The Rebirth of Pan | Page 7

and
methane-powered refrigerator. Spread throughout the rest of the room
were the tables, arranged to seat as many people as possible. The
kitchen was open to the guests, who would wander in and select what
they wanted, often trying a mouthful from the pans first. The food in
Stellio's was good. He often spit roasted a whole lamb in the large
fireplace, or occasionally a pig, and on any day two or three chickens
would be turning and sizzling over the fire.
On the day of Yanni's meal, half a pig was crackling over the fire and
all the tables were arranged in a semi-circle. Every place was filled but
one. There was an air of hushed expectation. Pappa Andros slid into the
empty place, looking about him to see who was there. Before he could
begin to talk to his neighbours, Yanni stood up and began to fill glasses
from a wineskin. The wine was dark red, not the usual thin yellow
pine-flavoured retsina Stellio served. Yanni filled each glass almost full,

and gave them to Stellio's daughter Katerina who carried them round to
the guests.
When he started there was the usual cheerful hum and chatter of a
roomful of people, but as he continued the taverna grew quieter and
quieter until before half the people were served the room was so quiet
that Pappa Andros could hear each footfall on the wooden boards as the
girl crossed to the tables. It wasn't until Yanni filled the last glass with
the last drops from the now empty skin and sat down again that Pappa
Andros realised what it was that was strange. He had seen the
shoemaker fill glasses for more than sixty people from a wineskin that
should hold no more than half a bottle of wine. A whole bottle would
fill only five or six of the fluted but chunky glasses Stellio favoured for
their solidity. Pappa Andros glanced at his neighbour, Yanni's cousin
the shoemaker Kosta. He was about to open his mouth to say
something when Yanni again stood up. He drew breath as if to make a
speech, looking awkward and uncomfortable.
"Colleagues, friends and neighbours," he began, in a rehearsed, formal
and stilted tone. "I have invited you here tonight to explain something
that someone told me and to ask for your help." He shuffled from one
foot to the other and cleared his throat. "As you all know, since the
death of my grandfather, Elias, I have had the privilege and
responsibility of making sandals for the holy ones." Yanni hesitated,
looking round, and catching Pappa Andros' eye. The priest smiled
encouragingly. Yanni had said no more than everybody already knew,
but it was more than he had ever said before. The priest leaned forward,
consumed with curiosity as to what the shoemaker would say next.
"Last week I had a visitor. It was--it was Ag. Dionysos." Yanni looked
acutely uncomfortable, and twisted his glass in his fingers. "He wanted
sandals. But that wasn't why he'd come. He stood in my shop, leaning
on the bags, by the door, his face half in sunlight and half in shadow,
smiling, like he does. I couldn't help noticing he's as golden as the
cured leather I use for bags. He told me that we were going to need a
lot more shoes. As many shoes as it would take me a year to make,
doing nothing else. More shoes than I can make. Children's shoes, too,

especially. Shoes all sizes. And other things too, food, clothes. He said
we'd need them whatever happened and we should start now to have a
store of them when they were needed. I said I couldn't do all that, and
he told me to ask you all to help. If we all gave one day a week to
making things for when they're needed, there'd be enough. He said
there'll be a lot of children coming to the island. A lot of them, and a lot
of people coming. Because--because Great Pan's going to be reborn."
Yanni's eyes returned guiltily to the priest.
Pappa Andros felt a weight of gazes on him. He sat still for a moment,
wishing clever Pappa Thomas were here to set these people right. But
Pappa Thomas wouldn't believe Yanni, wouldn't even believe the
evidence of the wineskin. Pappa Thomas thought that there was a new
world coming. What if he was right, but not in the way he expected?
The silence lengthened as Pappa Andros thought his slow way through
it. There was a clatter and a hiss from behind him as Stellio began
carving the pig. Yanni bit his lip.
"Go on, Yanni," Pappa Andros said, at last.
"That's all, really, Pappa," Yanni smiled a little. "Great Pan's to be
reborn, and