Translation:The High Mountains/41

Today Aphrodo came to see her brothers with Lambros. She had one brother, Lambros, and now they are twenty-six.

Even the children would never have believed that up there they would find such an appealing sister.

Three days ago she told them the most beautiful story there is. It was about a castle with steel doors and golden keys: The castle of the beautiful woman.

The day before yesterday she sang to Phanis and Dimitrakis a song that began with these words: “This evening I dreamed”. She told it with her eyes lowered looking at her distaff.

This evening I dreamed —mother, my mother— I climbed a high tower I entered a garden And there flowed two rivers —explain to me mother, the dream...

Had she really had this dream? There was an air of regret in this song. But when she finished, she         smiled. And if Aphrodo smiled, everything was all right.

She is so like their sister that today they got her to do the sewing.

–Sew this button on for me, Aphrodo.

–Sew the torn elbow for me.

Although they had learnt to sew themselves in their solitude, they wanted it to be done by Aphrodo. “It's always done better by women”.

Aphrodo sat down and mended two or three of the clothes. Isn't is possible for forest rangers to do their own mending! Then she took up her distaff and began to spin.

“ Now she will tell us a fable!” the children said to themselves.

No, she didn't tell them a fable; she told them the story of Yannis from Yeuse. A story that everyone knows, big and little.