Lawrence Durrell - The Dark Labyrinth

“I say,” said Graecen flushing, “do you really think so?” It was a straw, but he grasped it. “It’s just possible, I suppose.” He knew as he spoke that it was not possible, but the idea buoyed him up. He would write to those London brutes and ask them to check the diagnosis. “It’s just possible,” he repeated, dipping deep into the buttercup-coloured heart of the egg.

“Oh, and another thing,” said Axelos, “I think I’ve laid the minotaur. You see this chap coming up the path with the policeman? He has the secret I feel sure.”

The village policeman was advancing across the lawn dragging a fisherboy by the arm. He was a stern old man who looked like a discharged sergeant-major, red-faced, moustached. “This is the boy,” he said, springing to attention and saluting. The boy was about fifteen years of age, clad in tatters, with bare feet. He looked very frightened and his lip trembled as Axelos addressed him in his most formidable lord-of-the-manor voice. “Your name?”

“Peter, son of Karamanos.”

“You were found blowing a ram’s horn down one of the tunnels of the labyrinth?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because it makes ‘boom-boom’.”

“And why do you wish to make ‘boom-boom’ in the labyrinth?”

“I am poor, sir.”

“You are paid for it? By whom?”

“Oh, sir.” The boy burst into tears and fell blubbering on the grass, repeating between snorts: “I must not say who. I must not say who.”

“Get up, wretch,” said the policeman, still standing to attention. “Get up, werewolf, pigsdroppings. Rise.” He delivered a surreptitious kick at the boy’s posterior and became immediately rigid again.

Axelos selected a peach from the dish in front of him and began to eat it. The boy’s sobs diminished in volume. “Take him away”, said Axelos mildly to the policeman, “and cut his legs off at the ankles. Perhaps he will speak then.”

The boy set up a howl. Axelos waddled across to him and lifted him up in one huge hairy arm. “Speak,” he shouted suddenly, so loudly that the crockery jumped and Graecen was all but precipitated out of his chair. The boy spoke.

“Mr. Jannadis,” he said.

“The tourist one?”

“Yes.”

“You may go. Wait.” Katina had appeared on the balcony, attracted by the noise. “Katina,” said Axelos quietly, “give this boy a hundred drachmae and tell him not to do it any more.” He settled himself in his chair once more and bade the policeman good-bye. “There,” he said. “You understand? A tourist stunt. What is one to do?”

Graecen called to mind the terrible groans and bellow of the beast in the darkness of the labyrinth. “We live in a rational world,” he said sadly, “I suppose everything has a rational explanation.”

“Well,” said Baird’s voice behind them, “nearly everything.” He appeared on the terrace and shook hands all round. “It’s a long time,” said Axelos. “A very long time. I’m happy to see you.”

“By the way,” said Baird. “Some news. Virginia is safe. She apparently found a way out and jumped into the sea.” Graecen turned bright green. Axelos stood up. “She’s broken her leg,” said Baird, “but she’ll be all right; I saw her comfortably tucked up in the monastery. The Abbot has set the break. Afraid it’ll be some time before she can be moved.”

Axelos hovered irresolutely. “She must have a doctor. I’ll get through to Canea. Her people should be notified. Have you her address?” Baird had forgotten to take it. “Never mind,” said Axelos, “I’ll try and ring that journalist fellow.” He hurried off into the house.

“A woman falling out of the sky,” said Baird, lighting a cigarette. “We had just started off, the Abbot and I, when the mad novice jumped in the air and said he’d seen a woman falling out of the sky. As he is given to visions most of the monks thought it was a personal visitation of the Virgin Mary. The Abbot turned back and was about to shout some insults at them for their superstitious nature when, by God, we saw an arm sticking out of the sea. ‘A woman,’ yelled the Abbot and, behaving like a man who hasn’t seen a woman for some time he dashed into the sea followed by all the monks who could swim. Those who couldn’t brought out the fishing boat. It was a wonderful picture, Graecen. You should have seen them all in their wet cassocks and stove-pipe hats swimming about shouting at the tops of their voices. I thought she was a goner when we got her into the boat. But we filled her up with warm tea and got her settled into warm blankets and, as I say, the Abbot has put her leg in splints. Apparently she was with Campion.”

“Campion?” said Graecen, startled.

“Yes. I didn’t press for details as she seemed so weak and done up. She said she wasn’t sure whether he jumped with her or not. They’ve got the boats out now looking for him. So far no trace, however.”

“Campion,” repeated Graecen. “Well. What do you think of that for a story? I hope they find him.” But he felt a pang of regret.

They walked together across the lawn and sat in the patch of sunlight under the plane-tree. Axelos could be heard off-stage shouting into the telephone. “Hullo; Hullo; Canea? Hullo …”

“It doesn’t sound as if it works,” said Graecen.

“I say,” said Baird suddenly. “I found out some funny things about old Axelos. Is there a peasant girl here called Katina?”

“Yes,” said Graecen. “The servant.”

“He’s married to her.”

“Rubbish,” said Graecen. “How could he?”

“The Abbot married them himself. Then another thing. This City in the Rock business.”

“It’s gone, by the way. Fallen in.”

“The Abbot says it was quite genuine. They found it one day when they were looking for a smuggler. Then, he says Axelos gave him money and told him he should say that they built the damn thing, carved it and all that. What do you make of all that?”

Graecen was thinking how nearly he had proposed to Virginia. His scalp tingled at the nearness of his escape. He must get away before anything silly like that happened to him. “Eh?” he said, aware that Baird was staring at him.

“What do you make of that ?” repeated Baird.

“I knew it was genuine the minute I saw it,” said Graecen loftily; “I have no idea why he should pretend it isn’t.”

“Let’s ask him,” said Baird, all curiosity; but Graecen got up and took a stroll up and down the lawn. “You know,” he said, his natural tact revolting at the idea of prying into other people’s secrets, “I think it would be better if we didn’t really. He’s a very old friend of mine indeed. And I wouldn’t like to embarrass and hurt him. Besides the whole place has disappeared now. Let’s leave it.”

Axelos came out from the house in his straw hat and pyjamas. “It doesn’t work,” he said, sitting down beside them. “What a country.”

“What a country,” echoed Graecen, his eyes fixed on the moving sea, and the dazzle of white buildings on the cape.

The three of them sat quite still and felt the sunlight soaking into them. Birds were singing in the planes. The summer had begun.

“I’m only sorry about the minotaur,” said Graecen sleepily, as Katina came out towards them in her bright clothes bearing a flask of wine and some glasses. “You could have spared me that Silenus, at my age.”

But Axelos silently contented himself by pouring out the dark sweet wine into the glasses and sighing.

Not only the characters depicted in this story, but the events also, are fictitious. Even the island of Crete may rest assured that no libellous motives suggested its choice as a locale . The following fragment from The Islands of the Aegean , by the Rev. Henry Fanshawe Tozer, M.A., F.R.G.S., Oxford University Press, 1875, must be held responsible for suggesting the story: