Episode 45
When his wife asked Eric if he would agree to adopting a dog, he immediately and enthusiastically said yes. His wife possibly felt the subtle disappointment one feels when, albeit getting what they want, they miss the opportunity to persuade the other person. Eric smiled as she tried to hide her surprise. He wanted so to tell her: “I want to get to know you”, but he was clever enough to realize how insulting the truth can be at times.
Episode 46
Elena Daphnopoulou’s unexpected resignation made Eric feel extremely guilty. No matter how long she spent explaining that her decision had nothing to do with their affair, she couldn’t convince him and he kept trying to change her mind. He wasn’t able to. They agreed, however, to get together the night of her last day at work. He went to her place. She greeted him with a hug. They sat on her narrow couch. Their bodies were electrified. She told him she was pregnant. For a few seconds Eric felt his breathing stop. He quickly returned to reality and stroked her hair. He asked her if she was happy. It would be terribly indiscreet of us to find out what she answered. So just like the times before Elena Daphnopoulou vanished swiftly on her magic carpet. The next day he was introduced to his new assistant. Both the whale and his boss agreed with him that she is an extraordinary young woman with a promising professional future.
Episode 47
The pain had become positively unbearable in the last few days. Eric was disappointed that the reconciliation with his inner aquatic mammal had failed to grant him the relief he’d expected. He kept trying to speak to it but for a long time he got no answer. He was fed up with its quirkiness. His wife insisted he go to the doctor’s. She even suggested someone with good recommendations, who happened to have his practice in Eric’s old college neighborhood. Although at first he saw no point to yet another visit to a doctor, he was finally convinced. He went alone. I think it’s relatively easy to imagine how he would find in the waiting room the unlikable old man from Jonah’s. “I closed my little shop”, the skinny, sinking man said, as if to himself. A tear sparkled under his eye defying the room’s dim lighting. “You know, my friend, what was missing from my life? Three things: Fire, woman and sea”. Eric got up and shook his hand. The courage of a man during his fall always touched him. He paid for the appointment at the reception desk and left. When he got home, he confirmed to his wife that the recommendations for the doctor had indeed been accurate.
Episode 48
“Eric,” the whale said after many days, “the time has come for you to kill me.”
Episode 49
How could anyone, no matter how determined, go against the decisions of a whale? After three days, with his head hung low, Eric agreed to what had to be done. He calmly followed the whale’s instructions, which were too cruel to be repeated in these lines. The moment of its death was as serene as a summer sunrise. When Eric heard its last breath, he bawled like a baby. He even cried in his wife’s arms. But as his tears dried up, he didn’t feel the terrible chill of a permanent loss. Or the tremendous emptiness of a disaster, or the emotional minimalism of impending death. He just waited.
Episode 50
He said goodbye to his boss and all of his colleagues. After carrying out a quick risk assessment, he realized that if he stayed at that particular job, things would not turn out so well. Not that he made some drastic career change, but he found another position which demanded much less of his time. On his way home he almost felt sad. At that moment he heard a howl from within. He pulled over to the side of the road. “Who’s there?” he asked. “It’s me,” a voice answered. “The whale?” he asked again anxiously. “Does my voice sound like the whale’s?” Having learned by now that when addressing inner mammals one needn’t be too tactful, Eric persisted: “Are you gonna tell me who you are?”. “The wolf”, the voice replied. But it’s about now that our narration must come to an end, for two reasons: The first, I am not entirely sure that the wolf grants us his permission to continue. And the second, this story here was about a boy who swallowed a whale.
*The Greek word for clairvoyant is alafroiskiotos and literally means ‘one who has a light shadow’.
** The Greek phrase for candy floss is malli tis grias - literally, ‘old lady’s hair’ - hence Eric’s following thoughts on grandmothers.
The Boy Who Swallowed A Whale Page 5
