“But what is happening?” Kostas asked him, visibly shaken by Murat’s words.

“Late last evening at the tavern, I overheard Hasan secretly saying strange things to a friend of his. You know which Hasan I mean, the one who often starts fights with the Christians. They also whisper that he is a spy for the irregular militia.”

“I know him; I had an unpleasant incident with him. One day, in the coffeehouse, out of nowhere, he started insulting me in the worst way, trying to drag me into a fight, but I ignored him, got up, and left.”

“That’s why, Kosta, you should take your family and leave here as quickly as you can.”

“What are you saying, Murat? How, why should we leave? This is our home, our homeland!”

“What I heard is terrible; bad things are going to happen, Kosta. Leave so you can be saved.”

“Murat, you scare me half to death. What exactly do you mean? Speak more clearly.”

“Hasan mentioned to his friend that a military landing will probably take place in May under the leadership of the revolutionary Mustafa Kemal. Although the Sultan does not particularly trust this Kemal, the British are demanding that he be promoted to a high-ranking position. And so, as things stand, it is rumored that, to free himself from these pressures at last, the Sultan will appoint him inspector of the Eastern Provinces. The purpose of the landing will be the expulsion of all the Christians living in Pontus, except for those willing to convert.”

“What are you saying? Have you gone mad?”

“I wish it were lies, but I am telling you exactly as I heard it. Word for word. And please, don’t tell anyone what I’ve just told you; they might even accuse me of treason. I believe this Hasan is capable of anything. He spies on everyone and gives information to the irregular militia and everyone who pays well. It is dangerous for you to stay here now.”

“Just abandoning our home so suddenly? For what reason? The villagers will want to know the reason. Ah, my God, what am I to do?”

“Didn’t your son go to Thessaloniki on some business?”

“And what does that have to do with this now?”

“Tell them that he fell seriously ill and needs his family’s help.”

“Good idea, that solves one problem. Now, for the other, how am I to explain to my wife and daughter-in-law that we are abandoning our home, the place where we grew up? My heart breaks just thinking about it.” Kostas, crestfallen, lowered his head and rested it on his aged hands.

With a light pat on the back, Murat tried to comfort his friend and neighbor. He himself was bewildered by the events unfolding in his country and by how far things had gone. He recalled that here in his village, Muslims and Christians had always lived together peacefully without friction, each following their own customs and traditions. Of course, Muslims enjoyed certain privileges over Christians, but that did not greatly burden the relationship between them. However, the hostilities of the Young Turks against the Christians in the surrounding areas had increased rapidly lately, and that worried him.

“Kostas, for the good of your family and yourself, do not delay, and whatever you need, do not hesitate, I am here.”

Kostas thanked Murat with a tight embrace for warning him of the danger, despite risking his own safety. As he saw him off, he told him that the next morning, he would inform his family of the horrible new developments.

It was full daylight, but the twins were still asleep, and he asked Eleni not to wake them because they had something important to discuss.

“Is that why you were tossing and turning all night in bed last night?” Froso asked him.

Kostas threw her a fierce look. “Woman, be quiet and sit down,” he said. Froso, without another word, obeyed her husband.

“Father, you’re frightening me. Did something happen to Stavros? Is that why Murat came so late last night? Something serious is happening, isn’t it? Something happened to Stavros!”

“Enough, be quiet! What are you women like? You don’t let anyone gather a single clear thought. Chatter, chatter, chatter!”

The women, without making another sound, waited anxiously to hear the news, while Kostas, although he had tamed his stormy thoughts, struggled to begin speaking and finally, in a hard, cold, decisive tone, announced, “Pack whatever we can take with us; the day after tomorrow, we are leaving for Thessaloniki.”

“Something happened to my child!” Froso burst into tears, while Eleni beside her began to panic.

“Calm down! You’ll wake the children with your crying. Nothing has happened to Stavros. We are leaving for Thessaloniki, with no return. So, decide carefully what we will take with us,” Kostas blurted out without emotion.

“Have you lost your mind? What are you saying now?” Froso answered angrily. “What will become of our house, our fields, and our animals? I am not abandoning my home!”

“It is the only choice we have.”

“And may we know the reason?”

Realizing that he had to provide more explanations, Kostas first calmed the confusion raging inside him and then continued in a gentler manner,

“There is information that the Young Turks will land in the Pontus region, and that is not at all good for us Christians.”

The two women stared at him with their mouths open. Froso was the first to recover, and with suspicious curiosity, she asked, “And where did you learn that? Was it from Murat? Is that why he came late last night?”

“Hush, woman! No one must learn who told me! The man risked his own safety to save us.”

“Ah, what has befallen us!” Froso began to lament, clutching her head and rocking her body. “I must inform Katina, my sister, she begged.

“Not a word! Not a word to anyone. We will tell everyone that we are leaving for Thessaloniki because Stavros has fallen ill and we do not know when we will return.”

“And my sister?” she asked him in anguish, her eyes full of tears. “Am I to save only myself and leave her behind to certain death? No, my conscience could never bear that.” Froso cried out.

“Ah, woman!” Kostas sighed. “All right, before we board the ship, I will send them a note. At least that way, we will not arouse any suspicion against Murat.”

Within a few days, everything was ready. The animals they could not take with them and the fields they left behind in Murat’s care.

Although it was early April, the weather was favorable, and the sun shone proudly when Kostas and Froso, standing in front of their house for the last time, felt as if their hearts were being torn out. Here, as a newlywed couple, they had lived through the happiest and hardest moments of their lives, moments that had marked them as people and in their very being; it was their homeland. Eleni, too, was saddened, but knowing she would see her beloved husband, she found some comfort, while the twins, in their childlike innocence, were happy to be making their first great journey. So, leaving half their souls behind, they departed for their new homeland.

To be continued …

©2026, Vasiliki Papadopoulou