman nods affirmatively. Fine!

The man carefully opens the letter and he starts to read…

Eva: What does it say?
Andreas: It says about us… He continues reading.
Eva: As always… Time. Christos never writes about himself…
Andreas: Sorry… What did you say?
Eva: Christos always writes for the others…
Andreas: continuing reading. As if he was with us…
Eva: Come again?
Andreas: He might be elsewhere but he always lives with us… Time. Do you remember when we had been at Ladadika area?
Eva: Yes, of course… But…
Andreas: He was with us…
Eva: But how?
Andreas: You remember when we were treated a bottle of wine…
Eva: And….
Andreas: It was by Christos! Silence. He had told them to treat us on his behalf as soon as we arrive…
Eva: Our birthday…
Andreas: He remembers everything!
Eva: He forgets nothing, rather… Time. And why didn’t they tell us this?
Andreas: Christos’s kind request…
Eva: A request?
Andreas: Yes, it’s the word he chose.
Eva: Like the poem or the statue?
Andreas: I don’t know… It was his last one, though…. Look! He shows her the letter…
Eva: I don’t want to!
Andreas: What do you mean?
Eva: I don’t want it to be the last one… Full shot.
Andreas: Do you know what I think? He looks at her naughtily… Shall we have a nice pick-stroke song to listen to? You know which one…

Eva quickly stands up. She wipes her tears. She finds the record and sets it on an old record player…A rebetiko song of the forbidden ones plays … And Andreas starts dancing… He tenderly smiles at her…

Quoting Palamas, all love is placed into the music…
Eva: Music is not only love … Now she’s reading Christos’s letter. He didn’t forget us…
Andreas: No one can tear the bonds of our friendship apart…
Eva: How can you be so sure?
Andreas: Now we belong at Christos’s world… Medium shot.
Eva: But does Christos’s world now exist? Silence.
Andreas: The letter… Time. It’s coming from his world…
Eva: But, when was it sent? She takes a look at the letter and then at the envelope. Close up.
Andreas: Well?
Eva: There’s no date, stamp neither…
Andreas: You were looking for a proof and now that there’s none you see that there was no need to…
Eva: He’s with us… Why all this mystery?
Andreas: Mystery with Christos is that there are no mysteries…
Eva: Showing the letter. And how do you explain this?
Andreas: I don’t!
Eva: So…
Andreas: I don’t explain it because I see it! Why to explain? Do you explain me?
Eva: Do you want to confuse me?
Andreas: No, my darling…I simply recalled Christos words: “Our world is its explanation itself”.

INSERT: A hand places a letter in a letter box.