Little Inklings 2025

from his mind, he started up the path once again. Further and further up the hill he climbed, his feet bringing up clouds of chalky dust as he trudged through the grains of limestone. At last he came to a rustic wooden shack. By now Danny was completely surrounded by shrubbery and thickets of bush. The beautiful views of the bay were blotted out by the vegetation around him. A small illuminated sign hung in the window. He tried to make out what was behind it, but he couldn’t see through the grime it was coated in. As Danny approached and opened the door, it creaked ajar, before the sound of live music suddenly blasted in his face. To his left there was a tabletop bar, and to the right there were some tables. As Danny stumbled up to the barman, his feet aching from his hike, he could smell not only the cigar smoke of the old Greek men storytelling in the corner, but all sorts of herbs, meats, and spices. Most prominent of these was roasting pork, an aroma so tempting and sapid to Danny, that he began drooling. It was almost as delicious a smell as the food at those parties Danny would hold with his wife back at the beachouse, many many years ago. He tookhis place at the bar beside a woman extravagantly dressed in satin and silk robes, with the countenance of a gypsy-woman, and a pot bellied man smoking a pipe, and sipping on his drink. Danny asked the bartender for a beer. The bartender had a Persian complexion, and spoke with a thick Arabian accent. Danny glanced about. He saw people coming in and out of a door at the back of the room. The door was barely hanging from its hinges. There was a faded sign painted in a light blue hue, reading ’TERRACE.’ He didn’t even hesitate escaping the smoke and dampness of the room, swiftly stepping outside, beer in hand, to breathe in the fresh air. The door opened onto a courtyard, shaded by olive, carob, and fig trees. It was paved with marble, and ended at a stone railing on the edge of the cliff. Straight ahead was the shimmering sea, the beating sun now creating a harsh glimmer on the horizon that blinded his eyes. Below him there was the bay, dotted with the sailboats and miniature humans going about their beach days. Danny walked over to the railing, past some flimsy metal tables where more old men were reading. He took his place among the admirers of the view and sipped his crisp, cool beer, leaning on the railing. Danny heard singing. He noticed that just on the opposite cliffside, there was a little church. He saw the many rows of people standing on the stone courtyard outside, facing the church, dressed elegantly. Its whitewashed walls shone brightly in the sun. The small belfry was adorned with a wooden cross and aGreek flag, and the bell was a rusty green color, oxidising day by day. Danny couldn’t hear what was happening inside, but he could hear. He felt a pain in his stomach as the 38