The Santorini Odyssey

A chill ran down Katina's back. She wished desperately there was a way to get out of this trip. 

The women slung the equipment on their backs and mounted Zeus, who was frisky in the cool night air. Merit felt confident; she had ridden him at night before, and he was familiar with the road up to the site.

Katina, filled with trepidation, held both arms tightly around Merit's waist during the ascent. 

The higher they went, the brighter the night became. The heavens were crowded with twinkling diamonds, and the glow of the moon on the ruins and the Aegean was spectacular. The only sound was the clip-clopping of Zeus' hoofs on the hard-packed ground. They spoke very little and when they did, it was in whispers. They safely passed the ancient Salada Cemetery. Then the Kaldaras' house loomed up in front of them. To Katina, it seemed like a lifeboat. At least other humans would be nearby. The rickety gate to the ancient city was open. They passed the office, slowly wending their way up through the weathered fragments of the agora. The starkness of the moonlight on the ragged ruins reminded Merit of a ghost town she'd seen in California. Strangely, that thought now sent a shiver through her, in spite of the fact that she had no fear of this place at night. The air was heavy with the sweet scent of spring flowers but tainted by the faint odor of sulfur fumes rising up from the caldera. They approached the hill above the theater, which had been built in the Ptolemaic period and later revised during the Roman occupation of the island. The only clues left that still identified it as a theater were the semi-circular stones that outlined the stage area, and the broken rows of stone seats scattered up the hillside. The rise overlooking the theater was a perfect spot to get a view of the ruins.

Zeus halted when Merit gave him a gentle command with the reins, and they dismounted. Merit threw her arms out expansively, as if trying to gather the entire panorama to herself while Katina set up the two tripods, one for the still shots, and the other for the video camera.

"Oh, Katina, I was right! I'm going to get some wonderful photos up here."

"Yes, it's pretty sight." She loaded the cameras and urged Merit, "Let's get right to work." She wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible and return to the safety of the village.

They shot four rolls of film and videotaped for ten minutes. Then Merit removed the Nikon and the video camera from the tripods.

"Before we pack it in, Katina, I want to get a little more footage of the ruins with the moonlit sea in the background. You use the Nikon and go east, and I'll go west with the video."  

"No, I'm staying right beside you, Merit. Please don't leave me alone!" Katina begged.

"Okay, come on, little chicken sister," Merit teased. Speaking softly into the camera's microphone, Merit identified each ancient ruin, the buildings now starkly outlined on the rim of the mountaintop. Katina, walking close behind her, snapped pictures without any thought of focusing.

A far off sound reached their ears. Neither of them spoke as they strained to identify the noise. Zeus whinnied.

Katina spoke first, "Do you hear something?"

"Yes.  It's strange. It's coming from the west." 

"No, it isn't, Merit. It's over this way."

Suddenly they both turned sharply toward the theater where the muffled sounds now became more pronounced.

Katina slung the camera over her shoulder, pulled the icon out of her pocket, closed her eyes and prayed. 

Merit tried to fight off the fright that began to seize her as the eerie sounds came closer.

The weird din sounded like a large group, all talking at once, although it was not distinct enough to understand the mumblings. What could it be?  Merit wondered.  Then they heard other discernible sounds like shuffling feet and the rustling and swishing of long stiff garments. 

Zeus neighed and sidestepped nervously in a circle. His nostrils flared, and he snorted loudly and jerked his head in the air.

Merit and Katina moved close to Zeus. Merit put the video camera on her back and quickly brought the straps over her shoulders. She grabbed Zeus' reins and spoke softly to calm him, "It's okay, Zeus, it's okay, good boy. Stand still."  He became so skittish, she almost lost the reins.

Katina screamed and grabbed Merit. "It's ancients or vampires! They're coming up hill for us! I told you they were here! Hurry! They've taken island people before!"

Merit strained with all her might to steady Zeus so they could mount him. But his panic was so intense, he broke from Merit's hold and raced down the hill toward the approaching apparition. Now terror-stricken, Merit and Katina froze as the moving mass . . .