‘I like to make sure they’re accurate,’ grunted the man behind the counter. ‘I used to come here every year as a child . . .’

‘From Athens?’

The man nodded. Stelios wondered how soon he could introduce the topic he really wanted information about.

‘Have you always carved boats?’

The man laughed. ‘I used to be in banking.’

‘Quite a change.’ Stelios went on examining the boats.

‘After the crash. I had enough of cheating the little people.’

Stelios looked up. ‘I met someone else here from Athens. A Mr Georgiades.’

The man looked up from his carving suspiciously. ‘Where did you meet him?’

‘In the bar of that expensive hotel. I forget the name.’

‘The White Hotel?’

‘That’s the one.’

‘People talk a lot of shit about him round here. But I’ll say this for him. He cares about boats. He likes that one you’re holding best. In fact I made two and he bought the other himself.’

Stelios examined the boat in his hands. It was a small caique, the kind that might be used for shallow sea fishing, with a wheelhouse on deck and cabin below.

‘Is he thinking of taking up carving as well?’

The man laughed. ‘He says he’d like to own one like it one day. His parents rented one every summer, so he likes to be reminded of exactly what it was like.’

‘Interesting. He didn’t strike me as the sentimental type.’

‘He’s not. He remembered them taking on board a heavy weight, some giant fish, a shark or baby whale or some such thing, and wondered if he’d dreamed it. Asked me if it was possible.’

‘And could you? Take a heavy weight on a boat like this? Wouldn’t it capsize, or do you think it was all his imagination?’ Stelios gave one of his biggest grins. ‘You know, the one that got away – even in your dreams – is the really big fish?’

‘You could if you got the weight in the right place,’ the man replied. ‘Before the fish stocks got diminished, fishermen round here would take on tons of squid and tuna. I told him I thought it would be OK.’

Stelios examined the boat. ‘My friend, it’s a thing of beauty. If you don’t mind I’ll buy it myself!’

‘Help yourself.’ The man looked up and stared. ‘As I said, it is a shop, after all.’ He wrapped the boat lovingly and put it into a carrier bag.

‘Yassas. And thank you.’

The man watched Stelios carry the bag to the door and open it. Stelios gave him a cheery wave as he walked down the street.

The man shrugged and went back to his carving.