THE MIRACLE
A True Story |
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persons. One by one, standing in line, we went forward
to be frisked.
The Turks had issued a special law "for specific needs",
forbidding anyone leaving the country to take with him
notes worth more than a total of 100 Turkish lira. This
amount was ridiculously low, but if anyone was found,
during the personal body check, to have over 100 Turkish
lira hidden about his person, he was taken to court
immediately. After certain conviction, apart of course
from confiscation of everything he had with him, he
suffered hell on earth mainly so that he would serve as
an example to others who were leaving, to make them
hand over to the Turks whatever they had left, of their
own free will.
When it was my turn to be checked, I was told to take
off my shoes, which had thick soles. They ripped them
apart so badly that the shoes were rendered practically
useless. Then they searched my pockets and left me waiting
while they finished with the others.
They tore open a cloth amulet which my mother used
to wear, in case it contained a golden sovereign.
Five hours had passed by the time they had completed
their check and allowed us to get back on to the coach.
We very soon crossed the border into Greece, where
the coach drew up. There I witnessed a scene I shall
never forget: people poured off the vehicle to kneel down
and kiss Greek soil! There were tears in everyone's eyes
and I couldn't tell whether they were tears of joy or of
sadness. After a while we left the Greek border guard
post and continued on our journey to Athens uninterrupted.
Alexandroupolis, Komotini, Kavala, Thessaloniki, Larissa,
Lamia, Thebes: with only brief stops and travelling all
through the night, we approached our final destination
and in the afternoon of 15th September, 1964, we finally arrived at Platia Vathis in Athens. I knew we had really
arrived because of the noise and shouting of the passengers
who had leapt up in their seats as we stopped. I watched
what was going on around me with strangely mixed
feelings.
In just a few minutes the coach was empty. I stood up
slowly and walked towards the door. I saw my mother
and sister hugging my father who was searching for me
with his eyes.
Our eyes met.
I began to go down the steps of the coach. As I set foot
on the pavement, two tears rolled down my cheeks.
In a few hours a new day would begin, and with it, a
new life.
THE END
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