Free Black Butterflies by Sara Alexi Page B

Thank you for feeding the goat. Come again next time the people are too much!’ The woman slaps her heartily on the shoulder.
    ‘ Yanni, get me some razors, I look like a wild man,’ his father calls.
    They set off on the path along the ridge, heading down towards the pine forest, Yanni on one side of the lead donkey, Marina on the other, the haunches of the donkeys dipping and rising as they find their feet down the rocky slope. Marina is thankful she has worn her old shoes again. They make slow progress at first, down the top slope of the ridge.
    Marina tries to think of the most subtle way to phrase the questions she wants to ask. ‘Very remote up here.’ She wishes she hadn’t said that, it’s too vague. Yanni does not reply.
    ‘ How long have you lived up here in the summer?’ Better.
    ‘ All my life.’ He keeps his eyes on the path.
    ‘ Even when you were a boy?’ Marina wishes she was naturally sly.
    ‘ All my life.’ He twists his moustache with his fingers.
    ‘ Surely as a boy you preferred to be with other boys down in the town, playing football and so on?’ Marina thinks this is a good question.
    ‘ No.’
    ‘ What about as a baby? Perhaps it was a bit hot up there in the summer for you as a baby?’ Marina turns her face away to hide her embarrassment, aware of what a ridiculous question this is. When she turns back Yanni gives her a look of contempt, but does not reply. Marina cannot think of anything else to say. Yanni offers nothing. He moves his hand further up the rope he is leading the donkey by.
    ‘ And surely your grandmother would not be happy with you being so far from her. She was in the town?’ Marina’s cheeks colour. It does not come naturally to her to pry.
    Yanni takes a single cigarette out of his shirt pocket and lights it with a lighter from his jeans. He takes a long drag before putting the lighter away. Marina waits, feeling sure he is about to say something.
    ‘Grandma Sophia was up there until she died. She was born up here, and delivered me. Born and died there. I will do the same.’ He flicks the loose end of the rope at the donkey to make it walk faster.
    ‘ Ah. No girlfriends beckoning you into the town then?’ Yanni casts a sour look and clicks his disdain with his tongue on the roof of his mouth, an emphatic Greek no.
    ‘ You ride now.’ It is not a question. Yanni has stopped the donkeys and adjusts the saddle on the rear animal before beckoning Marina round. He offers his hands, fingers locked together, as a step-up. Marina pulls hard on the donkey’s saddle and Yanni hoists her up as if she weighs nothing. She sits traditionally, side-saddle.
    ‘ My, you are strong,’ Marina chuckles. Yanni, grim faced, pulls the saddle straight before he returns to the lead animal and takes up the rope rein. He gives it length, using it like a leash, seemingly to create as much distance as he can from Marina. She understands the message and doesn’t mind. She has the information she wants, and she is very happy he is not with Eleni – or anyone else, for that matter! Let him be grumpy, she will focus on her beautiful surroundings. They have an hour. Less maybe, before sunset, the island peaceful.
    They enter the pine forest and the sounds of the hooves are muffled, everything else silent. Marina enjoys the sway of the motion and looks up at the hues of the pale blue sky through the treetops, towards the town, until under the tree branches, down by the water, the sky glows softly pink and orange as the sun drops into the sea.
    Marina thinks she may have even drifted off a little with the gentle sway of her mild animal. The journey down seems even quicker than she expected. As they leave the pine trees Marina realises that Yanni might be going down to the right, to the area Zoe had pointed out as being the vicinity of the store that kept her order. A more direct route back for Marina will be to the left.
    ‘ Hey?’ she calls.
    Yanni stops the train and turns his