room, where a refrigerator burbled to itself. Whoever made the beds had left a flower on each pillow. "They're lovely," Sandra said as Ray was put in mind of laying down a flower.
While Stavros wheeled the cases in Evadne crossed the room and slid the floor-length window open. Beyond a balcony on which a pair of chairs matched a round white plastic table, the hem of the dark sea drifted back and forth across a dim beach planted with drooping umbrellas. The distant lights of Sunset Beach seemed to be keeping time with a disco beat. The blurred sound was no louder than the sea, but Sandra said "Does that go on all night?"
"They sleep in the day. It is such a place." Evadne sounded apologetic, and Ray had the odd idea that her animation was designed to compensate. "You should not let them trouble you," she said.
"I was only wondering if we could have kept it up, even at their age."
"They take life from the night."
"That's one way to put it," Sandra said, switching on the bathroom light. "Oh, isn't there a mirror?"
Above the sink opposite the toilet and beside a shower was a human frieze—a photograph of dancers with their arms on one another's shoulders. "Nobody will mind how you look on holiday," Evadne said.
"I'd still like a mirror, and I'm sure Ray would for shaving."
"I can bring one," Evadne said, though not before she'd gazed at both of them. "Will you want air conditioning? It is five euros every day, but your safe, that is free."
She seemed more apologetic than ever. "At that price we'll have air conditioning," Ray said.
"I will bring you control." Evadne paused in the doorway to add "Any of us who want to come in, we knock twice and wait for you to answer."
Sandra unzipped her case, and Ray set about unpacking his. "I'm already glad we came, aren't you?" she said.
"In that case I couldn't be gladder."
He didn't know how much he was playing with words. Sandra opened the wardrobe, revealing the safe and a hidden chest of drawers. She was transferring dresses onto hangers when somebody knocked at the door. "Come in," Ray called.
"No."
Evadne sounded more admonitory than he understood. She knocked again, and Sandra called "Come in."
"That is right," Evadne said and opened the door. "We knock twice and then you say."
She switched on the box on the ceiling opposite the beds, and metal slats rattled apart to fan out a chill. She showed the Thorntons how to operate the remote control and then substituted the mirror she'd laid on a bed for the photograph in the bathroom. "May the night bless you," she said.
Once she'd gone Sandra gave Ray her wide-eyed bemused look. "Do we think that's a local tradition?"
"Blessing your guests, you mean."
"That too, but I was thinking of the routine with the knocks."
"Maybe now we know one Doug and Pris won't have heard at."
Sandra found plates and glasses and utensils in a cupboard under the sink, and then opened the refrigerator, where a three-litre bottle of water was growing misty with condensation. "Well, nobody's going thirsty here," she said and filled two glasses. "Shall we sit out before we go to bed?"
When they sat on their balcony the dividing wall blocked out the muffled thudding of percussion and the neon glow of Sunset Beach. Before long Ray saw the sky retreat from the sea, hinting at a vaster darkness. A star seemed to conjure forth a dozen, and then many more began to glimmer as if they were being silently born from the dark. Ray saw how intent on them Sandra had grown, and how they were bestowing some kind of peace. He could only try to count them, but he had no idea what total he'd reached when his head lurched up from nodding. "You go and catch up on your sleep," Sandra said. "I won't stay out much longer."
"Are you sure you don't mind?" This was just a way to postpone asking "How do you feel?"
"Honestly," she said with some surprise, "I feel better than I have for weeks. I wish it could always be like this."
Ray thought she meant not just herself
While Stavros wheeled the cases in Evadne crossed the room and slid the floor-length window open. Beyond a balcony on which a pair of chairs matched a round white plastic table, the hem of the dark sea drifted back and forth across a dim beach planted with drooping umbrellas. The distant lights of Sunset Beach seemed to be keeping time with a disco beat. The blurred sound was no louder than the sea, but Sandra said "Does that go on all night?"
"They sleep in the day. It is such a place." Evadne sounded apologetic, and Ray had the odd idea that her animation was designed to compensate. "You should not let them trouble you," she said.
"I was only wondering if we could have kept it up, even at their age."
"They take life from the night."
"That's one way to put it," Sandra said, switching on the bathroom light. "Oh, isn't there a mirror?"
Above the sink opposite the toilet and beside a shower was a human frieze—a photograph of dancers with their arms on one another's shoulders. "Nobody will mind how you look on holiday," Evadne said.
"I'd still like a mirror, and I'm sure Ray would for shaving."
"I can bring one," Evadne said, though not before she'd gazed at both of them. "Will you want air conditioning? It is five euros every day, but your safe, that is free."
She seemed more apologetic than ever. "At that price we'll have air conditioning," Ray said.
"I will bring you control." Evadne paused in the doorway to add "Any of us who want to come in, we knock twice and wait for you to answer."
Sandra unzipped her case, and Ray set about unpacking his. "I'm already glad we came, aren't you?" she said.
"In that case I couldn't be gladder."
He didn't know how much he was playing with words. Sandra opened the wardrobe, revealing the safe and a hidden chest of drawers. She was transferring dresses onto hangers when somebody knocked at the door. "Come in," Ray called.
"No."
Evadne sounded more admonitory than he understood. She knocked again, and Sandra called "Come in."
"That is right," Evadne said and opened the door. "We knock twice and then you say."
She switched on the box on the ceiling opposite the beds, and metal slats rattled apart to fan out a chill. She showed the Thorntons how to operate the remote control and then substituted the mirror she'd laid on a bed for the photograph in the bathroom. "May the night bless you," she said.
Once she'd gone Sandra gave Ray her wide-eyed bemused look. "Do we think that's a local tradition?"
"Blessing your guests, you mean."
"That too, but I was thinking of the routine with the knocks."
"Maybe now we know one Doug and Pris won't have heard at."
Sandra found plates and glasses and utensils in a cupboard under the sink, and then opened the refrigerator, where a three-litre bottle of water was growing misty with condensation. "Well, nobody's going thirsty here," she said and filled two glasses. "Shall we sit out before we go to bed?"
When they sat on their balcony the dividing wall blocked out the muffled thudding of percussion and the neon glow of Sunset Beach. Before long Ray saw the sky retreat from the sea, hinting at a vaster darkness. A star seemed to conjure forth a dozen, and then many more began to glimmer as if they were being silently born from the dark. Ray saw how intent on them Sandra had grown, and how they were bestowing some kind of peace. He could only try to count them, but he had no idea what total he'd reached when his head lurched up from nodding. "You go and catch up on your sleep," Sandra said. "I won't stay out much longer."
"Are you sure you don't mind?" This was just a way to postpone asking "How do you feel?"
"Honestly," she said with some surprise, "I feel better than I have for weeks. I wish it could always be like this."
Ray thought she meant not just herself
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