Sunday, 5th September 1999
Night Adventure: I can see the earth cracking; black, vaporous, demonic entities come out of the chasm and they move threateningly towards me. I say my prayers hoping to ward them off, but they won't go away. Then I push a plate with some food towards them; they take it and withdraw back to the bowels of the earth. Verification: Two days later, a strong earthquake (6,3 R) rocks Athens, leaving more than 100 dead and thousands homeless.
Tuesday, 7th September 1999
The time is 2:45 and I am still at work. The bell rings, I answer the door and there appears a skinny, bearded man, together with a little girl. Before he has even said a word, I give him a stern look and I tell him to go to the bookshop on the ground floor and ask for some money -this is what we always say to beggars. The shame I feel is indescribable when the stranger explains he has come to meet Mr Spyropoulos! Soon I find out he is not a beggar but a scholar-monk from Mount Athos -wearing plain clothes, holding an infant by the hand- who has written some entries for the book ''The Unknown History of Christianity''!
Frankly, I can't understand how I've made such a blunder! Anyway, this man looks like a modern saint; he suffers the slight with an impressive placidity and he won't betray me to the boss. I guess I was deceived by his humbleness, since nowadays all people act as if they were number one; the polite and modest are considered to be unworthy losers.
Now the time is 2:59 pm. A horrible rumble echoes all around and the earth begins to shake; it trembles violently for eleven seconds that seem to last hours. I stick to my seat and grab my desk scared, as white clouds of dust and plaster smother the air and huge crooked fissures appear on the walls. For a few moments I fear the one-hundred-year-old building might collapse.
When the earthquake stops at last, the building is still standing -fortunately! Mr Spyropoulos is hiding under the big table in the meeting room. He looks funny. Mr Gryparis and Andromache are standing by the door, both dumbfounded.
“Guys, let's go!” I exclaim and the managing director repeats “Yes, guys, let's go” mockingly, as we all rush down the three flights of stairs to the ground floor.
After an inspection is carried out, the building of Pangaea will get a yellow cross; this means it is not habitable until the necessary repairs are made.
Wednesday, 8th September 1999
None of my colleagues on the 3rd floor comes to Pangaea any more. They all prefer to avoid the ''yellow building'', so they work at home. Only Andromache and I come and work in the sales department of the book shop, where Mrs Kate Pikros is in charge. I sit next to Demetra, one of the clerks; Andromache is at a desk right opposite me. Mr Gryparis will be in the office of Mr Pikros from now on.
I am very optimistic about the recent developments. My new colleagues seem to be more friendly and easy-going. I believe this is a god-sent opportunity for me, since I've escaped from the hostile environment of the 3rd floor, even if I still have to answer phones.
In the days to follow I do my best to show diligence, willingness and adaptability. I even undertake additional tasks such as filling in customers' cards or running errands for the company. When I express my desire to work for the book shop permanently, the others seem to like the idea. On the other hand, I wonder: Did an earthquake have to happen, so that I could have better working conditions?
Tuesday, 14th September 1999
Night Adventure: I am inside a moving bus; there is someone sitting next to me and he looks strange and disagreeable. He annoys me all the time, then he says he is going to the dentist. I get off and walk along the road but soon I find out the guy is still near me, but this time he has a gun and he looks dangerous. I run to escape and I enter a door which leads to the house of a big family. I explain to them somebody is after me; they smile and reassure me:
“Don't worry, he won't come here, he is going to the dentist!”
“How do you know that? I haven't told you!” I wonder and then I realize they are his friends, now laughing at me.
At this point the dream becomes lucid: “You can't harm me, because I am a dreamer!” I say to them and I start showing off my psychokinetic abilities, making some objects hover in the air. Everybody is impressed, but suddenly Josef appears and he makes such a fuss that he disrupts my concentration and my psychokinesis.
Interpretation: Clearly, the dream reflects my life. I never bother anybody, yet there are always cunning persons around me, who make sure to cause me all kinds of problems. I never meet any allies; I am often betrayed by people I consider friends. As about Josef, he often appears as a spirit of disturbance -not only in my dreams but in my life as well...
Wednesday, 23rd September 1999
Prophetic Dream: I am in the post office at Syntagma Square so as to receive some money for Pangaea; however, the employees refuse to give it to me because there are some signatures missing on the documents I've brought. Verification: This morning I am told to go to the post office at Syntagma Square so as to receive some money that has arrived for Pangaea; yet, the employees won't give it to me because there are some signatures missing on the documents I've brought...۩
I can already sense something is wrong with my new work environment: Certain people drop hints that Andromache and I should leave the book shop and install ourselves in the small, dark, dirty room behind the main stairs of the building. “All of you should go there!” says Mrs Pikros but I refuse to understand, probably because it is still my earnest desire to keep working in the positive -to the moment- environment of the bookshop.
By the way: Mrs Kate Pikros acts the big boss here and gets a tidy salary of 800,000 drachmas per month! Nevertheless, she doesn't do anything more than Demetra (she thinks very high of herself) and Penny (she is Mr Spyropoulos' niece), both of whom get basic salaries. All day long she types numbers on the computer, just like they do; on the other hand, she is married to Mr Pikros, who is the manager of the book shop...
Thursday, 24th September 1999
Night Adventure: I am in a beautiful, exotic beach together with a gorgeous man who has a fine, trained body and long blond hair. The place is wonderful: There are tall palms everywhere, I can see a gurgling waterfall in the distance and the sea is clear and serene. I touch my partner gently and I luxuriate in the peace and quiet of nature. All of a sudden, my nephew Josef arrives together with many friends of his and they make a lot of trouble. Goodbye romantic atmosphere... I wake up with a startle and wonder: What kind of being is Josef, anyway? ۩
After a short conversation we all had this morning, my ex colleagues refuse to work in that ''derelict, filthy hen-coop'' behind the main stairs; they prefer to keep working at home. As about me, certain people demand I install myself in there, but I openly disagree; I certainly wouldn't like to be all alone, or together with that vixen of Andromache, in that rat-hole. Besides, I haven't received such an order from Mr Gryparis.
In the meantime, Andromache seems to be losing patience with me; she is constantly watching every movement of mine and she never loses an opportunity to belittle or slander me:
“Where were you when the earthquake happened?” asked Demetra at a moment.
“I was in my office, Mr Spyropoulos hid under a table, I have no idea where Yvonne was!” she answered full of spite and I was aghast at her nerve and her lies.
“Where were you, by the way?” Demetra asked me a little later.
“At my desk, where else?” I replied but I don't think she believed me.
Friday, 25th September 1999
I arrive at work at 9:15 in the morning, as usual, whereas most employees of Pangaea arrive later than 9:30. There has never been a problem with that, since I've always carried out all my tasks properly. This time, however, as soon as Demetra sees me coming, she frowns and starts yelling at me: “Who told you that you are allowed to be so late every day? What are your working hours, anyway?” I can hardly believe my ears...
“Everybody in Pangaea comes at 9:30 am and they leave at 3:00 pm -for the last thirty years!” I explain as calm as possible.
“But I come at 9:00 am sharp every day and I can't fall behind with my work so as to answer the telephone! This is your job!” barks Demetra, full of malice.
“But nobody ever phones before 9:30!” I protest.
“The phone lines ring like crazy all the time!” she insists wrathful. She is lying, of course.
Nevertheless, next morning she apologizes to me because ''we work together and we shouldn't be on bad terms''. Anyway, after the above incident I decide to adapt myself to the new reality: From now on I make sure to arrive at work at 9:00 am sharp and I never leave before 4:00 in the afternoon, since there is always a lot of work to do in the book shop. Anyway, things have changed now: apart from operating the telephone central, typing all kinds of texts and making out invoices, I also have to do clerical work for the sales department; plus, I often run errands. As about a pay rise, it looks like a pie in the sky.
Although I do my best to satisfy everybody in there, I feel worse and worse every day; an indefinable but strong anguish torments me continually, as the atmosphere is getting heavier and heavier around me. I still don't know what's going on, but I have the impression they are all against me for some strange reason...
Sunday, 3rd October 1999
Prophetic Dream: I am at work; Mr Gryparis swears at me and I decide to quit. Right then, Mrs Julia invites me to her office and says everybody here has a lot of regard for me. I can feel she is sorry and I delay my departure by walking as slowly as possible. On my way out, I meet a young woman who looks like Demetra and I tell her that ''things would be much different if they had paid some attention to me''. “They had logged you out”, she replies with a stern face.
As I go up the street, I feel rather gloomy; It's a pity that job didn't work out; What am I gonna do now? I think. When I turn to the next alley, I see two dogs lurking for me. They start chasing me, but I finally manage to escape running along a paved road. I still feel sad about losing my job, but I also consider myself liberated.
Verification: Right next morning, the subtle war against me is escalated by Andromache and Demetra, who play a very dirty trick on me.
Monday, 4th October 1999
I am at my old desk on the 3rd floor because the computer and the printer are still here and I need to print some pages -this will last no more than ten minutes. Suddenly, the telephone rings beside me. It is Andromache, who says to me in a commanding voice: “Listen Yvonne, let go printing and come here immediately because the phones are ringing like crazy and Demetra can't answer them!”
I run downstairs at once, full of agony, and the two vixens look down their noses at me. That hypocrite of Demetra, who pretended to be good and polite at first, has now teamed up with Andromache and demands I go and work all alone in that hen-coop behind the main stairs because the telephone central drives her crazy, she says. Nevertheless, I refuse to do so and I neurotically insist on working in the hornets' nest of the book shop. The way I see it, they want to dump me in that dungeon because they consider me a piece of rubbish. Nobody else wants to work in there, why should I? No, I won't do them such a favour.
In the days to follow, the environment around me gets worse and worse. I can see, by the looks on everybody's faces, they all hate me. They hardly even say ''good morning'' to me. Every day, when I arrive at the book shop and I shut the door behind me, I feel as if I were buried in a grave. And all this just because I said I preferred to work in the book shop. Human beings are mad...
Wednesday, 20th October 1999
Early in the morning, before arriving at work, I enter a telephone booth. I dial 109 (drugs prosecution) and I declare the following: “At 24 Tempi street in Ano Glyfada, there is a taekwondo school. They traffic in drugs there! That's it, good-bye!”. Then I hang up at once. Revenge is a dish best served cold and it tastes wonderful...
As for the rest, nothing extraordinary happens today -just one thing: At a moment Mr Tsamados drops by, all smiles as usual, and informs us that on 1st November in the evening all those who have worked for ''The Unknown History of Christianity'' will have dinner in a taverna in Athens, in order to celebrate the completion (at last!) of the book. The idea sounds fine to me...
* * * *
Friday, 22nd October 1999
It is a great day today: The electrician is here so as to make all the necessary connections for my computer to be in the sales department. So, from now on I won't have to run to the 3rd floor any time I need to type or print something. In the meanwhile, all my colleagues in the book shop seem to have accepted the fact, since none of them expresses the slightest disagreement.
Nevertheless, they all look more indignant than ever when all the work is done, the connections have been completed and the computer is finally installed at my desk in the sales department. “I can't stand another computer in here! We'll all get cancer!” barks Demetra, red with fury. Mrs Pikros stays taciturn, yet she glares at me, probably because the electrician had to disconnect her coffee pot and take it to the kitchen.
All of a sudden, Andromache rushes in and shouts to me outraged: “Mr Gryparis ordered you take your computer at once and go to the room behind the stairs!”
I run to the managers' office and ask if what Andromache says is true. Of course it isn't...
Monday, 25th October 1999
Mobbing against me gets worse and worse every day: All employees in the bookshop never lose an opportunity to give me a raw deal, they charge me with tons of work and they demand it's carried out ''yesterday''. I don't think I will be able to endure this for long...
At a moment Demetra complains to me about the computer again and Andromache chips in: “Don't say anything, or Gryparis will come and start shouting again!”
However, despite the unexpected support of the managing director, the atmosphere around me is getting more and more hostile. Eventually I understand I was wrong to insist on working in the bookstore, but unfortunately it is too late: The computer is here now, and it would be too difficult to make new connections in another room. What a mix-up...
“If they had been honest to me from the start, I would have known what to do!” I complain to some colleagues who have gathered in the room behind the stairs. “But they are all lunatics!” I add, while Andromache listens and smiles complacently.
Right at that moment, I realize the paradox: All my ex colleagues from the 3rd floor have just installed themselves here, in the ''small, derelict, filthy hen-coop'' which has just been painted and furnished at record time!
“So, you will all be working here eventually”, I exclaim astounded.
“That's right”, Chris replies enigmatically.
“Which means, you waited for me to be installed in the bookstore for good, and then you all agreed to come and work in here!” I conclude, dropping from the clouds.
As about Andromache, from now on she will be working in another place rented by Pangaea, I hear her say!
Therefore, it is as clear as daylight that all my dear colleagues have played a very dirty trick on me: they didn't want me to be in the same workroom with them, probably because they had received such an order, so they waited patiently for my final decision: if I had agreed to be installed in that room, none of them would come here apart from Andromache, who would spy on me and slander me all the time; But now that I will be working in the sales department, Mrs Pikros will undertake this task -and she is much worse! What a frame-up! And I've been so naïve...
Tuesday, 26th October 1999
Another horrible day at work: I arrive at 9:00 am sharp. Everybody frowns at me and nobody returns my ''good morning''. A little later somebody calls and wishes to speak to Mr Pikros on the phone. I put him through but the line is suddenly cut off. Mr Pikros appears at once and he is impatient to know who was on the phone. I have no idea, I didn't have the time to ask.
“The typist blew it once again!” says Mrs Pikros with a grim face.
“It's not my fault, the line went dead”, I explain calm.
“You don't know how to operate the telephone central! You still haven't learned!”
At that moment Mr Gryparis summons me in his office because he wants to give me something to type. “It's a bedlam in here!” I say to the cashier, as I pass her by. When I return to my desk, Mrs Pikros glares at me and says full of spite:
“I hate brainless typists who can't do anything right!”
“I hate them too!” I reply, as I watch her typing something...
Wednesday, 27th October 1999
Since the beginning of this month, Demetra has been trumpeting forth she intends to leave Pangaea soon. I suspect they want me to do her job as well, as they have already started to show me her work. This means even more responsibilities for me, always with the same beggarly salary and the same incessant war against me. I don't know what to do: If don't quit soon, I will surely face big problems.
At a moment Penny (usually polite, smiling and sweet) approaches, she gives me a huge pack of customers' cards to fill in and says in a commanding voice: “Finish them quickly! You listen? quickly!” Then she walks away and sits at her desk, glowering at me angrily: “Quickly, I said!” while I stare at her bewildered and embarrassed.
That was the last straw. I can no longer control myself. Moment by moment I feel more and more depressed, a torrent of negative thoughts invades my mind, and I only know one thing: I must get out of here as soon as possible.
Friday, 29th October 1999
Prophetic Dream: I am in Pangaea together with Andromache and Mary Bonanos. The building is ancient and beautiful, with tall marble columns, mosaic floors and a square atrium with a glass roof. Suddenly I hear someone say that Mr Spyropoulos is dead, while the building is being demolished little by little. What a pity, I think sad, as we all get ready to leave.
Verification: Soon it will be known that the building of Pangaea will be completely abandoned at the end of the year. The bookstore will move to another shop nearby, whereas the offices will move to a different place - which means my dear colleagues weren't patient enough to tolerate my presence for two more months. Moreover, I hear that Mr Spyropoulos suffers from a rare disease and the doctors don't expect him to live more than three years. That's why he's let Pangaea go to the dogs, taking into account that his milksops aren't capable of running a company...