491 - The painting of liberty

N. Lygeros
Translated from the Greek by Evi Charitidou

After nine days all Peter’s friends are together again at a traditional cafeteria… Full shot.
Irene
In secret to Aris. Ask discretely where Fotis is.
Aris
What for? To accuse him again?
Marina
If you are talking about Fotis…
Irene
No for God sake… Angry looking at Aris.
Marina
He’s not coming today.
Athanasia
But why? What happened again?
John
Peter used to disappear on a day like this… To Marina… Do you remember?
Marina
Smiling. Yes, the first time it surprised me too… Looking at Irene. Later though I understood…
Athanasia
What did you understand?
Marina
This day is symbolic to our people…
Irene
And does this explain why Fotis is absent?
John
This explains everything! Silence.
Aris
Fotis is at the gallery…
Irene
But how do you know this?
Aris
I didn’t know it…Time. But Peter used to go there…
John
With his ghosts…
Athanasia
Ghosts? Time. But there…
John
There are not only paintings there!
Marina
Memories are stronger than the present over there…
Irene
But what is he talking about? Time. We came for Peter.
John
And Fotis left for Peter.
Athanasia
Upset. John what are you hiding from us?
John
I am not hiding you anything… Time. If you don’t see something this doesn’t necessarily mean that it doesn’t exist… At the gallery… Flashback.
A clerk explains to Fotis that the entrance is not allowed to the public…However, one of his superiors is nodding him to enter… Fotis is not looking at the rooms of the ground floor and he is going up from the central stairs…Each stair is a step back to the past… He feels that another world is waiting for him… A world that he met earlier not only in Meyer’s and Peter’s diaries… At the central room, he turns to the right and he is absorbed by the painting of a French painter… He stands still for several minutes without saying a word…He takes a step towards the child… He wants to close its wet eyes… But at the same time he hears a voice…
Angel
I was waiting for you, brother… Fotis is turning and along with him time does too… He is now in a poor house with his old friend… Angel embraces him…When did you come?
Fotis
Yesterday.
Angel
Smiling. One day ago… Time. Peter is late…
Fotis
He will never be late from now on…
Angel
Did they catch him?
Fotis
No, his mission changed… He became the Lagoon’s guardian…
Angel
Here the situation is getting worse from day to another…
Fotis
How are the children?
Angel
Many died…Fotis makes the sign of the Cross upon himself… And the rest are hungry…
Fotis
How about the women?
Angel
Mothers faded out… In time they became warriors…
Fotis
Where is your mother?
Angel
Eleftheria wants to die… She has been waiting for you, though…
Fotis
Where is she?
Angel
In the next room… He shows him the door…
Fotis
May I see her?
Angel
It’s the only thing keeping her alive…
Fotis opens the door as slowly as he can…
Eleftheria pale on her bed …
Eleftheria
My child!
Fotis
I’m next to you, my mother…
Eleftheria
I’ve been waiting for you…
Fotis
I’m sorry…
Angel
He’s with us now.