excerpt
though his mind got stuck on the last event at school, before he
came home: so powerful it was, so fulfilling, so satisfying, so
content that he couldn’t think of anything else; then he took the
diary. He opened a page at random.
“October 16th, 1957. Influenza has spread in the school. A lot of
kids are sick. Two members of the teaching staff caught it as well. The
children, being almost malnourished and weak can’t resist the strength
of the virus. We buried eleven of them today, eight yesterday. We placed
them in one big grave same as we did yesterday. The only medicine the
School has is aspirins; officials came from the hospital and demanded that
all the children get inoculated. The skunk thought it wasn’t necessary
since the children and teachers will be protected from the virus by the
grace of the Lord.”
Anton’s mind ran wild. He turned a few pages, read the
entry.
“May 24th, 1961, the skunk released to all personnel that the Federal
Government funding was again reduced therefore all extra expenses
were suspended immediately and food rations would take effect; all
unnecessary purchases were canceled and each proposal for purchasing
any item would be at the discretion of the administrator.”
Anton felt as if someone was tightening his hands around
his neck, someone was choking him, he felt out of breath which
he couldn’t replenish. He got up. Put the diary aside, walked
to his window and gazed at the western horizon that was shifting
colors from the purple to the dark red and from the softly
lighted to softly darkened and then the occasional glints of the
sun falling on tree tops or hill sides, interchanging with patches
of dark airy matter flooding nature from the hillsides to the
houses of Kamloops such as the effect it had in the heart of
Anton, heavy and burdened at this moment as he recollected
the diary entries.
Hellenic Canadian Literature 