Manush

MANUSH by Andrej Koymasky (C) 2008 written on November 19, 1993 translated by the author English text kindly revised by acam

USUAL DISCLAIMER

"MANUSH" is a gay story, with some parts containing graphic scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion, family, opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better not to read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't care, or because you think you really want to read it, please be my welcomed guest.

CHAPTER 9 - Pero's healing

Gradually Jojo made love to all the others. At first only with one at a time always favouring Marko. But the fact that the others always accepted his choices without any fuss and with simple serenity made him feel more and more self-assured and comfortable about it. He was an indefatigable worker and he always was ready to do anything he was asked with enthusiasm. And so little by little, he revealed his character. He was full of curiosity and eager to learn. He was also extremely sweet without being sentimental. He was quite simple direct and did whatever was necessary in everything he did. Soon everybody grew fond of him and he became the mascot of the group.

He also had a very good voice and sang beautifully. Mateo discovered that Jojo had an inborn talent for colour and painting and besides teaching him to draw he also taught him to read and write.

Now that they had eight people working the building of the third caravan was progressing rapidly. Another reason was because they had already had the experience of building two caravans.

During their wanderings they met three groups of Romanies and one of Sinti but they didn't find any new potential members while they were sharing camp sites with any of them. There had been one Sinti who seemed suitable but Fadil who made love to him told the others that he was a sadist and so they decided not to tell him anything or to suggest he might join them.

When they finally brought their third caravan into service they were camping near Ivrea a northern city in Piedmont. They decided to inaugurate the caravan on Saint George's Day and that Jojo would take the part of the "Green George". They also decided to call the third caravan "Saint George" instead of giving it the number three but to go on calling the other two numbers "One" and "Two" as they were used to that.

Connecting the three caravans together on ground that was often uneven was a real undertaking but the experience of the two Sinti with the fun-fair and the circus was just what was needed and they taught the others how to use the jacks to bring the caravans to the same level and the right distance apart to connect them.

The fact that they now had four wide beds allowed them to sleep in couples. The couples were seldom composed of the same pairs for two nights together and at times they even left one of the beds folded up as after making love in threes or fours they preferred to go on and sleep together in the same groups.

The "Saint George" caravan at first was only partly carved but they took advantage of each camping stop to go on carving the doorposts and the jambs and painting them. They had also made new costumes for their performances and prepared new acts. Nowadays on their travels they rarely had difficulty in getting hired for a show. Mateo was the group's producer.

They were going towards Savona when something happened that shocked them all deeply.

The first car of the small convoy was driven by Zanko. He suddenly noticed far ahead on the roadside a figure walking staggering then falling down. He wondered why. So when he was near the place where the figure had fallen down he slowed down looking carefully to the right and when he saw a person lying on the verge he stopped the car. Dule who was sitting at his side got out immediately and went to see.

Dule called back "He seems to be a Romany... he has been badly beaten ... he's in a bad state..."

The other two cars stopped behind them and everybody got out. He was a teenager. His clothes were torn his face swollen and one arm was bleeding from a knife wound. As he seemed to be a Lovara Jojo crouched near him to talk with him.

"Hey cousin Lovara what happened? Who reduced you to this state?"

The boy shook his head and didn't answer.

"Have you been attacked by the Gadje?" Jojo asked.

The boy shook his head again.

"My name is Jojo Osmanovic and I'm a Lovara like you... And you?"

"Pero..." the boy murmured.

"But who did this to you? Where is your group?"

"Leave me here..." the boy murmured.

"Oh no Pero my dear cousin! We will take you to your people..."

"No!" the boy said, with a desperate expression.

"No? Was it your group? Did they beat you like this?" Zanko asked frowning.

The boy nodded in assent.

"But what did you do to deserve that?" Jojo asked in astonishment.

Pero shut his eyes and didn't answer.

Then Zanko said "Jojo and Tomaso, bring him to caravan one put him to bed and look after him; stay with him. We will get back on the road now."

"No... leave me here... leave me to die... Please!" Pero said weakly.

But Tomaso lifted him under the armpits and Jojo carried his feet and together they took him into caravan number one. They pulled down the bed the others went back to the cars and the convoy resumed the journey. Tomaso and Jojo undressed the boy and washed him with damp cloths and treated and bandaged the wounded arm and spread some salve on the bruises that the boy had all over his body. Then they covered him with a clean sheet and a warm blanket.

Pero let them do all this and kept his eyes closed without uttering the least moan. Jojo sat near him on the bed and talked to him in Romany.

"Pero dear cousin you have to tell me what happened to you..."

The boy weakly shook his head his eyes still closed.

"Pero did you by any chance... steal from your group?"

"No!" he boy protested opening his eyes and looking proudly into Jojo's eyes.

Jojo smiled "If you don't tell me what happened cousin I can just try to guess. Did they catch you with another man's woman?"

"No, no..." Pero said in a low voice wearily.

"Well then tell me why they gave you such a dreadful beating..."

"I can't..."

"Why can't you? Here you are amongst brothers. I too am a Lovara like you even though of another group. You can trust me..."

"I'm not a Lovara any more ... I'm not a Romany any more ... I'm not anything any more. You ought to have left me there to die..." Pero said, his voice breaking but not a single tear came out of his eyes.

"Don't talk rubbish! The god of the needy puts an end to his needs as the proverb says. Don't you remember?"

"No... not for me."

"Pero, Pero my dear brother!" Jojo said almost begging Pero to open his heart to him.

"I'm brother to nobody. Not I. I am a... a lotcholiko."

Jojo laughed "You a lotcholiko? Baro Devel assist us! Who put such a thought into your head?"

"They chased me..."

"And tell me why do you say you're a lotcholiko? What did you do to give them such an idea?"

"I... I..." the boy said faltering; but then a hard light appeared in his eyes and with a challenging tone raising his voice with unexpected energy said "I draw men to me and make them have sex with me bewitching them as if I were a woman. Because I made a pact with the devil to steal their souls."

Jojo looked at him amazed. Then said "You mean... that they beat you like this... and expelled you from your group... because... because... you had sex with a man?"

"Not just one."

"And those men? Didn't they punish them, thrash them and expel them too?"

"They were my victims..."

"Where they younger than you?"

"No older."

"Oh Pero... You have to tell me everything exactly. You have to make me understand... When are you supposed to have made that pact with the devil?"

"I... when I was new born they say..."

"Ha just listen to that! When you were born... A newborn baby who makes pacts with the devil... But besides that - we will talk about that later... Tell me about what happened with those men. How did it start? How did it go on?"

"But why?"

"Because it's me asking you. I was the Green George last Easter..."

"You? I... I realised very early that I was different from all the others. I... already when I was a small child... I liked to look at my cousins when they were naked and thought nobody could see them. I hid to spy on them to see the little brothers between their legs and my little brother always awakened. And so I desired to touch them there and then I made my little brother dance thinking about it..."

"How old were you when it first happened?"

"Just over twelve..."

"Oh, but at that age everybody is curious about such things. I was too. And then we all have made our little brother dance..."

"Everybody? You too?"

"Sure thing! But go on now."

"All my brothers and my cousins of my age started to talk about girls and who they would like to marry and what they would like to do with them... But I was not at all interested. I only thought about the little brothers of the boys and men older than me because they were big and beautiful... and I longed to touch them and make them dance with my hands and entertain them..."

"I follow you..."

"And two years ago when I was fourteen I found the courage to admit it to one of my cousins who was then eighteen. I told him I wanted to make his little brother enjoy me... He told me to go away and to leave him in peace. But I insisted and bewitched him so he had sex with me believing I was a woman..."

"You mean he put it into your little arse and came inside you?"

"Yes that's right."

"And you made your little brother dance at the same time?"

"No he made it dance while he fucked me as if he was fucking a woman."

"That's weird! Wasn't he aware that you were a man as he held your little brother and wanked it with his hand?"

"He could not become aware of it because I had bewitched him."

"Oh that's interesting. And then?"

"And then on another occasion a different cousin came to me and told me that he had never seen a girl as beautiful as me and he was aroused too and so he wanted to fuck me."

"But did you like it?"

"Yes of course! I liked it very much."

"But didn't it hurt you?"

"No I liked it. Because the devil made me enjoy it."

"And you... how many cousins did you manage to bewitch?"

"Five."

"And what did you do to bewitch them?"

"I don't know... But when we were alone they looked at me but didn't see me - instead of me they were seeing a beautiful girl that attracted them so that it was impossible for them to resist..."

"But they usually saw you as a boy not as a girl didn't they?"

"Yes of course."

"And then what happened?"

"The aunt of one of them caught us while he was having sex with me. She let out a scream and that broke the spell. And so they discovered I am a lotcholiko. Thus all the women of our group have thrashed me and kicked me and beat me up..."

"And those five cousins?"

"They were freed from my enchantment at last. And one of them was so furious with me that he attacked me with his knife and tried to slit my throat..."

"But he didn't kill you..."

"My godfather was nearby and kicked his arm so the blade only hit my arm. Then the old mother said that my impure blood had stained all, so that knife had to be buried, and they had to move away in hurry and never stay at that camp again because it was cursed by my blood. And they told me I'm not a Romany any more, and... and left me there to... to die."

"And so you are a lotcholiko who bewitches men! And you are not a Romany any more!"

"That's why I want to die..."

"Well I've been much luckier than you even though at the time I didn't think so..."

"You? Why you?"

"Pero you can't possibly be a lotcholiko!"

"Yes I bewitched men and made them believe I was a wonderful woman..."

"That's only what they say..."

"But when they were fucking me they believed they were fucking a woman..."

"Did they say you what a nice cunt do you have? What nice boobs do you have?"

"No... They said 'What a nice arse you have'..."

"And you think that a man fucks a woman in the arse?"

"Well... no... I don't think so..."

"Pero, Pero my cousin! How can you be so na•ve at your age? You're sixteen you're grown up my dear cousin!"

"But..."

"Moreover... a lotcholiko is able to bewitch whoever he wants. Did you choose those five cousins?"

"No... just the first one..."

"And in your group weren't there other men or boys you would have liked to have sex with?"

"Yes two or three..."

"And did you bewitch those two or three?"

"No."

"And why not?"

"I didn't know how to do it..."

"Oh what a weird lotcholiko who can bewitch people but doesn't know how to do it. No Pero. You have to know something - there are men who like having sex with other men people like those five and people like you. But the tribes teach us it is evil, it is forbidden, it's something not to be done. So then when the one who was fucking you was caught and the other four were scared that they might be discovered they invented the story of the lotcholiko to throw all the blame on you and so evade punishment."

"But the spellbinder said..."

"The spellbinder? Wasn't she the mother of one of those five cousins?"

"Yes. How on earth did you know that?"

"I didn't know it. I just guessed. Listen, Pero are you persuaded you really are a lotcholiko?"

"Everybody said so..."

"Good. You know that the lotcholiko are in dread of holy water don't you?"

"Yes..."

"Well. I will ask Zanko to stop near a church. We will go inside and you will drink holy water from the stoup. If you can drink it without problems it means that you are not a lotcholiko. Agreed?"

"Yes that would be right..."

"And if you are not a lotcholiko those five lied to protect themselves didn't they?"

"Yes..."

"Good. Now have a good rest. Later we will do that test on you in a church. Anyway remember that you are a Romany and that you are now amongst friends..."

"But I wanted to have sex with men and it is forbidden..."

"We will talk about that later. Let's face one problem at a time Pero. I think you are hungry, aren't you?"

"A little..."

"As soon as we stop I'll fix you something to eat. Now have a rest Pero."

The boy nodded and closed his eyes again. He fell asleep almost immediately.

Jojo got off the bed took Tomaso on one side and quietly told him all Pero's misfortunes. Tomaso listened astounded and shaking his head.

"In the middle of his bad luck the boy was lucky he met us..." Tomaso commented at the end of the story with a deep sigh.

When they reached Savona they camped in an empty field. They connected the three caravans together. Jojo told the others Pero's story too. The boy was still deep in a sound sleep. They prepared a light and nourishing meal for him and Jojo went to wake him up and to make him eat it. The boy ate very little. He was aching all over.

"There are no women with you? I didn't see any. Where are they waiting for you?" the boy asked.

"No there are no women amongst us because we don't want to have women with us."

"I never saw a Romany group without women. Only the Gadje friars live together without women."

"And we are the first Romanies to do so."

"But how do you manage without women?"

"How did you manage?" Jojo asked with a sly smile.

The boy didn't understand "But I am still young."

"And when you get older do you think you will want to look for a woman?"

"Well then no! I can't any more - I'm expelled..." Pero answered shrugging his shoulders.

"But if you still lived with your group?"

"I don't know. Women are wild furies. But anyway each man has to have his woman."

"So they say but it is not so. Look at us. Not one of us has a woman none of us wants a woman and we are really fine like this. And we are not boys any more..."

The boy shook his head in confusion but didn't take up the subject. Jojo too let it drop thinking that they were certain to go back to it later.

As soon as they had connected the three caravans Dule went into his workshop, took out his tools and materials and started to work. He had planned to make some gold charms for love, money, health, work, studies, the house, friends and so on. The Gadje would surely like them and he could sell them easily. He was working at this project when Zanko went to see him.

"Dule, when we get to Saint Sara's grave we will meet the Baro Mama. Our future depends on her to some extent. We have to give her a present a memorable one - golden jewellery. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Yes certainly... What do you think of a brooch? I think she will have plenty of necklaces, bracelets and rings and probably gets a lot as presents... A beautiful brooch could be better don't you think?"

"Yes Dule. Try to draw some suitable sketches so we can decide on one all together. Something that will make her remember us Rogasi, something to keep near her heart."

"Sure Zanko I'll do my best. I'll prepare the drawings and tonight we will choose." Dule answered and started to think and to draw some sketches at once.

Then Zanko went to see Tomaso and said "I remember when I made the pilgrimage as a child that each tribe wore its own uniform. We ought to design and make ourselves uniforms before we get to Les Saintes Maries de la Mer. Why don't you think about it so that tonight around the fire you can offer us some designs and we can choose one and tailor it in time?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know. Something showing we are of mixed Romany, Gadje and Sinti origin. Something showing we are manush. And that make us cut a fine figure. As we all are young and have nice bodies something that doesn't hide that and maybe that shows it off a bit... See what you can do..."

Zanko then called Fadil. "Listen we need a song a song belonging just to us Rogasi to play for our Romany brothers - something in the traditional style. Why don't you think about it Fadil? Then you can tell me about it we can practise it and we can teach it to our Rogasi brothers before the pilgrimage."

"A really good idea Zanko. I'll start work on that immediately..."

The whole camp was busy with feverish preparations. That evening after they tended Pero again and gave him a light meal they all gathered outside around the bonfire to sing and dance. And between one song and another they discussed Zanko's propositions. Amongst the uniform suggestions Tomaso had prepared, they chose tight black trousers with green ankle-boots, a green broad sash, a white shirt, tight in the body but with very wide sleeves, a green scarf and a short black waistcoat. The front of the waistcoat and two stripes at the sides of the trousers' would all be embroidered with silver eight pointed stars, with two small red beads on each tip. They chose a black headband also to be decorated with the same small stars. Only Zanko's costume would be decorated with gold stars and the green and red were swapped.

Amongst the brooches that Dule proposed they chose a large round one reminiscent of a traditional caravan wheel with a decoration of tiny gold spheres all around and eight spokes in the centre. The spokes were alternated with pairs of spheres made in gold filigree as big as a chickpea, and at the centre where the eight spokes converged there was a circle divided into three parts.

Finally Fadil played on his violin the bare melody of some different tunes that could be developed into their special song and they chose one of them for him to work on.

The next day they all set to work. They went to buy the cloth the gold and silver and all the other materials. Once in a while one of them went to see Pero to look after him or give him something to eat or to drink. In a couple of weeks they were ready and Pero was almost recovered.

Then Zanko, Jojo and Mateo accompanied Pero to a church. They went in and after checking that it was empty Mateo pulled out a tankard filled it with holy water from one of the two marble stoups and gave it to Pero. The boy took it with trembling hands. While the others paid close attention he slowly brought it to his lips.

He hesitated. Then in a peevish tone said "I cannot... I can't..."

"Drink it!" Zanko thundered harshly. His voice and demeanour brooked no objections.

Pero looked at him scared not so much by the chief's tone of voice but by what he had to do. Then he again put the tankard to his lips and started to drink at first quite slowly then almost greedily.

Nothing happened.

Pero was amazed and happy, unbelieving and excited. He scooped another tankard full of holy water from the stoup and gulped it all down.

"It's not true! It was not true at all!" he shouted and Mateo had to tell him to be quieter and remind him they were in a church.

Then Zanko pushed Pero in front of the main altar put some coins in the alms box and lit a candle. "Thank you Baro Devel you are a good lord and also this son of yours is a good boy." He murmured and put the candle amongst the others burning in front of the altar.

They went outside and finally Pero could give vent to all his joy together with his friends. They went back to the camp and Zanko announced they had to throw a party.

Up to that day Pero had slept alone on the wide bed near the bathroom so he didn't see or know that the Rogasi made love amongst themselves. But now the time to tell him had come. Zanko took it upon himself.

That night Zanko went to Pero's bed and said "Tonight I will sleep here with you Pero. I have many things to tell you."

"Yes Zanko. It's an honour..." Pero said. He was still feeling like a guest.

They undressed. Pero kept his briefs and tank-top on.

"Take everything off. We Rogasi never wear anything in bed except our rings." Zanko simply asked him.

Pero looked at Zanko. He was slightly surprised but complied and undressed completely. They got into bed and covered their bodies with the sheet and a light blanket after Zanko had closed the curtain. But he didn't extinguish the lantern.

Zanko moved closer to Pero and put his arm round Pero's shoulders lightly pulling him to himself. He felt the boy's body quiver slightly.

"How are you Pero?"

"Much better thank you."

"Do you feel like making love to me tonight?"

"Eh? What?" he asked confused.

Zanko stretched out his free hand and touched the boy between his legs feeling as he had guessed that he was partially aroused. Pero trembled but didn't get out.

"Do you feel like making love to me Pero?" Zanko asked him again. He was persuasive gentleness itself.

"I... I... yes..."

"Why are you trembling boy? I don't want to hurt you. I just want to give you pleasure."

"You... want to give pleasure to me?"

"Yes certainly."

"But... don't you want to... to fuck me?"

"If that is what pleases you I will do it willingly."

"But Zanko... it is up to me to give pleasure to you; not the other way round..."

"And why? You already gave maybe too much pleasure to those five men and they then betrayed you. Tonight it's up to me to give pleasure to you." Zanko answered going on to fondle the boy's genitals gently; it was now hard and throbbing.

"I... take me Zanko. This will be my pleasure..." Pero answered shuddering strongly for the intimate caresses of Zanko.

"As you like..." Zanko said.

He took off the covers and sat up on the mattress lifting his knees and parting them a bit.

"Come here! Stand up in front of me... no your feet here at my sides... so good... nearer..." Zanko instructed him.

He put his hands on the boy's firm little buttocks and gently pulled him forward. Then started to lick and suck his erect pole.

"Oh goodness! What are you doing? Why?" Pero asked his voice breaking. He was trembling with pleasure.

"Don't you like it Pero?"

"Oh yes... yes... but..."

"Then let me do it..." Zanko said with a smile and while he took it again in his mouth stretched out a hand to take the little jar of jelly and started to lubricate the boy's arsehole gently and carefully.

Pero was now trembling and shaking. Then Zanko lubricated his rod too. It was valiantly erect.

"Now Pero... bend your knees slowly sit on my lap so that I can hide all my little brother inside your sweet little arsehole... come down... down..."

Pero slowly crouched down until his arse touched the strong thighs of Zanko and slid along them, which guided him to the hard waiting rod. The boy's spread buttocks offered the hole to Zanko's hard rod.

"So Pero... lower yourself a bit more... down to the end." Zanko said him keeping his buttocks well spread with both hands and guiding him into position.

Pero felt the rod opening him invading him slipping inside him filling him and threw back his head closed his eyes and emitted a long low moan of pleasure until at last his buttocks were pressed right against Zanko's groin. Zanko then let go of his buttocks and started to tease the boy's nipples and to caress his hard member and the tight little sack under it.

"Do you like that Pero?"

"Oh yes, yes I like it!" the boy answered opening his eyes again and looking at him with a radiant smile.

"Now Pero push down with your hands on my knees and start lifting yourself up and down. Don't think of my pleasure but just of yours..."

"It's so good this way... I can feel all of it inside me... so big... so strong..."

"Are you really enjoying it Pero?"

"Yes, yes, yes Zanko!" the boy said enraptured, lifting himself up and down.

"And later if you like you can also take me... or also ask any of the others in our group to take him..."

"Ask... any of you?"

"Sure. We would all like to give pleasure to your nice little brother."

"All of you?" Pero asked totally astounded and let himself drop and rest on Zanko's groin.

"Of course Pero because we all like having sex amongst men exclusively. This is the main characteristic of us Rogasi."

"And so that's why you don't have women controlling you..."

"Exactly so. And we like a nice little arse and a vigorous little brother a thousand times better than any woman's slit!"

"It's too good to be true!"

"No you're trying it in person at this very moment aren't you? So go on! Take all the pleasure you want my boy!"

"But... do you like being inside me Zanko?" the boy then shyly asked.

"Of course I do; very much indeed."

"You are the manliest of all the men I ever met Zanko. I like feeling you inside me so very much..."

Pero resumed springing up and down and Zanko bent towards him and started to nibble his small pinched nipples.

The boy exclaimed with a choked voice "Oh goodness! Baro Die, what a great day this is!"

Zanko smiled. Pero felt that Zanko's body was rapidly approaching the final explosion and increased the speed of his movements up and down. The boy was incredibly excited too and when he finally felt Zanko erupt with all his warm lava inside him, he too reached his orgasm spraying the young chief's chest and belly with his seed moaning quietly in his pleasure. He sat still on Zanko's groin shuddering trembling and panting and feeling happy.

"How good that was doing it like that..." Pero murmured.

"What was it that made it so good? Was it the position?" Zanko asked, pretending not to understand.

"No... I mean yes... But I meant another thing. I meant that... making love like that when both want it and both want to give joy to the other... do you get what I'm trying to say Zanko?"

"Yes Pero I understand perfectly." Zanko answered and ruffled the boy's hair in an affectionate gesture.

Zanko made the boy slowly slip off his rod, which was softening to its size at rest and made him lie near him and embraced him again. Pero wanted to know everything about the Rogasi and Zanko told him and answered all his questions. They talked in a low voice for a long time after everybody had already extinguished all the lights by the other beds. And Pero shyly asked if he too could become a Rogasi and held his breath waiting for the answer. Zanko told him that they would vote for his admission.

Just before falling asleep Pero asked Zanko "You will vote tomorrow for my admission as a Rogasi?"

"We surely will."

"Will anybody vote against me?"

"I don't really think so... We already discussed it..."

"And do you think that Baro Mama will authorize us to form a new tribe?"

"I don't know. More than her I fear the Baro Kriss Romany..."

The next day Pero was admitted. Zanko acted as his father and Jojo as his godfather. And they tailored a costume for him as well.

Pero had completely recovered and gradually the bruises on his body were disappearing. He had got back all the good spirits of a normal teenager. As he was of rotari origins he started to take charge of the maintenance of the caravan wheels and mechanical parts.

They resumed their journey towards France.

Just before reaching the border Tomaso reminded them of Patrizio's problem. "If he is wanted by the police because of the money he took from his uncle they might catch him at the border and he risks being put in jail."

Patrizio said "It just means that I will have to wait for you here in Italy until you can come back."

"No you must come with us!" Zanko said.

"We can make a double bottom and hide him there..." Mateo proposed.

"No they always search the caravans of us Romanies from one end to the other." Zanko said "We have to find another way to get him over the frontier both when going into France and also when coming back."

"Ah if we had only thought about that earlier we could have tried to find some false documents for him..." Fadil said.

"That would not have been easy anyway. No... Maybe he ought to try to cross the frontier on foot up in the mountains..." Zanko said.

"But I have no idea about the right paths..." Patrizio pointed out.

"By the way does Pero have his documents?" Marko suddenly asked.

"Yes happily I do have them... My godfather when they left me there half dead slipped them into my pocket." Pero said showing them.

They discussed it for some time but were not able to find a solution to the problem. Only three of them had had occasion to cross the borders; they were Zanko, Mateo and Tomaso but they had always been with their groups and with all the correct documents and each time one of the group had been charged with seeing to all the formalities.

They were already quite close to the border when Fadil seeing a train passing said "Well he could try to cross by train!"

"But they will certainly check all the passengers." Tomaso objected.

"No, no, not inside the train but on top of it. Look there see! It slows down just near that steep gradient. He can jump on the roof of a coach at night time and then jump off on the other side of the border. Would you feel like doing that Patri?"

"I could try..."

They discussed it some more and in the end decided it might be the best solution to try. Zanko pointed out to them that there would be many other convoys on the pilgrimage and that they might be able to find a group able to get false documents for Patrizio for the way back.

So they decided to stop and to go along the railway to explore that steep stretch and find the most suitable place to try. They watched the trains, the exact point where they slowed down and often stopped (if the light was red) and the place from which Patrizio could make his jump.

They also decided that Tomaso and Mateo would take the train to cross the frontier on the same train, which Patrizio would jump onto. They went to the railway station and studied the timetable. They decided which train Patrizio would use to cross. Tomaso and Mateo bought tickets to Menton. Zanko and Fadil accompanied Patrizio back to the slope at the bottom of which the train would stop, and waited with him.

They heard the train whistle and saw it appear from the bend. Then it slowed down and stopped close by them. Patrizio quickly made the sign of the cross and jumped. He lay on the coach roof as flat as he could, lying on his belly. His heart beat wildly in his chest. The noise he had made seemed to him enormous. He turned his head and waved an arm towards the shadows of his two friends. They waved back. The train whistled again and then slowly started to move again.

Patrizio with his heart in his mouth slipped towards the end of the coach buffeted by the wind caused by the train's speed. When he reached the edge of the roof he let himself slowly slide down until his feet touched the bellows of the vestibule that joined those two coaches. Then he slid down one side of it in the dark clinging to the handles and connecting locks. The train was rattling faster and faster.

Mateo and Tomaso were wandering up and down inside the train pretending not to know each other to spy out whether anybody had heard the noise of the jump and suspected something. While the train was running from Italy to France the document control and customs agents worked their way along the train then the ticket inspector did the same. As they didn't have any means of knowing if all had gone well or where Patrizio could be both of them had their hearts in their mouths. But the fact that inside the train everything seemed quiet and normal lessened their worry a bit.

They reached Menton Station and got off the train. They had agreed a rendezvous near the station in front of the main entrance. They went there and waited somewhat worried. They heard the train leave.

"Will he... be safe?"

"Let's hope so. It has been ages since I last prayed." Mateo... "I prayed the whole time." Mateo said worriedly.

"Hey you two damned Sinti!" a merry voice called out to them.

They turned. It was Patrizio who was walking towards them as merry as can be. He was unbelievably dirty with a long black smudge across his face and his hair blown into a dreadful mess.

"Ha dirty bastard of a Gadje!" Tomaso answered and ran to him and hugged him tightly.

"You need to have a good bath now or you will look like a coalman... but you never looked more beautiful to me than now!" Mateo said smiling. And all three waited for Fadil who was coming to collect them with one of their three cars.

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 10

In my home page I've put some more of my stories. If someone wants to read them, the URL is

http://andrejkoymasky.com

If you want to send me feed-back, or desire to help revising my English translations, so that I can put on-line more of my stories in English please e-mail at

andrej@andrejkoymasky.com