Eléni & M Move to Athens - Part 6

This new series has its history in the form of several short stories, several poems, and a 13-part series that is linked at the bottom via Part 5 of this series. Anthi Psomiadou has graciously agreed—you can ask her—to appear as a fictional character in this new series as well. Her full name in this series is Anthi Kanéna, or flowers without stems.

I do not need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better. Plutarch

Anthi looked like a smaller Athena with the little owl on her shoulder. Rigópoula’s falcon, Aphrodite, loved Anthi, and now, Athena’s owl, Glaukopis, seemed to declare its love as well. At least Glaukopis could talk, so I asked the little bird about Anthi. Tell me, wise Glaukopis! Why are you perching on Anthi’s shoulder, and why the right shoulder and not the left one?

Glaukopis looked at me and then at Patrick, probably trying to figure out to whom the reply should be directed. Athena smiled when it looked at her, as if to indicate that it was alright and that it could say whatever was on its mind. Do other animals have minds? I think so, but many humans do not. Perhaps it is easier to accept a lower mind in chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and gorillas, but birds are less evident. I would add dolphins, whales, octopuses, and ravens and crows (Corvidae family). There are probably others, but owls do not have minds as far as I know. Glaukopis is the exception given its proximity to Athena, the goddess of wisdom. “I love her,” Glaukopis replied, lowering its head. “And when I love someone, I perch on the right, like I do with my only goddess who now loves Patrick, so I can love Anthi,” he added looking directly at Anthi and again lowering its eyes.

A strange thought passed in my mind as soon as Glaukopis finished its reply. I wished that I had been an owl. The unconscious works in mysterious ways. Why do you love Anthi? I asked Glaukopis.

“She is the only one left. Patrick loves my goddess. You love Eléni. I love Anthi.”

You are right, Glaukopis. But you know that we all love Anthi, all four of us, and now, you too.

“But no one holds her hand or kisses her as Patrick and you do with my goddess and Eléni. I thought that she needed someone to love her too, so I perched on her shoulder.”

I see, Glaukopis. You are a good-hearted owl. We all kissed Anthi when she arrived and there is someone who holds her hand after she leaves. But I am sure that she loves you too, especially now that she knows that you love her.

“I love you too, Glaukopis,” Anthi told the little owl perched on her right shoulder, a bit bewildered by another surprising turn of events. I even noticed a little tear of joy, evaporating on her right cheek.

Noticing that we were all looking at it, Glaukopis gently rubbed its beak against Anthi’s dry cheek and excused itself, mentioning that a nap on its tree was beckoning.

Do you feel alone with us, I asked Anthi’s mind? I would never want you to feel anything but love. You are dear to us, as you must know, but we cannot keep you away from your life. Are we, dear Anthi? I asked, looking into her eyes.

“You are not,” Anthi replied to all of us. I love you all and I feel at home with you. There is my life, it is true, but strangely, though I think that I know how, every obligation that I have is being taken care of by my family. They all want to help me in everything I do. Even some of my daily activities are often completed as soon as I decide to accomplish them. Are you, Goddess Athena, my benefactor?”

“Yes and no, dear Anthi! Please call me Athena from now on! I am led by all our love for you. I will never force anything on you. I only help where I think that you would not mind. Did I err? I make mistakes as well. No one is perfect, as far as I know.”

“No, dear Athena! I feel overwhelmed by all your love. I do not know if I deserve it. I only helped Eléni to find you and Patrick. I never thought that I would also find a second family. I feel loved like I never did before. How could I not see the beauty of it? I love you all very much, and you all feel it as I feel your love.”

We are happy that you feel thus, Anthi,” M, I mean me, replied. But I do not think that we love you. We seem to adore you, always thinking of you when you are not here, and it has only been a couple of days. You may need to move here too. I am sure our Athena can manage to add another wing for you.

“I am so flattered and overwhelmed, M. But you know that it is impossible. Well, impossible is the wrong word with our loving goddess. It would be much more complicated with additional individuals becoming aware of Athena.”

I know, dear Anthi. I know too well. As Athena said, no one is perfect, though I consider her the exception. But that nothing at all is perfect, is surely true, and anywhere in the universe, especially when it comes to life. At least we could see each other as much as possible, or maybe Athena can manage a miracle. I will never put anything impossible out of her reach and wisdom. I love three women on this Earth and all three of them are here with me. I could not ask for anything more. I did not expect it just at that moment, but Eléni kissed me passionately, Athena kissed me on the mouth as she likes to do, and Anthi looked at me with her beautiful eyes and told me something in Greek. She did not say it to my mind, so I did not understand her words. Athena smiled, so I asked her to translate.

“No, dear M! I will let Anthi tell you if she wants to,” Athena replied.

Anthi, my dear! What did you say?

“Oh, it was just a thought from Ancient Greece that does not apply in this day and age. But I will tell you one day after a couple of shots of tsipouro. But I have to get it from Crete.”

We are going to Crete, Eléni, I declared. Are you coming too, Athena and Patrick?

“It was my plan all along,” replied Athena with her magical laugh.

Women! I cannot imagine a world without them. Pricks are so overrated. I can already see this previous sentence highlighted. But not all pricks are begotten equally. There are more than a few exceptions to this rule. I have mentioned them before, so I will not again, except for Charlie Chaplin. Do you know of him, Athena?

“Patrick showed me a few of his films and we laughed and cried at the same time.”

Yes, my goddess. That is Charlie Chaplin.

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I would like to thank Anthi Psomiadou for her continued kindness and support as this story further develops into a peregrination in Athens and to the rest of Greece. Why Greece? Because of Goddess Athena, and Anthi, of course.

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Another great song by the legendary Demis Roussos!

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