Anna sat at the foot of the bed and touched the man's toes. He responded by moving them.
"Good! That is very good!" she exclaimed, touching now his fingers. He again responded faintly by squeezing her finger. "Excellent! Wonderful! Can you hear me?" she asked anxiously. He squeezed harder. "Nice! Can you write your name for me?" His finger went back and forth. "That means no?" Taking a chair, she sat next to the bed, holding his hand. "Would you like me to tell you a story?" He moved his finger, and she understood it to mean yes.
"There was this girl ... No, I can't tell a story ... I am sorry."
The man could only move his hand a little, but he made a great effort to communicate with her. Again he squeezed her finger, this time tighter.
"All right, I will continue. First of all, I should tell you that you are in a monastery, and I am a nun. My name is Elder Agatha. This is the name they gave me when I entered the order." A deep sigh escaped from her lips. "This story was told to me by another nun ... a friend, her name was Anna. She left this world ten years ago." The man's body seemed to react as she said this, twitching and shaking. Anna wiped her tears and went on.
"She fell in love with a wonderful man whom she adored and was looking forward to being his wife and having his children. Her father did not object, but her mother? Her mother was a different story. A very bitter, unhappy woman who had once been interested in the same man. But when he refused her advances, she vowed to destroy him. She never forgave her daughter for disrespecting her authority.
"The war broke out and the girl's lover was right in the middle of it, serving in the Royal Greek Navy. She loved him so much that she surrendered body and soul to him. She was so happy! Very happy ... but she never had the opportunity to tell him that she was carrying his child." Suddenly, the man's body seemed to jump again, but Anna ignored it and kept speaking.
"When the German planes sunk his ship, he was lost at sea and presumed dead." The man took a deep breath, sighed, and then she continued. "The woman never forgot his mother's reaction when she was informed that her son was dead. But Anna's love was so strong that it kept her going. She went all over Crete looking for her love at all the field hospitals.
"When she was there, she cared for many wounded soldiers. She even came across the king's party fleeing to Egypt. The question was: If he loved her as much as he had said, and if he was alive somewhere, why didn't he look for her?" She felt a tighter grip on her fingers and the man's body was shaking now as if he wanted to tell her something important. "I am glad you like the story." She took his hand between hers. "Someday when you get well, I want you to tell me a story. Agreed? Fine."