REPORTER: Yannis won his first election to parliament a year later, thanks largely to his celebrity. A few years after that, over objections from other cabinet members, he was named ambassador to the United Nations, the youngest person in Greek history to achieve that status. Critics claimed he was given the job as a political favor to his father. But Yannis became an effective spokesperson, and helped secure international loans to bail Greece out of its serious financial crisis.

At thirty-four, Yannis Papadapulous was the youngest person invited to join Jason Lambert’s Grand Idea voyage. He is presumed dead, his short life and promising career a victim of whatever happened that fateful night at sea.

Sea

It is nearing midnight on our seventeenth day. I apologize, my angel. I have not been able to write until now. Ever since Yannis snapped that bird’s neck, it’s like I’ve been drugged. I don’t know why it affected me so. The feathered carcass falling limply against my chest. I can’t get that out of my mind. I feel heavy, and can barely pull myself to a sitting position.

Maybe you’re wondering what happened next. Nothing. Not for a few minutes anyhow. No one on board seemed to know what to do with that dead bird. We just stared at each other. Finally, Jean Philippe spoke up.

“Miss Geri,” he said, quietly, “may I have the knife?”

He then began to skin the creature, plucking off the wings, cutting off the head. Nina cringed and asked if Jean Philippe knew what he was doing. He said yes, he’d had to do this as a boy in Haiti, usually with chickens, but this wasn’t much different. He did not seem happy doing it. Perhaps he wasn’t happy doing it back then, either.

We shifted away as the blood and guts spilled out. Eventually Jean Philippe cut out the breasts, which were the meatiest part, and sliced them into stringy pieces. He told us each to take one.

“We’re supposed to eat it raw?” Lambert said.

“You can let it dry in the sun,” Yannis said, taking a piece, “if you want to wait two days.”

Yannis began chewing. Nina looked away. Geri took a piece and handed it to little Alice. As has become her pattern, she gave hers to the Lord, so Geri handed her another. Soon all of them were chewing with exaggerated jaw movements. I could not bring myself to do it.

“Please, Benji,” Jean Philippe said. “You must eat.”

I shook my head.

“Do not feel bad about killing this creature. You did it for all of us.”

I looked at him, and my eyes watered. If he only knew the truth. That I did nothing for all of them, not when it mattered.

I glanced at the Lord, who was eating his piece and looking at me the entire time. He swallowed and smiled.