The Bulgarian witch

phone and says, please, we have two Bulgarians bringing for our extravaganzas. One of them says she knows Greek very well, and she also brought the little niece, who was 19-20 years old, the little one who she says has prophetic abilities. She has to tell you, she says, your member, your past. And they go and say

different people, and they pay her five lira to tell them the future. 

Well, I tell him what do you want me to do I see you are a witch, I tell him. No, he says since

he believes in the Virgin Mary, he says they are Orthodox, the Vlouharas

have icons. Something that magicians do to fool the Thrissurians. If

they see icons, where are they, since he has icons, he is a good man

and I want to bring it to you, he says to me, I tell him, if you will bring it, come with

your wife, don't come alone with two Bulgarians to the metropolis, 

I remember it was the time when our current

archimandrite, Father Iakovos, had just come to the metropolis and was staying with me, then Iakovos was still wearing

trousers, he wasn't even a reader, he hadn't become a monk yet. 

This is important. One afternoon, the wife

of our acquaintance and the two Bulgarians came together. One who was, let's say, gifted with

magic and prophecy, and the other was supposed to be a translator. 

So at that time I had a cross, like I have the encolpion. 

Which cross had relics of Saint Neophytos inside? 

I have the cross, but I kept it. And

of course I didn't say anything to her. And she started talking. I tell her, "But you have

a gift," I tell her, and you find the future. Yes, she tells me, do you want me to tell you

something about yourself? And I told her that, a little bit, just kidding. She tells me that

and she started telling me about my past, that when you were little, you lost

your father, then you lost your brother, you suffered a lot, you have a problem with your

feet that actually appeared when I was 50. Your hands have

a slight tremor. It's hereditary. Well, as soon as she started to find, I say, 

"But you made a mistake," I say, "myself, you're a master man, to let the

warrior tell you."

She also told me something about the future that many would like to hear. 

She didn't listen to me. Well, 

I tell her, "Stop it, stop it." I tell her. I will understand if you are telling her from

God who illuminates you

and his angels, or from demons. No, she tells me it is from God

and the angels. I tell her if it is from God and the

angels now we will understand the difference. 

And I raised the cross like this, a little like this, and I said to her in a low voice in the name

of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. What is the Holy Cross

even if you cross it? I didn't do that either. I did a little. Well

tell me, I tell her what do you see in here. 

She made her hand like this. I grabbed the Son and the time. I say

raised the Antenna. Yes. Yes. She made her hand like this

and let out a scream. But a terrible scream.

Light. Light light comes out of there. I can't. 

I have to leave. I'm burning. I tell her tell me what the light is. 

I can't. And she got up to leave. The others were holding her back. She said to her, 

"Sit down." She said to her. I said to her, "If it is from the angels and from Christ in

the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, tell me. 

I can't," she said to me, "I'm burning." And in the heat she got up at the door to

go out. Father Iakovos was coming with the lemonades

and you can see what happened. 

She didn't flinch in the face of the pouring of the glasses. 

They were so burned by the relics of Saint Neophytos

that she threw herself outside in the garden of the Metropolis

and shouted, "I'm burning, I'm burning. What's wrong with

him that I'm burning like this?"

Our friend Soliatis stayed there with his wife and the other Bulgarian woman. 

The poor Bulgarian woman, who was called by her aunt, who brought her. 

Well, I tell them, you realize that it is not from God. If it were from God, 

I tell them, this light that she sees would enlighten her.