NHMAtoulis the cat and grandma Pythia

While they were making their way through the Old Town of Riga, they saw many gorgeous buildings. -The buildings have such contrast here; they are so colorful and different – Aspasia mentioned. -But you can see the damages that have been done to the walls of the buildings over the years – Leonidas continued. -Despite that, the buildings look very comforting to me – Aspasia answered.

- You're right, the Old Town is very different from the rest of the city's architecture. Hera and I live in a 2-room apartment. Employees of factories and state institutions tried to solve the problem of housing by forming housing cooperatives. To obtain a two-room cooperative apartment, 5,000 rubles had to be paid immediately, paying the remaining price within 15 years. Cooperative apartments were usually built on the outskirts and in new neighborhoods that lacked shops and services. High-ranking officials often used illegal opportunities to obtain state- owned building materials to build private homes. That's why Hera and I live outside Riga.

Aspasia and Leonidas noticed the bitterness of Nikolai. It was felt that life was not easy, and they had both worked in their sweat to pay for their live hood. After some time, they realized they might miss the train if they won’t go to the station now. They start walking back to the station and after some time they almost run, because not much time is left. At the end they make it and now they are on the way to Hera. They surpassed ‘’Jugla’s’’ train station and noticed many flowers and pictures of people’s faces and families at the station and on the ground near the station.

Once upon a time, in a small, special and magical house at the highest point in the Castles of Thessaloniki, there lived a family with a beautiful cat, whose name was Thready or " NHMAtoulis". This house was one of the oldest - perhaps the oldest - of Thessaloniki. The view was unique! One could see the whole city spread out in front of him. The port of Thermaikos embraced it so sweetly! Big, small and bigger ships were coming and going, transporting various goods and people of other nationalities who were “colouring” this special City with their diversity! The White Tower stood out reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire and, in an effort to permanently erase the name "Tower of Blood" and the memories of pain it carried, it had acquired a gray color that matched the endless blue behind it. NHMAtoulis the cat, for years now, had been watching the course, the shifting, the development, the life of his hometown. You see, our NHMAtoulis had almost forgotten when he was born...he was centenarian! In a magical way he was living in this house for over a century!

The travelling tale, Latvia

On May 6, 1976 Leonidas and his sister Aspasia with the NHMA in their luggage set off on the plane to Riga.

Leonidas and Aspasia arrived at Riga on May 7th. They were so excited about meeting Hera that they almost forgot about the fatigue that had taken over them during the trip. They searched for Hera, staring nervously in the airport lobby. They were so anxious to hug her sooner. After an hour of waiting, they were still at the airport, but Hera was nowhere to be found. Maybe something happened? They sat and waited When there was no one else at the airport, except them and the caretaker, who was indifferently pushing debris from one corner to another, a tall man came into the airport, wearing a brown suit. He leisurely adjusted his tie, passed his fingers through his already thin hair, looked to one side, then to the other, pulled the watch from his pocket and left. Leonidas looked at Aspasia: " I feel like I just saw Nicolay. Could it be possible?”

Unable to wait for an answer, a tall man stood in front of him and addressed them with a wide smile: " Это вы? Это определенно вы! вы похожи на них!!!!"( Is that you? It’s definetly you! You look like them!)

Then came the economic crisis of 1929, a very big economic crisis.&nbsp;Bankruptcies followed one after the other. I had to lay off 2 employees. It was a difficult time for everyone, but we got through it despite some difficulties. Miriam helped me with the company's accounting. This allowed her to continue looking after the twins. In September 1934, Catalina and Marc started school in 1st grade. Catalina went to the girls' school and Marc to the boys' school. For 5 years, everything went well and our 2 children grew up happy. &nbsp; But at dawn on the 1st September 1939, the German army invaded Poland. The next day, 3rd September, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany, as their commitments to the attacked country foresaw. This was the beginning of the Second World War.&nbsp; On 2 September 1939, the French government decided to put in place the evacuation plan provided for in case of an invasion. Indeed, the beginning of the Second World War saw the application of a plan to evacuate the civilian population from the "red zone" of the Maginot Line. This plan was put in place to preserve civilians in the case of war and occupation, and to leave the way open for troop movements.&nbsp;

France had decided to build the Maginot Line to defend the country in the case of a new German invasion. In case of war, it had planned to move the populations along the Maginot Line to sparsely populated areas to facilitate their reception. From 2 September 1939, as the soldiers settled in the works of the Maginot Line, the inhabitants of the communes located in front of this line were evacuated to assembly centres in the Vosges with a maximum of 30 kg of luggage per person.&nbsp;The inhabitants of the communes in front of the Maginot Line were evacuated, while the inhabitants of Hœnheim, Bischheim and Schiltigheim were directed towards the Bruche Valley to reach the Niederhaslach assembly centre. Only a town clerk and a few fire brigades remain on site.

Panikkos hugged and kissed Leonidas cordially. Then he turned to Gorka. &nbsp; -&nbsp;You must be the new friend of our family! Welcome to Cyprus. Let me hug you! -&nbsp;Hello, Mr. Panikkos! It's good to meet you, Gorka replied. I've heard so much about you and Mrs. Aspasia from Leonidas...

-&nbsp;What are all these tents? Is it a camp here, Gorka asked. &nbsp;Leonidas looked Panikkos in the eyes with a sadness. He knew about the tragic story behind these tents.

-&nbsp;No, Gorka. It's not a campground. These are the temporary ‘houses’ that our refugees are forced to live in after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in the summer of 1974. Turkish soldiers occupy 37% of the island and forcefully expelled two hundred thousand people from their homes, making them refugees in their own homeland. Even though it's been 18 months since then, there are still quite a few who haven't been able to move into a normal house and still live in these miserable conditions, in the cold, in the mud with few of their belongings. You know... we're refugees, too! Me and Aspasia…

Then they put the luggage in the car, and they started their trip to Polis Chrysochous. A few kilometers later, Gorka opened the window staring at something odd in the field. The icy winter air made Leonidas and the doctor turn their heads back wondering of what happened.

We met Jacques Souquet who was a public works inspector in Céret. He found us a small house (the one where I welcome you today) and proposed me to start again my construction activities. He told us that Miriam should not work and that she should be hidden. That's when I remember that Marc almost died of a pollen allergy. We hid Miriam in my factory and visited her every day in the morning at 5 o'clock, at lunchtime, in the afternoon at 4 o'clock and in the evening at 8 o'clock. During these visits we brought her food, drink and entertainment. The children could go back to school. Leonidas interrupted his story to tell Gorky: "I will show you this is where you can hide". He continued. &nbsp; The years that followed were difficult for everyone, but we held out. I joined the resistance with Jacques Souquet (you know, he was the one who welcomed us when we arrived in Ceret) and we helped dozens of people to flee to Spain. That's how one day we were able to meet Jean Moulin (the famous resistance fighter) and help him to pass into Spain. He managed to reach England afterwards.&nbsp;

After 5 very difficult years, "Finally !!!!" That's what Miriam and our children had shouted on August 19, 1944 when the Céret was liberated. It was not until May 1945 that the war was finally over. Miriam and I asked the children if they wanted to return to Alsace. But together we decided to stay here because we had our friends and our house there. We didn't want to have to start all over again. In 1947 Catalina became a teacher and Marc entered the agricultural college of Purpan to become an engineer. In 1948 Catalina married a young researcher named Joseph and they had a little girl named Lisa. Around 1952, Marc graduated as an engineer and was awarded first prize in his school. In 1960, Marc married a young nurse named Marie, they had a son named Noah.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We spent many happy years until 1968.&nbsp;&nbsp;

We settled in this house. That midday marked our lives. The city was burning for 32 hours. Over 70,000 people were left homeless because of the fire! Our home remained intact, as if by a miracle! We took in a Jewish family whose house had burned down. They lived in Thessaloniki before we did. You see, there were many thousands of Jews in our city. The Jewish community was one of the most prosperous in our city. We lived together for the next year. We became friends with their children, Joseph and Miriam. When the First World War ended, my siblings, Homer, Leonidas, Hera and Aspasia, became refugees once again because they wanted to live a better life. I had already met your grandfather, Philip. People used to get married at a young age back then. I was expecting our first child, your grandmother Kassandra. You got your name from her, my Kassandra. I couldn't leave with them. Homer left for Spain with Joseph. Leonidas and Miriam took the road to France. Hera loved the son of a Russian merchant, Nikolai, and left for the Soviet Union with him.

Aspasia married,Pannikas, a Cypriot doctor who had come to work in our city and she followed him to his country, Cyprus. NHMAtoulis and me, always here, writing our own story, into this thread that you unravelled today." “Grandma Pythia, what did you do after that?" asked Kassandra. “Look at the thread! Bells are ringing. Listen! WAR! Italy declared war on us. It was October 28, 1940."&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;“Meow, meow, meow.” "Yeah, my NHMAtoulis, I know, I'll tell them the rest of the story, too. The children need to know everything, I have to explain it all, so that they understand how and why.&nbsp;

-&nbsp;What do you mean, Aspasia? -&nbsp;I want to say that this is the last moment and the right time to reunite and go to our homeland. No doctors and no medicine will be able to help us. Only love, warmth of heart and support of loved ones will be able to make us healthy, happy, and united again. I thought that Hera will need NHMA when Nikolai told me about Hera, I was sure it would help her, but now I realized that this thread is for all of us to reunite us to connect with an unbroken thread.

- Aspasia, these are noble words. No matter how our lives change in the future, we must all be together. We need to feel the bond that unites us, to share the power that resides in our hearts. They hugged each other. At that moment, Hera appeared in the kitchen. They looked at Hera and wanted to tell her what had just been said, but Hera did first: -&nbsp;I want to return home. - I want to spend the rest of my life where I was born – she continued in a very calm voice. Leonidas and Aspasia laughed and hugged Hera. -&nbsp;Yes, darling, of course we will go home. All of us. We will all go home, we will all be together again as before, as a in our childhood. They started planning their trip and they knew it would work out. Next week they had a train to Romania, where they have to change trains and then go back to their homeland Greece. On May 16th they got to the station and got on the train.

Leonidas was silent ... Tears welled up in his eyes.

- I have great feeling about this, I can feel it – Hera said. - I am blessed to have you with me, darling – Aspasia said to Hera. - I will always be – Hera said and hugged Aspasia.

Dances like syrtaki, hasaposerviko and zeibekiko added excitement to our celebration…

Those were some of the best moments of our lives.

When the Civil War ended, your grandmother Kassandra fell in love with a Spanish man from Catalonia, Jordi. Your grandfather and I gave them our blessing. They got married in 1960. They left for Spain together. It was then that I thought I should give the magic NHMA to Kassandra. I felt that it had protected us until then. Now, it was time for it to protect my child on her own journey. NHMAtoulis, your grandfather and me would stay here. “My Kassandra, we will wait for NHMA to return home one day, to its place! Never forget it! This is what I wish for you. My beloved child! We will be here! Have a safe journey… have a good life!”&nbsp;

Your grandmother Kassandra had grown up. We had reached the Second World War. We resisted the Italians, defeated them and their Mussolini. But then came the Germans and Hitler. We fought bravely but we couldn't stand against them. The Nazis defeated us. Darkness spread everywhere. Hunger, poverty, death. They imposed blockades.People were executed every day. They were persecuting those who resisted. They were persecuting the Jews, the Gypsies, the different ones, the brave ones…&nbsp;

Once again, we opened our house to the Jews. We had to hide them. The Germans had arrested almost all of them. They were sent to the concentration camps, to the death camps. Auschwitz, Mauthausen...&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For four whole years, we hid a Jewish family. But we succeeded. The Second World War was over in 1945.&nbsp;We had survived.

NHMAtoulis meowed louder this time! Meow, meow, meow... Grandma Pythia understood... The chest... “NHMAtoulis, quickly... to the attic! Someone is touching the chest...”

&nbsp;“Slowly, NHMAtoulis... slowly... my back... my legs do not follow..." "Meow... meoow..." "I know, I know... we must hurry but my legs don't follow!" " Meow... meow... meow... " "Kassandra! Aristotle! What are you doing here?” said grandma Pythia in a loud voice that revealed her agitation, as she reached the entrance of the attic, almost exhausted while NHMAtoulis was running towards the two children. Kassandra was startled and she let the NHMA fall from her hand. The yarn rolled to the other end of the attic! NHMAtoulis ran to stop it with his paws, but it was too late! It had already unravelled...

Aristotle lifted the iron latch of the chest and opened the lid. The two kids were standing in front of a colourful NHMA , with colours they had never seen before!!! Lots of tangled “rainbows” coloured this NHMA!!! The children were dazzled!!! Kassandra, reluctantly, reached out to touch it ...

The travelling tale Cyprus

Panikkos arrived at Larnaca airport some time before the arrival of Leonidas and Gorka's flight. He was already 78 years old and wanted to rest just before he had to drive another 170Km in his car to return to Polis Chrysochous town.

Gorka offered to join him. In the other European countries he would be safe. So on 25 January 1976, Leonidas and Gorka, taking the NHMA with them, left for Paphos to go to the bedside of Leonidas' sister Aspasia. They travelled by train to Valencia where they took the boat. They made a stopover in Malta. The journey was long but very pleasant. Gorka and Leonidas got along very well.&nbsp;When they arrived at&nbsp;the port of Paphos, Aspasia's husband was waiting for them…

He sat on the bench opposite the arrivals, took off his thick coat and slowly wiped his glasses. His gaze turned to the large door waiting for the two travelers to show up. Half an hour later, Leonidas and Gorka arrived. &nbsp;

Paper texture

Special thanks to all the students and teachers who have worked on producing the NHMAtoulis story! SPAIN-FRANCE-LATVIA-CYPRUS-GREECE. Also special thanks to the students of class 2 of the sixth grade (year 2019-2020) on taking part in making the drawnings, Mrs Rena Athanasopoulou,our drama teacher and Mrs Monica Ioannidu, the teacher of the class. Also thanks to the students Smaragda Gazepi, Panagiotis Kaisopoulos and Ioanna Stefanidou for their drawings on the last part of NHMAtoulis. NHMAtoulis was given life to by the students of the D2 class of the year 2019-20. He travelled to Spain,France, Cyprus and Latvia and returnedback to Greece to end his circle by the now sixth graders along with their teacher Mrs. Maria Tsagalidou. Writers and illustrators students of class 2 of the 6th grade (year 2021-2022): Rafael A., Nefeli I.,Panagiotis L., Stelios M., Dimitris Nt., Aggelos P., Nikiforos P., Katerina R., Marios R., Maria R., Sofia R., Stergios S., Nikoleta S., Kiki T., Despina T., Anna Maria T., Linos Ts., Despina Ch., Zenia Ch., Manos Ch., Dimitra Ch., Maria Ch. EDITORIAL EDITOR:Tsagalidou Maria, the class teacher.

&nbsp;“Wow...! Fire... fire... Grandma Pythia, what is going on? " Flames sprang forth from the tread of the yarn in a frantic dance, as if they were holograms of virtual reality! The past was brought to life in front of their very eyes! Grandma Pythia sat in the rocking chair that had long been left in the attic after a major renovation they had made five years ago. NHMAtoulis sat in her lap with a jump and settled there meowing quietly. “Meow… meow… meow”. The time had come! Grandma Pythia would reveal to her grandchildren what this NHMA was!

In the meantime, the flames were dancing... buildings were burning... voices were heard. “Fire, fire ...”, “Run...”, “The fire has reached the port ...”, “The city is burning ....”. The children were staring and listening, frightened and amazed… as if they were watching a movie! Grandma Pythia called them to go close to her. "Come close to me, my little grandchildren. Sit beside me. It's time to tell you our story. The yarn you unravelled is magical! It connects places and people through time. "

The travelling tale,Greece. Last part- our story ends in Greece

Thessaloniki 2022… In the house attic… -Meow… meow… -NHMAtoulis, calm down… My dearest children, how about we stop for a while and get some rest? As you can see, NHMAtoulis is fidgety too… -No, Grandma, no… please… go on with your storytelling… we want to know what happened next… How was your first meeting after a whole 59 years? Aristotle asked. -Honestly, Grandma… what became of Homer, your brother who left to Spain with Joseph?... You’ve never referred to him… said Kassandra.

Same as now with the corona-virus, there was another virus then which caused great discomfort to the people. It was called the Spanish flu because the first cases occurred there. Too many people died. Homer and Joseph were two of the victims too.

-Yes, it was hard for all of us…&nbsp;

A letter came 8 months later to inform us about their tragic death. It was a terrible loss…

-Yes, you’re right, my dear Kassandra… unfortunately Homer and Joseph died almost immediately after they arrived in Spain.

-Grandma, tell us about your meeting, said Aristotle. -OK, kids, I’ll tell you…, said grandma Pythia. When my brothers arrived in the railway station of Thessaloniki, I was waiting for them by myself. They had told me on the phone that they were coming.

-Grandma, our great-grandfather, Philip, had died by then, hadn’t he?.... Kassandra asked. -My dear Kassandra, I’ve told you this before. Philip was gone during the dictatorship. The coup d’état happened in 1967and the dictators took over, their leader being Georgios Papadopoulos. Philip was a fighter and a democrat. He was arrested, same as many other people, tortured, sent to exile and died there due to hardships in 1973, just a little before the Polytechnic events against the junta. It was the beginning of the end for the dictators…&nbsp;

But that’s the way it goes… some people fight, sacrifice their lives for the sake of the generations to come… for peace and democracy… Don’t you ever forget that! Oh, I miss my Philip so much… grandma said and tears trickled down her cheeks… -Granny, don’t cry… The kids hugged her tenderly and NHMAtoulis began licking her hand… Meow, meow…&nbsp;

Unfortunately, your great-grandfather didn’t live long enough to see democracy restored in 1974… unfortunately…

The Easter of 1977 was unforgettable! We had all gathered in this house. Brothers and sisters, children, grandchildren… We celebrated Easter with all our traditional customs. Tsourekia (Easter buns), red eggs, roast lamb on a skewer, mageiritsa soup, red wine…&nbsp;

Then we finished our studies and in 1923 we decided to get married. The need to find a job led us to Cyprus where there were more opportunities for me to work as a doctor.

My mother was sick, too, and I had to be close to her... Little by little, we made it. I opened my own practice and Aspasia started teaching in the elementary school. Over the next 10 years we had four children, two boys and two girls. First came Aris, then Christina, followed by Isabella and last Konstantinos.

-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;God bless them, Mr. Panikkos! I hope they are always well and healthy, Gorka said!

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; -Thank you, Gorka. Unfortunately, fate has brought it differently for Aris and especially for our youngest son, Konstantinos. When World War II began, many Cypriots volunteered in the English army and went to fight in North Africa.&nbsp;

A tear rolled through Panikkos' eyes. Memories came alive in front of him like a film roll, as recorded in the NHMA. Time stopped in 1916 and he began to tell his shared story with Aspasia. &nbsp; - I left my village Argaka which is located 5 km from Polis Chrysochous town to study Medicine in Thessaloniki. You see, at that time Cyprus was a colony of Great Britain and there were no universities here to educate the Cypriots. Probably the British preferred to leave us without higher education so they could keep us enslaved. &nbsp; - It was at the University that I met a beautiful Greek woman, my beloved Aspasia. She attended the Pedagogical Academy to become a teacher. In the beginning it was a simple acquaintance through our common breaks and events at the University.

Our relationship became closer in 1917 when we both went to the hospital of Thessaloniki to help with the wounded of the First World War. We were in the surgical&nbsp;&nbsp;department&nbsp;&nbsp;together, and that's where I realized what a good&nbsp;&nbsp;person she was. She offered with generosity and&nbsp;love all her powers to those in need.

That’s why I&nbsp;fell in love with her!

-My cuties, the NHMA is our history… it was unreeled so I can narrate it to you and now it’s reeled back again… it is waiting for the next pages to be written… The ones that you will narrate to your grandchildren one day and they to theirs! Our NHMA will always be alive! Its colors will shine… they will be the fingerprints of our lives! - Grandma, will you always be here with NHMAtoulis? Will you always be with us? Kassandra asked. The two kids looked at grandma deep in the eyes and impatiently waited for her answer. NHMAtoulis meowed sweetly. Grandma raised her eyes as if staring into space… She smiled… -In a way I’ll always be near you… here with you! Now the NHMA passes on to you. Put it in the chest. Keep it safe and love it!&nbsp;

They tenderly leaned their little heads on her knees! NHMAtoulis purred.

&nbsp;Grandma Pythia stared at the blue sky that adorned the Thermaikos gulf. Her eyes half-closed… The NHMA was now safe… Her grandchildren had it now… She touched NHMAtoulis… Her eyelids closed slowly…

The two kids did what grandma Pythia asked them to. Then they came close to her. They sat on the floor.

Grandma Pythia fell asleep!!

The kids went near her and sat comfortably on some red pillows. They were all ears and they looked at grandma Pythia and NHMAtoulis cat with yearning!

The First World War had begun. Our parents understood that things were going to get bad. We had to go back to our homeland... to Greece.&nbsp;

&nbsp;“1917... Thessaloniki was liberated from the Turks in 1912 and finally united with the rest of Greece. It was in an August midday, when the fire broke out. I was a 17-year-old little girl, at the time. We were 5 children in the family, including NHMAtoulis the cat. Three girls and two boys. We had come from Pontus a year ago. We lived in Trabzon near the Black Sea.&nbsp;

We took whatever we could carry in our hands. Μy mom had put NHMA in a small chest. I couldn't understand why we had to take it with us. It seemed insignificant to me. “Pythia, I give you a blessing and a curse! Never lose it. This is where our history is written,” my mother told me. I held it in my hands during a difficult, almost endless journey... Hunted, refugees, we arrived in Greece. Memories, feelings, everything was tangled inside us.

Parchment

GREECE-SPAIN-FRANCE-CYPRUS-LATVIA

NHMAtoulis the cat and the grandma Pythia

The travelling tale

-&nbsp;&nbsp;Amid the chaos, she tried to save her students and transport them to safety. She didn't think about her own safety at all. She breathed a lot of chemicals and smoke, and since then her breathing problems have started!

-&nbsp;After a difficult journey we arrived at the port of Polis Chrysochous town. We lost all our property! We became refugees in our own country!

-&nbsp;I'm so sorry about what you've been through, Mr. Panikkos, Gorka said with a sigh. -&nbsp;My sister started having problems with her lungs and needed a lot of treatment, Leonidas replied. Unfortunately, things have got worse lately and now she's always on a ventilator. That's why I wanted to come to Cyprus and see her. And now that we have the NHMA, I'm sure it will help her heal.

-&nbsp;In despair we ran towards the sea. We were fortunate to meet Aspasia’s colleague who was also an amateur fisherman. We got on his little boat with other people trying to save themselves too. We were 80 people on the boat! We were like sardines in a tin can that sailed in the waves. We were scared it was going to sink! But, we were blessed to make it.

….. meow…meow… came the sound of NHMAtoulis immediately… -Dear NHMAtoulis, don’t complain, you’re always close to me… you’re my great weakness… … Meow…meow…meow… NHMAtoulis purred happily!&nbsp;

NHMAtoulis meowed happily, showing that he agreed with grandma Pythia. The two of you were born 10 years later. Fortunately, your mum managed to steal Albert’s heart and he had the joy of becoming a parent at the age of 50!

Your grandma, Kassandra, and your grandpa, Jordi, were my companions for the next two years… they were gone quietly at a late age. Their greatest complaint was that they never had grandchildren. Your dad, Albert, was a fanatic bachelor… (The sound of laughter was heard on behalf of the kids). You see, he’s a very charming man.

So, you two adorable kids came to our life! Meow… meow… Grandma caressed NHMAtoulis and he purred in satisfaction. The kids were looking at grandma Pythia and NHMAtoulis and were impressed by what they had learnt!&nbsp;

-Grandma, grandma… look… the NHMA is reeled…, Aristotle shouted.

-How did it reel on its own, Grandma?... Kassandra asked.

After some days of being hidden, Jordi met Gorka to have lunch with him. They ate bread with spread tomato, a typical Catalan food. Gorka was very excited telling Jordi about all the demonstrations, strikes and so on. Jordi was getting increasingly angry while Gorka was explaining all these unfair facts. At that point, Gorka felt relieved telling him his secret: he was a member of ETA. When Jordi heard that, he was happy because his best friend was fighting for democracy and better conditions. However, he did not like the violent way they acted. Even he, being a CNT’s member, he always thought that violence was not the path to follow. Step by step they got better conditions: less working hours per day, some Catalan publications (newspapers, magazines…), more income and so on. It was not enough for the majority of population.&nbsp;

The years were passing until Gorka decided to take part in the most important terrorist attack until then. Jordi was aware of it, he just wanted him not to be injured. So Gorka started his trip by train to Madrid with some of his ETA’s mates. They rented a flat to organize and plan the assault. One sunny day in Madrid when Christmas season was near, the attack happened. Carrero Blanco, a minister of Franco, was leaving his house in order to attend a mass;

he was a very representative character of the Spanish government, because Franco was getting older. Taking into account the importance of Carrero Blanco, Gorka and his ETA group organized this terrible terrorist attack against him.

NHMAtoulis was getting nervous and moving around Pythia. “I know, I know… NHMAtoulis, a tenebrous moment is coming! Don’t worry, come here to my lap. You’ll be safe here” – said Pythia while taking NHMAtoulis.

That same day, German troops enter the village and install an artillery battery. After the declaration of war by the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and France on Germany, a second journey awaits the evacuated inhabitants. On 9 September, the inhabitants head for the South of France in freight trains. On their arrival, on 10 September, the inhabitants of Hœnheim were divided into five communes of Haute-Vienne (Saint-Victurnien, Saint-Auvent, Saint-Cyr, Sainte-Marie-de-Vaux and Cognac-le-Froid). We were welcomed in Sainte Marie de Vaux. It is a very small village situated in the north-west of the Massif Central in the department of Haute-Vienne, near Limoges. In August 1940, after the Armistice signed between the Philippe Pétain government and the Germans, the inhabitants of Hoenheim were invited to leave Haute-Vienne to return to Alsace, which had been de facto annexed by the Germans.

We decided to go down further in the south of France towards Perpignan, for fear that Miriam would be arrested. Indeed we heard about the deportation of the Jews to Germany and as Alsace was again annexed to Germany, we would not have been safe there. So we settled in the free zone near the Spanish border in Céret.&nbsp;

The travelling tale France

Gorka travelled to France with the NHMA in order to be protected throughout the trip. When Gorka arrived, he gave the NHMA to Leonidas. This way Leonidas knew that he was coming from Kassandra. Leonidas was very excited and he immediately took the NHMA and started to tell his story to Gorka . After the First World War, in early 1919, Miriam and I set off for France. After several days of travelling, we arrived at Mont St Michel. Miriam absolutely wanted to see this very famous site.&nbsp;

We decided to move to St Malo. In 1920 we had been living in St Malo for a year but we couldn't find work. &nbsp;Luckily in May we moved to Strasbourg because Myriam was hired in a dental office that was badly understaffed. She found this job thanks to Miriam's Jewish friend M. Marc Bloch who was a professor at the faculty of Strasbourg. He found us a place to live and helped us to settle down. That's when I set up my construction company. There was no lack of work, there were many buildings to rebuild after the war. My business prospered quickly and I had to hire several people. It was in 1925, on July 5th that we got married. I still remember it as if it were yesterday. It was a beautiful day, Miriam looked beautiful in her white dress. We walked into a room, it was filled with comfortable benches, heart-shaped confetti, and, of course, people we knew! Our guests had come in large numbers. There was a huge buffet! There were all sorts of cheeses, aperitifs, pancakes, ..., not forgetting the wedding cake, it was pistachio, mint and chocolate. It was sumptuous and delicious. On the top there were two statuettes, it was me and Miriam in a very small size!

And the man began to look for something in his pocket. Suddenly he pulled out a photo of their entire family - Hera, Aspasia, Homer and Leonidas. They were all young, happy. Nicolai hugged them and said that Hera was very much waiting for them. He spoke both Russian and English, so it was difficult to understand what he was saying, but he had genuine joy in meeting him. They left the airport. Since they had to wait for the train to arrive for more than 2 hours, Nikolai proposed to take a walk around the Old Town of Riga. On their walk they surpassed the Monument of Freedom in the center of Riga, they were questioning why the ‘’lady’’ was holding 3 stars above her head.

- It is a symbol of Latvia's statehood, the unity, independence, and freedom of the Latvian people. – Nikolay said. In the summer of 1963, the KGB of the Latvian SSR and the Central Committee of the LCP considered the possibility of blowing up the monument, but it was decided that the demolition of the monument would only cause outrage and tension in society, but there is no written evidence that it did happen.

Nowadays, the significance of the Freedom Monument was interpreted in accordance with Soviet propaganda - it was claimed that three stars were held by Mother Russia and symbolized the three Baltic Soviet republics - the Latvian SSR, the Estonian SSR and the Lithuanian SSR. But all the people know, that three goldened stars symbolize freedom and cultural and historical regions of Latvia.

-&nbsp;Well, in one of their operations to strike a British camp, he was shot and killed, too... Young people gave their lives to get rid of slavery. After 5 years of struggle, we managed to liberate our country. Cyprus had been declared an independent state in 1960. In fact, my daughter Christina, as a lawyer, had been part of the negotiations committee, Panikkos said proudly.

-&nbsp;Unfortunately, we didn't figure it out right! Sadly, the fury of the Turkish invaders in 1974 reached the city we lived in.

-&nbsp;Come on, let's go Panikkos, Leonidas said while hugging him affectionately and driving him towards the car. &nbsp;Gorka was moved by the Cypriots' history of liberation. It reminded him of his own struggles for his country and he wanted to know more about the history of Panikkos and Aspasia. He waited for some minutes and then he asked. -How did you turn into refugees with Aspasia, Mr. Panikkos? And what exactly happened to Mrs. Aspasia and she got sick?

-&nbsp;My dear Gorka, in 1961 Aspasia was appointed to the primary school of Famagusta city at the east of Cyprus. We then decided to buy our own house there, since we loved the place and agreed that we would live forever in this city. The largest port in Cyprus was there and the city had been well developed.

-&nbsp;They had surrounded Famagusta and we didn't know what to do to save ourselves from death. The Turks began by bombing from their planes and ships. The city was filled with debris, wounded and dead people. Aspasia was at school with her students when two bombs went off in the building. Can you imagine the agitation and panic that caught her?

Thus, NHMA started another journey... to another place... NHMAtoulis and I remained here... ...waiting...

After a week of traveling, on May 23rd they finally reached Thessaloniki. The air there felt so pleasing to Hera, Aspasia and Leonidas. They were happy to be back home.

A few days later the children and grandchildren of Leonidas and Aspasia left and went back to the places they had come from. Kassandra, Jordi and your dad, Albert, decided to stay here with us. Hera and Nikolai left and returned a year later to stay here in Greece too. Therefore we lived together for some years. Leonidas frequently visited France to see his children when he died in 1990 as he was too old. Aspasia and Pannikos had to share a living between Cyprus and Greece. They had to go to both countries all the time and they now had two permanent residences. They were very happy until 1992 when they were both gone, in a month’s time. It was impossible for them to live without each other. They practically left together, as they had lived all those previous years so much in love.

Nikolai died in 1986 in the Chernobyl nuclear accident, where he was on business.

In fact, there is a big port, an international airport as well as some train stations. So, you can imagine how enormous it is.”&nbsp;

However, during these years being a member of the CNT was forbidden by the dictator Franco, who was in charge of Spain.

Following with the story, in 1961 Kassandra got pregnant and after nine months, their son, named Albert, was born.

Ahem, ahem… grandma Pythia was clearing her throat. “It was a difficult time! The consumer society started growing. They bought their first TV and some other electrical appliances. Consequently, a short-term debt started. Fortunately, women started working in the labour market”.

One day, Kassandra was drinking Vermouth with her friend, when she was offered a vacancy in a hotel. Without any doubt, Kassandra answered a strong yes. Besides, Albert had started school as a student. He went to the boys’ school, because girls were separated from boys at that time.

Kassandra took care of her baby while Jordi continued working in the electrical industry called “La Canadenca” in the capital city of Catalonia. Moreover, he was part of the labour union known as CNT (National Labour Confederation). This group fought for democracy and labour rights.

On Monday at 8am Kassandra started her new job in the well-known Quatre Nacions Hotel. It was a long day, but she was glad to have had that chance.&nbsp;

That way, Kassandra and Jordi could manage to keep their economy, debts and their son, Albert.

The spanish tale

Aristotle and Kassandra were looking forward to discovering what happened in Spain. So, Pythia, Aristotle and Kassandra got comfortable to watch the whole story. It was in 1958 when Jordi went to Greece for a job meeting. He was very stressed because of his job so he decided to go to a musical bar in order to relax, when a beautiful and wonderful woman (Kassandra) got in and he fell in love with her at first sight. He invited her to drink Ouzo, a typical Greece drink. He had to come back to Barcelona and Kassandra remained in Greece. They were so in love that during two years they wrote love letters to each other. In those letters they were imaging their future in Catalonia. During this period, Jordi went to visit Kassandra several times and they enjoyed their meetings as if there was no tomorrow.

Two years later and after a lot of letters, they had a very clear idea of being together. Consequently, they celebrated their love with an amazing wedding in Thessaloniki. Even some of Jordi’s friends went there to support him in that important day of his life

Some days after the wedding, they were willing to go to Barcelona to start their new life as a couple.

So, Jordi and Kassandra took a long trip to the capital city and they went to live in Jordi’s house.

“And what happened in Barcelona? I heard it is an overcrowded city.” – asked&nbsp;

“Be patient, my honey” – said grandma Pythia while she was caressing NHMAtoulis –“As you said, Barcelona is an important city, it is huge, noisy, it has got a lot of transport systems, due to its connections.

Grandma Pythia couldn’t even remember her age anymore. She and NHMAtoulis were of the same age! They lived in the same house since ... forever and they had a unique bond. The two of them communicated extremely well. One look at each other was enough ... as if they were one! Thoughts and feelings flowed immediately from one to the other.

Our cat lived with grandma Pythia , her two twin grandchildren, Kassandra and Aristotle and their parents.

Grandma Pythia's grandchildren were excited about her relationship with NHMAtoulis! Kassandra and Aristotle had realized early on that they lived in a very special home! In a home that had come from the past, touched upon the present and was moving to the future ...

Carrero Blanco died immediately after a huge explosion in his own car. It provided the Spanish people with an “after” and “before”. In fact, some years after the attack, in 1975, Franco died and the democracy transition started, yet before that happened, Gorka was in a big trouble.

Before leaving, Gorka went back to Barcelona and he had the chance to say goodbye face to face to Albert, Kassandra and Jordi. Kassandra took the opportunity and decided to give him the NHMA that protected them until then in those terrible years. Gorka went to France with the NHMA so as to be protected throughout the entire trip. When Gorka arrived, he gave the NHMA to Leonidas. That way, Leonidas knew that he was coming from Kassandra.

Leonidas was very excited and he immediately took the NHMA and started telling his story…

Although Jordi was not in favour of violence, he decided to help his friend and offered him the chance to leave the country. As a consequence, Gorka left and went to France to be hidden by Leonidas (Pythia’s brother), who was very old at that time.

We settled in a small Alsatian house in Hoenheim near Strasbourg. On December 10, 1928 Catalina and Marc were born at the Ste Anne hospital in La Robertsau, as it was the nearest hospital. I will always remember this day, they were small but beautiful.&nbsp;Miriam had to stop working to look after the twins but we were happy.&nbsp;

On May 6, 1968, Miriam had a very bad stomach ache, so much that she vomited, so we went to the hospital. Unfortunately a doctor diagnosed her with pancreatic cancer, she didn't have much time left to live.&nbsp;

Tears streamed from Leonidas' eyes. Gorka took her hand. Leonidas continued: On May 6, 1970, Miriam died of her cancer. Everyone was very sad. It's been five years since she left. Leonidas was sad, but he pulled himself together.

That's our story, but you must be hungry and you may want to rest. Come on, I'll show you your hiding place and then I'll bring you some food. Later you'll tell me about Jordi and Kassandra... Leonidas took Gorka to the hiding place Miriam had used during the war. While his new host was settling in, Leonidas prepared his meal for him. In the following days they got to know each other and Gorka told Leonidas his story and his meeting with Kassandra, Gorki and Jordi. Leonidas was happy to be able to help a friend. He introduced him to his children and grandchildren. But one day, on 15 January 2016, Leonidas got a telegram from Paphos. This telegram told him that his sister Aspasia was very sick. Leonidas quickly decided to bring him the NHMA. He thought that it could perhaps save his sister.&nbsp;He told his children and Gorka about his project. Catalina and Marc were not very enthusiastic about his idea. They were afraid for their father. Leonidas told them that with the NHMA nothing could happen to him.

“You don’t know my children, but those years were really difficult in Catalonia, because they had Franco as a dictator. In fact, they had turbulent years which clearly affected their daily life. In spite of all these drawbacks, Franco promoted the services and industry sector. That is the reason why a lot of people from other parts of Spain went to Catalonia. Pay attention! Look who appeared in the story!!” – said Pythia.

the police called Guardia Civil was under Franco’s control. Imagine… if someone disobeyed this system, one was arrested. Those days were really dark in Barcelona, due to the dictatorship and its violence.” – said grandma Pythia sadly.

One day, Jordi was working in the industry when Gorka, a Basque guy arrived in the company. They met and they got on very well. Indeed, Jordi encouraged Gorka to join the labour union CNT.

In front of all Franco’s repressions, Gorka decided to be part of a terrorist group ETA, that stands for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna. Gorka kept this fact as a secret. This group fought against Franco’s repression and for the freedom of the Basque country.

“What was Franco’s repression?” – asked Kassandra.

In 1970 Jordi and Gorka were ambushed during a forbidden meeting of CNT by Guardia Civil. All of them managed to escape from the police, except Jordi, who was arrested and brought to the Model jail in Barcelona.

&nbsp;“The Catalan people were not allowed to speak in their own language, they did not even have Catalan magazines or books, people could not demonstrate for their rights,&nbsp;

During a big demonstration, where a lot of Guardia Civil were present, as the prison was with less policemen, Kassandra and Albert took advantage of it and were able to help Jordi to break out of jail.

NHMAtoulis the cat and grandma Pythia

The two children were students of the fourth grade, D2, in the 8th Primary school of their area. They were almost 10 years old. They stayed with grandma Pythia, since their parents worked daily from morning till night to get through the difficult years of the financial crisis. That morning, grandma Pythia was drinking her Greek coffee, accompanied by a traditional cherry preserve. She was sitting in her backyard, enjoying the fragrance that came from the many flowers she had planted, while NHMAtoulis was rubbing against her legs, purring with delight.

The two children had finished their homework and were looking for ways to spend their time happily. It was little Kassandra’s idea to visit the loft in the small attic of the house. Grandmother Pythia would not allow them to go there without her company and supervision! This time, however, the two children were thinking of disobeying her and going to the attic without her. And so they did! Aristotle and Cassandra climbed the wooden old staircase leading to the attic with slow, silent and very careful movements. Upon reaching the little door, they turned the iron knob and went in! On the wooden ceiling, spiders had knitted their webs, which looked as if they were made of gold, bathed in the rays of the sun that was piercing through the window sills. On the right and left side of the attic walls, there were wooden trunks with metal parts and old wardrobes. NHMAtoulis got up. He started meowing anxiously. Grandmother Pythia didn't pay attention to him. Aristotle put his hands on a small black chest that was placed in the corner next to the door. The light that was piercing through the room illuminated the chest in strange a way and it moved his curiosity.

But most volunteers left Cyprus to fight on the side of the Greeks who were then facing the attack of Nazi Italians and Germans. Our son Aris was one of these volunteers. He was only 18 years old! He was assigned to fight on the front line in the Pindos mountains on the border with Albania. After a long course in the snow, he had frostbite that developed into gangrene. He was taken to the hospital in Ioannina where he was forced to have two of his toes cut off. Fortunately, there he met Helen, a young nurse who took great care of him. And not only that... they continued to have contact and after the end of the war they got married and stayed to live in Athens.

-&nbsp;Panikkos, can we stop in Paphos city for a while? This way you can get some rest from driving, have lunch and continue our journey more relaxed, Leonidas suggested. &nbsp;-&nbsp;Yes! We'll be there in a few minutes. We can stop. We could eat at the tavern and then I'll take you for a walk and sightseeing.

After finishing their meal, they took the road leading to the central square of Paphos. It was a beautiful square full of neoclassical buildings with many columns of Doric, Ion and Corinthian style, gables and propylaea. The last in the line was the building of the 1st Gymnasium of Paphos.

Aspasia realized that this was not the best time to tell the real reason for their visit. She had a hunch that she would also have difficulty getting medical help in Latvia. But now the key was to meet Hera. After some time, they arrived and Hera was there waiting for them in a wheelchair. She was managed to get to the train station on her own. When they got off the train, they began to run towards Hera to hug her, they hugged for minutes in silence. They were happy to see her, but sad to know the story.

Hera looked up and saw Nikolay. She already understood that he had tell all the tragical story to her siblings.

Aspasia got Hera's hand, Nikolay began to push the wheelchair, and they slowly approached their home. When they got home, Aspasia immediately felt that she needed to act. She knew that all the circumstances had created this situation and that there was only one solution. But she wanted to talk to Leonidas. She invited him to the kitchen on the pretext that she needed help. -&nbsp;Leonidas, listen to me. It seems to me that we have been separated for so long - all of us - sisters and brothers. We have each started our own families in different countries, we have been happy there, we have beautiful children who have already started their own families. We don't get younger ....

But alas! "Kassandra, look!" said Aristotle. “Look at NHMA... the word C I V I L W A R is written on it.” “Yes, my children. The Second World War was over but another much harder war was beginning for us, the Civil War. It lasted for almost 4 years. Greeks killing Greeks! Despair! »

NHMAtoulis nestled in the arms of grandmother Pythia, scared. “I know, my kitty, it was very difficult for all of us. The darkest years!”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Grandma continued after taking a deep breath and she petted NHMAtoulis who nestled even deeper in her lap.

-This is the hero Evagoras Pallikarides, Gorka. -&nbsp;But he's too young! And he holds books in one hand... while in the other I see… a gun! - Yes, he was a student at this school when he decided to fight for the liberation of Cyprus from the British colonialists. You see, even though we tried in various other ways to free ourselves from the British, and even though they had promised it many times, nothing was happening! Therefore, in 1955 Cypriots started an armed liberation struggle. A secret organization was created, the E.O.K.A. and ordinary people, men, women, children, and the elderly joined it to help the fighters. We didn't have military army, neither did we have many weapons. But, we had determination and justice was with us.

Right across the street you could see a tall bronze statue of a young man.

-&nbsp;Evagoras was my relative! He made the decision to leave school and climb the mountain where he became a guerrilla. So did my son Konstantinos. One day the British troops arrested Evagoras as he carried weapons into his hideout. They sentenced him to death….to a horrible death by hanging!

Silence followed. All three were left staring at the statue of the young hero. Gorka took the liberty of asking: - What about your son? What happened to Konstantinos?

On the following days we organized our visits to the hospitals for Hera and Aspasia. Unfortunately, nothing could be done for Hera’s case. Aspasia on the other hand was under medication which would help improve her lung situation. Next, we all decided that each one of us should return home, tackle with any suspensions and then we would all meet again in a few months along with our children! And that was the case indeed!

Our happiness and our excitement were indescribable. The feelings were unbelievable. We were crying with joy… and crying with sadness because Homer wasn’t with us. On the first day we incessantly talked about our lives… we laughed… we cried, we looked at each other in the eyes and went on with our narration!&nbsp;

Hera lived with me for the next years. Our bond became even stronger. When she was gone in 1988, I felt so intensely lonely…&nbsp;

Antique paper texture

The meeting between the two brothers was very touching. Aspasia, with tears in her eyes, held Leonidas strongly in her arms for 10 minutes. No one was talking. They were just hugging and crying. Soon the children of Aspasia and Panikkos, Aris, Christina and Isabella arrived with their spouses and children. You see, Aspasia became a grandmother and had five grandchildren! Leonidas spoke to Panikkos and Aspasia about a leading medical center located in Latvia. It was recommended to him by their sister Hera when Miriam, his wife, was ill with cancer, but he didn't manage to take her therefor treatment on time.

Leonidas decided to contact Hera to arrange the introduction of Aspasia to this medical center. Leonidas would accompany Aspasia on her journey, since Panikkos had to stay at the clinic he ran. But he would have new company. His new friend Gorka, who was touched by the history and struggles of Cyprus and loved its people, decided to settle in Polis Chrysochous and start a new life there.

- Seems like something definitely happened here – Leonidas said. - Accident I think – Aspasia sadly replied. - The flowers are there in honor of those who died in a tragedy, where two trains’ collided and 46 people were killed, it was quite recent – Nikolay explained. - Oh my, how come two trains collide on the same pathway? - Aspasia asked. - The conductors messed up…. – Nikolai explained. He fell silent and began to cry.... Aspasia and Leonidas looked up. - Did anyone you know suffered in this accident? - Leonidas asked. - Yes ... Hera .... - and he began to cry in his voice.... Aspasia and Leonidas froze. They sat down next to Nikolai and reassured him, trying to find out what had happened. Only then they realized that Hera did not come to meet them at the airport, and they had not asked where she was at all. They feared the worst had happened. When Nikolai calmed down, he ran his fingers through his hair again, looked out the window, and looked desperate.

- Hera was on the train when it happened, she drove to work ... She was one of those survivors who suffered badly. She is paralyzed and is now in a wheelchair, but she is strong enough to keep up and continue to be positive. We tried treatment in a hospital, but the hospital equipment and services provided were primitive. There was a lack of modern equipment, and customer care was often formal. Wages for medical staff are low, and open "gratitude" (flowers, candy, and alcohol) and bribery for better care and access to a more prestigious doctor are widespread. Outside the public outpatient clinics and hospitals, there were hospitals of various institutions and ministries that were only accessible to a certain population.

As a result, we are unable to provide the medical care needed to improve Heras' health. I'm desperate and don't know what to do. Your arrival is the best medicine for her right now. She was waiting for you so much.

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