Prologue

Present-day Greece

It was a warm summer afternoon on the Greek island of Crete, in a peaceful village in the mountains. At home Maria, Her mother Anna, Theia Anthoula and her cousin Christina were in the living room spending most of the day rearranging the family pictures to frame throughout the house of all the happy memories of their proud family.

Maria was browsing through old photo albums when she was a baby, she let out a small laugh when she found the photos of a much younger Maria, Christina and Jay the day of Greek Independence Day. " Hey, Christina". Maria called.

" What do you want, Maria". Christina answers sitting on the carpet beside Maria.

" Do you recognise these photos"? Maria pointed, showing her the Photos. Christina's blue eyes scanned through the photo album and smiled in awe.

"I can recognise the photos now," she said, " This was taken when it was the Greek independence parade, all of us looked so adorable". Christina said

The photo was of Maria, Chistina and Jay, as small children smiling towards the camera. Maria wore a light purple dress, her curly brown hair was tied up with a purple ribbon and had a huge smile across. In the middle was Jay wearing a white sailor outfit with a navy blue tie wearing a small white cap over his light brown hair. And Christina wore a light blue dress with her auburn hair with two pigtails

" this one is my favourite out of all of them, just look how adorable we all looked as babies ". Chistina smiled at the memories running through their head when they were children.

" What you two girls doing, these photos aren't going to sort themselves". Anthoula said, trying to see what her nieces were doing.

" Theia Anthoula we were just looking at some photos that we want to put on the wall". Maria handed her Theia the photo.

Anthoula carefully took the photo from Maria's hand and smiled gently as she Stared at the photo. " I remember this photo so well". Anthoula smiled, her mind filled with nostalgia with the memories of her son as a small child.

She missed her son drearily, ever since he left at first they would contact each other all the time in letters and over the phone as time went on they talked less and less and anthoula understood her.

The son was busy with the so-called space program but it's been a year since she's seen him and all she wants is to see her precious son.

"?la Theia Mou". Maria whispered hugging her Theia, Maria cherished Anthoula looking up to her as a second mother. Both of them have always been very close as long as they can remember.

" if only if he was here". Christina breaking the silence in the lounge room. " It's my sweet 16 next week and All our family and friends are invited and I wish he was here, and soon I have to go home back to Australia," Christina said.

" And I know that your 16th is going to be a night to remember koúkla Mou". Anna added coming out of the kitchen with a tray of coffee and KOURABIEDES That was leftover from Easter.

"efcharistó" Theia Anna". Christina thanked and bit into the delicious Kourabiedes.

All of the women decided to take a break and sat around the lounge laughing and talking about their favourite memories as their family laughed at the funny and interesting stories about Anna and Anthoula when both sisters were young girls the one time Anna had Threw a rock at a bully who was picking on her little sister.

" I remember that very well" Anna chuckled " Mama Freaked out and started scolding me for what I did".

" And I remember Baba laughing so hard telling Mama to calm down saying You did nothing wrong, and besides the rock didn't hit him. Anthoula taking another sip of her tea.

" I remember at the day mama was ranting about Anna behaviour and saying what she did was not okay, Baba and our brothers Yannis and Kosta couldn't hold in and burst out laughing ". Anna finished off the story as she let out a small giggle.

"That reminds me now when do Yayias and Pappou come home mama". Maria looking outside at the bright sunset outside the living room window.

" They decided to go out and spend the day visiting their Antonio and decided to bring along your younger sisters Katerina and Vagelitsa.

Everyone in the living room finished their tea and KOURABIEDES, all of them decided to continue with arranging the photos. Anthoula wandered around the living room looking for a certain photo in mind to hang on the wall with no luck of the photo insight.

" Maria, Christina" she called " can you girls go to the attic and get some more photos that are in storage?"

"Of course Theia '' Maria answered grabbed Christina's hand, yanking her upstairs is the dark attic that Christina always hated in the dark since she was a child including the attic she usually has nightmares about being haunted by spirits of dead relatives.

" This place gives the heebie-jeebies' ' Christina said in an anxious tone In her voice her eyes wandering around the Attic filled with old antique objects and bookshelves scattered around the place.

" Gosh Christina it's not that dark stop being a big baby and help me find what we need" Maria joked

Maria and Christina searched everywhere around the attic trying to find we're the extra boxes of photos are hidden as Christina was carrying a pile of boxes she accidentally bumped into one of the old bookshelves and something knocked her on the head making the boxes drop with a loud thud.

" What was that" Maria shouted in a panic

" don't worry cousin it was my fault" Christina reassured

" You should have been more careful" Maria helping the auburn-haired back on her feet.

Maria's eyes notice something interesting that caught her attention. As she observed it and noticed it was an old fashioned notebook made with brown leather and picked it up to get a better look at it.

" What is that'' Christina looked over to see what it was. Maria opened the notebook and flicked through the pages filled with handwriting.

" This must be someone's diary". Maria confirmed.

" who does it belong to and how old is it? '' Christina asked curiously, wanting more answers.

Maria turned the old diary back to the very first-page reading " Anastasia Vasilakakis December 24th 1959".

" This diary belonged to our Eyes when she was about our age". Maria said

" I never even thought that Yayias would ever own a diary," Christina said with astonishment.

" There is always something interesting every day". Maria smirked

The girls crept down from the attic with a box of old photos and placed it on the lounge room table, both Anna and Anthoula satisfied with the final results of the photo frames hanging on the walls.

" Mama we are now done the photos is it okay if I and Christina want to hang out Angelo and the other boys," Maria asked her mother Anna. displaying a cheeky grin on her face

Anna stared at her daughter and sighed with annoyance " Maybe later when we finish putting the leftover photos back in the attic".

" Dear big sister, the girls spent all day helping us. I don't see why not for them to hang around the village for a bit before the rest of the family comes home for dinner". Anthoula chucked and winked at both Maria and Christina.

" Thank you so much, Theia you will always be my favourite out of everyone," Maria said giggling running out the front door with Christina besides her going down the steep hill after 3 minutes of walking they reached the main part of the village.

The village felt like it was frozen in time with the homes were mostly connected made out of concrete and stone tiles, beautiful green plants and trees giving the residents refreshing shade during the summer months.

They both sat down on the table and chairs close to the local cafe and ordered some ice cream as they enjoyed their quiet afternoon.

" So Christina what do you think is inside the old diary," Maria said with excitement in her voice.

" Well yes and also in wondering what jay would say if we're reading Yayias diary". Christina asked, taking a bite from her ice cream.

" I think he will say, '' What the heck Maria, it's a Someone diary, it's an invasion of privacy". Maria mocked.

" Sometimes I just don't get him he makes a big deal of everything"

Christina rolled her eyes and sighed as she looked back at Maria " Okay back to the main subject". Christina said.

Maria picked up the old leather diary and turned it once again to the first page

" Alright let's do this," Maria said Her light brown eyes scanning the first chapter seeing what the stories it has to offer.