Page 87 of Bastian

Remember how I said nothing bad could happen in 72 hours? Well, I was wrong. Life has proved me wrong once again because something bad did happen.

These two days have screwed me.

Hard.

He got to me.

The tyrant, like a venomous serpent, has slithered into my system long enough to do some serious damage.

He has poisoned my mind. That has to be the reason why I am spiraling.

Why I couldn’t find sleep last night.

His words played through my mind all night after I left him at the restaurant, looking hurt but determined.

I’ve been hating him for so long that the thought of forgiving him never crossed my mind until Greece. Until I realized that Ellaiza will always be in the middle.

And what happens when innocents get caught in the middle of a war that’s not their own?

They get seriously hurt.

And the thought of that cripples me.

Although forgiveness won’t come easy, I know that for her sake, I’ll be able to get there.

I just don’t know if I’ll ever get to the point where seeing him doesn’t hurt me because if I let go of this hate, then all that’s left is a lot of hurt and behind that?

So much love.

Buried deep in my shredded soul.

So, yes, a lot can indeed happen in a two-day work trip.

And now this inconvenience.

I should be on a plane back to Washington. Back to my life, my company, and Ellaiza, but instead, I am still in Greece, having to deal with not only Sebastian but Wizz, as well.

I thought we had come to an agreement last night. Meaning the artist, but I guess not, since he wants to meet with me again. God knows for what.

Now, I see for myself why Quinne can’t stand the man.

He knows zero to nothing about business, yet he tries to act as he does instead of being smart enough to understand that some artists are just that, artists, entertainers, and not businessmen. Yes, some can be both, but others, like in his case, don’t have it in them.

I was planning on catching a plane out of Greece today since my business here ended, but then the concierge at the front desk handed me a written note addressed to me from Wizz, asking me to meet him at the hotel’s restaurant again.

So after cursing him and my bad luck for twenty minutes straight, I went back to the room and took a power nap, which lasted about an hour since my mind kept me up. Then, I decided to take advantage of the time I had left here and explore as much as I could.

I took a day trip and visited the archaeological site of Akrotiri. Before coming here, I read online that the fascinating ancient Minoan city is known as Greece’s version of Pompeii after being buried by an earthquake. I also learned that some said that Akrotiri was Plato’s inspiration for the city of Atlantis. Which is fascinating to think about when you see what was left of the ancient city after the huge volcano, Thera, erupted and blew the center right out of the island of Santorini. The eruption was one of the largest volcanic events ever recorded on Earth, creating a four-mile-wide caldera and sending up an ash cloud 20 miles high. It also set off a 100-meter-high tsunami that battered the coastline of Crete and reached as far as Egypt. By the time the eruption had finished, Akrotiri had been buried beneath a 200-foot layer of ash and debris, and the shape of Santorini had been changed for good. Covered with hot lava and piles of ash, the island was abandoned for centuries.

All this knowledge prompted my curious mind to buy a ticket and visit the site. I needed the distraction and a day for myself to think, but I also wanted to see for myself how the city was uncovered after so many centuries had passed and how it was forgotten for a while until the 1860s.

The archeological site is set in a smart, new building made of steel and wood to let just enough light in but keep things cool and protected. Walkways are suspended above the ruins and take you around the edge of the city. But what’s ground level for us is the roof height in Akrotiri.

A pathway leads down through some of the reconstructed houses, where you can see details like an original Minoan toilet and a stone bathtub.

The tour guide explains how during the excavations, remnants of people’s everyday lives were uncovered amongst the buildings, and they’re what makes the site so fascinating. The ash has perfectly preserved the Minoan way of life, from painted frescoes to hundreds of pots. These range from drinking cups up to giant storage vessels decorated with geometric patterns. Many of the pots are amazingly still intact, and some even had remains of olive oil or fish inside. You can see some artifacts at the site, but many others have been moved to the archaeological museum in Fira, and some of the best of Akrotiri’s frescoes are on display in Greece’s National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

After taking many videos and pictures to save and send to Ella later, I left the site and headed toward the Red Beach, which was only a short walk from the Akrotiri archaeological site. The moment my bare feet touched the infamous red sand, I knew in my heart that Ellaiza would love it. She was always so curious when younger, just like me.

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