The Witch
Excerpt from the book Seven Hermits
Years pass, and the days flow like water in a river. They may seem the same, yet they are not. Beneath the surface, along the riverbed, the current of life carries away soil and small stones. Green moss grows and settles upon the larger rocks that break the water’s skin, and the sound of the river—if one listens carefully—changes with the turning of the seasons and the wandering of the winds.
Human beings are born bringing hope with them, secretly carrying the ledgers they bear through life; and when they depart, they leave behind their traces—footprints that, in the passage of time, will also fade away.
Yet from time to time, among them appear a few who can see beyond the transformations of matter. They are able to look directly into the tiny droplets of water that form the world around us. Their gift becomes an opportunity for those who encounter them—to witness the endless ripples created when a small pebble touches the surface of the water.
Often, we humans enter the desert of doubt.
It is a harsh desert—one that threatens to collapse the convictions and the walls of doctrine we have built around ourselves. It is painful as well, because it forces us—whether we wish it or not—to leave behind the comfort of certainty, the quiet belief that things are simply “the way they are,” and to confront something deeper.
In The Witch, we follow the life of a priest who is forced to step beyond the fear and the limits of his own faith, and to face the possibility that existence may extend far beyond the boundaries he once believed unbreakable.
Aunt Maria is the healer—a woman who, since childhood, has been able to see beyond the world of the recognized senses. With her words alone, she can intervene and save lives. The villagers accept her presence as something natural. But to their priest, she is a witch, and he excludes her from Holy Communion.
Yet life will one day bring him to her doorstep, asking for help.
Father Evangelos is one of the hermits in my book Seven Hermits.
The story is inspired by real events from another era.
It is also dedicated to a real healer whom life gave me the blessing to know.
This excerpt comes from the book Seven Hermits, which is currently available only in Greek.
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου