LITMIR.BIZ

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their brother, approached them to find out what had happened.

      "I saw some men leave when I was approaching home," Almices babbled. “I heard a cry first and didn't think it was important, but as I approached, I saw the men dragging one of the castaways away.” He wiped some snot away. “I waited a moment for them to go away, and when I went inside, I saw mother and father. They had killed them.” He hugged his sister and tried to control his sobs.

      "What's all this nonsense, brother?” Telma refused to believe him. “Stop joking, I’ve already lost my patience with your sisters today,” she chided, stepping back to look in his eyes.

      "You have to believe me, Telma," Almices replied. “It's true, mother has a knife in the back of her head. Father is not breathing and also has many injuries. The other castaway is also dead.” He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself and process his thoughts. “I didn't know what to do so I ran to look for Andreas. As I approached his house, he was leaving. He was talking to one of the men,” while Almices spoke Telma's eyes welled up and reflected his growing anguish. “Andreas and the other spoke as if they were good friends, then the man pulled out a small bag that looked like money and handed it to Andreas. I was very afraid, so I ran away without being seen.”

      "Come on, let’s go home and stop with the nonsense. Almices, you know I don’t like it when you joke," Telma did not want to believe her brother's story. The little ones, who listened intently without understanding, began to cry.

      The weather was getting worse. The wind began to blow insistently pushing the waves against the coast. The four huddled together as they left the cave to protect each other from the rising cold of the night. They began to walk slowly toward the house in silence. Janira did not understand what was going on; she saw her siblings talking and knew something strange was happening. She was quiet and withdrawn as if she were responsible for the whole situation. Nerisa cried. Telma tried to make her feel better, saying that Almices had had a nightmare and that what he had said in the cave was just a bad dream, although she did not sound convincing. Almices could not stop himself from crying.

      After a while they arrived by the jetty. Almices stopped Telma by gently holding her arm.

      "It will be better for the little ones to wait here, Telma. I don’t think they should go inside.”

      “Okay now! Almices, it's all in your head; father and mother are fine, you don't have to worry," Telma replied nervously.

      "Telma please, don’t let them in." Almices' pleading eyes eventually convinced his sister, who was already starting to believe him. The older sister turned to the little ones, not knowing what to say.

      "Nerisa, I want you to stay here with Janira. I need you to stop crying and take care of her while Almices and I go and see what has happened. Can you take care of Janira? "The little girl nodded and wiped her nose. She took the little girl and sat beside her on the beach. The wind continued to blow and forced them to turn to stop sand from getting in their eyes.

      "Janira," Telma turned to the youngest, “I want you to stay with Nerisa and find more shells while Almices and I go home to look for mother, okay?” The little girl smiled and nodded, leaned toward the sand, and started to look for shells in the growing darkness.

      Telma and Almices began towards the house. She held his hand tightly and noticed he was shaking. They slowed as they approached, frightened that someone would suddenly appear from the shadows of the trees. They stopped a few steps from the entrance. There was no movement around them. Everything was quiet; too quiet, Telma thought. The door was still open, exactly how Almices had left it.

      They stopped in the doorway, suddenly scared to look inside. They looked at each other and Telma realized then that her brother had told the truth. A cold sweat descended on her and she felt her heart racing. She clenched her fists harder and entered. The bitter smell of blood permeated her senses. Telma saw the body of the Carthaginian, just as Almices had said. His blood soaked the soil, and the odour was nauseating. Several steps away was her father. Telma crouched next to him with tears in her eyes, utterly speechless. She raised her head a little and tenderly kissed his forehead. The contact of her lips with the warm and lifeless body provoked a whirlwind of emotions that almost caused her to feel faint. Almices rested a hand on his sister's shoulder, more to comfort himself than her. A few moments passed, which seemed to them an immensity full of feelings and emotions. Telma left her father on the floor with all the love she could muster. She realized that her hands were soaked in blood. She rose, a little dizzy, to get closer to her mother. Almices helped her to get around her father's body and to the table. It became clear to her that her mother's death had come by surprise. It had come from behind, a gloomy confirmation of the mistrust that she had always shown for the rest of the human race; her rigid, heavy body, lying face down on the table, had a shabby knife stuck in the base of her skull. There were utensils on the floor next to her, pots and pans too, as if the killers had suddenly appeared while she was preparing dinner. The benches of the table were broken on the ground, suggested there was a struggle. Telma figured her father and the Carthaginians had defended themselves with all their strength. Hermes had numerous cuts in the arms and torso. That was certainly not a sign of a fair fight.

      "Telma, what are we going to do?” Almices, his eyes once again filled with tears, asked his sister the question, hoping she might bring their parents back and wake him from a dream.

      "I don't understand. I do not know who could have done this. They have never hurt anyone.” The young woman dried her eyes. Her bloody hands marked her face.

      "Surely they were Romans. They took away the other castaway alive, remember. If they had been thieves, they would have killed everyone.” She looked around the room again.

      "Let’s go to the tavern to ask for help. Telemaco will help us.” She was convinced that the inn keeper’s son could find them help and shelter. She needed that to happen. They had no one else. “Then we’ll come back to get father and mother.”

      “Okay, let's go. Quickly, the girls are still by the boat, it would not be good if they got tired of waiting and came here.”

      They went out carefully and headed toward the village, deciding to pass by Andreas's house to shorten the distance. Remembering his conversation with their parents' killers, they decided to be stealthy. Close to their neighbour’s house, they heard footsteps. They hid by the trees and the darkness of the night helped to veil them.

      "We must not leave any evidence. It has to look like a robbery.”

      "Don't worry. I will honour the agreement," Andreas answered. “I will take care of the body of the man you brought here, then I’ll go to the Theopoulos’ house to finish the work.”

      "Make sure you put everything in place, I don't want any witnesses." Now Telma and Almices could distinguish them perfectly between the trees. The speaker wore a brown tunic that partially covered a leather pectoral.

      "Don't worry. I will take care of their children too. I know they are in the cave on the beach and will wait for their father to collect them. I know they have been sleeping there. Tomorrow it will be the talk of the village; the thieves have even killed their children.” Andreas laughed mockingly and spat where the siblings were hiding.

      "Come, let's toast to a job well done.” The Roman slapped Andreas on the shoulder. “We never disappoint those who help us. You have already received part of your reward; the rest will come tomorrow. Look for it tomorrow in the village. We will wait in the tavern until the sun starts to rise.” The two men walked away until they entered Andreas’ house.

      Telma was angry. Her bitterness and bewilderment became consumed by anger. Her brother had to hold her down when they heard their neighbour incriminating himself. They waited until the men had gone inside.

      "We can't go to the tavern now, Telma.”

      "But we have to ask for help. There’s nowhere else to go.”

      "Help in the tavern? You just heard that they are staying there, we cannot go there. They do not want witnesses and now we know they also murdered the other Carthaginian; it must be his body they referred to, and that Andreas

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