The Impious Sister: A Story of Jealousy and Deceit

By Mike Pappas

In a small village in Turkey, a Greek family with three daughters lives in a house near the mountains. Even though the girls father warns them to stay away from the mountains because of evil spirits, the youngest one ignores his wishes and one day heads deep into the mountains. Suddenly, she is covered by a cloud of green mist, feels something enter her soul, and faints. She will never be the same.

As the young daughter develops into a beautiful young lady, her evil thoughts begin to take over. After her parents and both her sisters die, she is left to care for her niece. Unfortunately, she attempts to control her nieces destiny but fails, and eventually the girl immigrates to America with her husband and son, Spiro.

The mother gives birth to a daughter, Maria, and then two years later, to another daughter name Eva. Two years later another child came into their lives and named her Cathy after the aunt who raised her mother. Cathy is possessed with her aunts evil spirit. As her parents try to protect her and make excuses for her malicious behavior, Spiro is wise to her evil thoughts and finds an escape in the military. Now Cathy has but one person to invoke her wrath uponher sister, Maria.

The Impious Sister shares the frightening tale of the power of an evil curse as it travels through generations and across an ocean while wreaking havoc on one family.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491744611

Mike Pappas

Mike Pappas spent nearly four decades in the deli business. He currently works part-time and spends the rest of his time with his wife. They live in New Jersey and escape the cold winters to Myrtle Beach.

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Copyright © 2014 Mike Pappas.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-4462-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-4461-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014915972

iUniverse rev. date: 9/24/2014

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1      Where It All Started

Chapter 2      Going to America

Chapter 3      A Lifetime Change

Chapter 4      Living in Hell

Chapter 5      Going Home

Chapter 6      A Wake-Up Call

Chapter 7      Beauty and the Beast

Chapter 8      Growing Up

Chapter 9      An Occupation Transformation

Chapter 10    Tragedy

Chapter 11    Be Careful What You Say

Chapter 12    Blind Date

Chapter 13    Trying to Make Amends

Chapter 14    Adventure at the Beach

Chapter 15    A New Relationship

Chapter 16    Return

Chapter 17    Making Friends

Chapter 18    Surprise, Surprise

Chapter 19    A Gray Cloud

Chapter 20    Two Different Worlds

Chapter 21    Moving to the Garden State

Chapter 22    Misinterpretation

Chapter 23    Apology

Chapter 24    Revenge

Chapter 25    Backfire

Chapter 26    Payback

Chapter 27    A Content Conclusion

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Prologue

My name is Maria being the oldest of three sisters and having a brother ten years older and parents with old-fashioned beliefs is more than anyone would want to tolerate. My mother told me about her upbringing and how life is so precious. With everything that I have experienced, and learned I wanted to share my story.

Chapter 1

Where It All Started

IN A SMALL VILLAGE in Turkey, just near the border of Bulgaria, there lived many Greek families. They would have monthly town meetings to keep everyone informed of any concerns. One of the group leaders had three daughters who were just like best friends.

Their mother was caring, but their father was just the opposite; he was very old-fashioned and strict. The village was bordered by the Black Sea on one side and rolling mountains that touched the sky on the other. The girls’ father warned them to stay away from the mountains because of evil spirits that roamed the terrain. The two older sisters were obedient and listened. The youngest one, however, was bolder and would sometimes do things her father had forbidden them to do.

One Saturday, after finishing her chores, the youngest sister asked her mother if she could play with her friend. While they were playing, they saw a pony no larger than a dog. They tried to catch it, but it ran into the forest. Her friend stopped just as they got close to the mountains and shouted, My mother warned me to stay away from the mountains because of evil spirits!

She pleaded with her friend not to go, but determined to catch the pony, she continued anyway. She watched the pony run deeper into the mountain. All of a sudden, she came across a cloud of green mist. She looked around hesitantly. Before she realized what was happening, it started to settle on her. She tried to rub it off, but the more she rubbed, the more it spread. After a few minutes, she started to feel strange, like something had entered her soul, and she fainted.

A few minutes passed, and she got up, not remembering anything that had just passed. She looked around and realized she was where her father had warned her not to go. She ran back to her friend, who was shouting, What happened?

I do not remember.

Where is the pony?

Looking puzzled, she asked, What pony? and said, I must go home.

Her mother noticed a greenish tint on her dress, but when she questioned her, she had no response. That same night, she had strange dreams and woke up screaming. She woke up everyone else, and her mother came to see what had happened. She told her she had seen strange things, and her mother assured her she had just had a bad dream. Soon after, she fell asleep again.

A few days later, her attitude had deteriorated to the point she became intolerable and was causing problems. Her mother would scold her and remark that something must have happened the other day. Is something bothering you?

She just responded, No.

As the days passed, her behavior got worse. When her sisters told their father, he would always make excuses for her and say the same thing, She is young.

The family was preparing for the wedding of their oldest daughter. The younger sister even started rumors that they were breaking up. It got to the point that even the bride and groom thought that the other was the cause. Not having any communication with the rest of the family, except by word of mouth, made it very difficult. At one point, it had gotten so out of hand, the engagement was to be called off by her father. Thanks to the village meetings, they were able to straighten things out.

Even up to the last minute, she would continue her animosity. Being spiteful, she deliberately tore a seam in the wedding dress, and then she hid some of her accessories. The middle sister was wise to her youngest sister’s antics and comforted the oldest. She would, of course, deny it. Her mother tried to calm the youngest but with no luck. Their father tried to ignore the commotion, but after a while, he could no longer tolerate it. He came in screaming, Everybody be silent; it is a day of love and happiness!

Then he turned to the middle daughter and blamed her. She ran into the other room crying. Her mother went after her and held her in her arms. She tried to defend the father’s actions.

Why does Father always shout and blame me for the mishaps?

Please understand your father wants everything done correctly because he loves us.

She wiped away her tears and helped her sister get ready.

The wedding took place in the village square with family, friends, neighbors, and even guests from afar to help celebrate their big day. The younger sister continued being resentful and looked for opportunities to cause problems. She would release some of the livestock from the surrounding farms just to cause calamity. For a while, there was confusion, but with the help of the guests, they were able to retrieve them and get things back to normal. Everyone continued to enjoy the celebration.

The two older sisters continued to spend a lot of time together. This just made the youngest more resentful. She would deliberately make waves, just to cause hostility among them. The older sister would tell their father, but he always made excuses and defended her by saying the same thing, She is young.

When the oldest sister gave birth to a baby girl, the youngest sister became even more envious and would make the new mother’s life a living hell. Her other sister saw this and came to her rescue, which only made her more spiteful. The new mother would make it difficult for her youngest sister to see the baby by always making excuses. She became even more desperate and determined to get satisfaction.

The years were good to the youngest sister. She had developed into a very beautiful and seductive young lady. Her evil thoughts also became even more devious. Whenever the new son-in-law came over to the house for any reason, she would tease him to the point he was hesitant to go. Over time, when everything else failed, she decided on another avenue. Their mother loved to bake, and he would sneak over to take advantage of the goodies.

She got to know his routine. One night, he sneaked over to get some goodies, and she saw the opportune moment. She cornered him and forced herself on him by taking his hand and rubbing it against her body. Being a devoted husband, he turned his back on her, which just encouraged her. The more he refused, the bitterer she became. He threatened to tell his wife and family. She backed off for a while, but her evil thoughts never stopped. She decided that if she could not get her way, she would put a curse on him.

One bright, sunny day, he was attempting to fix a leak on the roof that he had kept putting off. The glare from the sun was so strong, he lost his balance. He tried to regain his balance, but the ladder slipped from under him. He tried to grab hold of some roof shingles, but his weight was just too much and they separated. He made a last attempt to save himself but did not succeed and fell, hitting his head on a tree stump that he had never removed. For hours, he lay there until his wife came looking for him and discovered his lifeless body. She screamed for help, but it was too late. The local authorities investigated and declared it an accident.

The oldest sister tried to manage everything, but it was just too difficult. The chores were accumulating. For a time, her father tried to help, but after a while, he could not handle both. Her father suggested she move back home. As time went on, she realized there was no choice and moved back. Her middle sister welcomed her, but the youngest sister had mixed emotions and would just keep her feelings to herself.

When the little girl turned five, her mother became seriously ill, and for months, she was under a doctor’s care. Her mother even tried nursing her back to health with herbs and other natural resources. For a while, she showed improvement, but she had a relapse and later died.

With the death of their daughter, it was difficult for them to adjust. Their health was not the best, and they could just barely care for each other. The two sisters helped raise her, and the two of them having totally opposite ideas made it more of a challenge. As the months passed, they just got to the point where they constantly argued. The parents tried to bring some peace between them, with no success.

Years later, with all the instability of the government, things had gotten worse. Their father had gone to find a new location so they could start their new homestead. His wife begged him not to go because of his health. After a month of searching, he returned to collect his family and whatever they could take. They had to leave behind many of their large items and some of the livestock.

With only a limited amount of funds, they had to scrimp and save wherever possible. He had no choice but to continue working the fields. His wife would beg him not to work so many hours because of his deteriorating health. His middle daughter would help, but the youngest one just went through the motions and did as little as possible. Their father continued to work from sunrise to sunset. This went on for a while, and then one evening, he never came home for supper.

The mother asked her daughters, Please go and see what is keeping your father.

It was dark by the time they got to the fields; they called out Father! over and over but with no response. With a full moon and the help of the lantern, they continued searching.

When they searched the barn, they found his lifeless body just lying on some hay. The younger sister shouted, You killed Father by letting him work the fields, especially knowing he was in poor health.

Her sister shouted back, Maybe it was your selfish attitude!

Their mother could sense something was wrong when she heard them quarrelling. The younger sister shouted, Daddy is dead!

She fell to her knees, crying, with tears the size of raindrops. Your father was a stubborn man. He just never knew when to stop.

Things were not the same; their mother was heartbroken and would not eat properly. The sisters constantly argued. It got to the point where the mother would not even say a word, no matter how bad it got. Her granddaughter was always at her side, trying to show her some love, but even that, after a while, did not help. The one daughter tried to take her to the doctor but to no avail; she would say, Let me die so that I might join your father. She got her wish, and a short time later, she just gave up and died of a broken heart.

Now, it was just them to run the farm. With limited financial support, they could not afford to pay for outside help. The younger sister was always making excuses to avoid doing any real work. They continued to argue, and their niece would try to keep the peace between them.

One hot Sunday afternoon, one of the sisters was playing ball with her niece. The ball rolled near the edge of the mountain. While the niece was retrieving the ball, her aunt warned her to be careful, not realizing there was a soft spot. The ground gave way, and the niece fell onto a small ledge. The sister screamed out, and the other sister came running to see what had occurred. She had fallen just out of reach and was afraid to move.

The one sister lowered the other sister down to the ledge. The wicked sister on the ledge raised her slowly so that the other sister could grab her and lift her to safety. Her sister reached down to help her up. While she was reaching down, her foot hit the same soft spot, causing her to lose her balance and fall.

She was not as fortunate and was dangling there, holding her sister’s hand and hanging on for dear life. It was so hot she could feel the sweat rolling off her hand. With each drop of sweat, her hand slipped until she could no longer hold on. The wicked sister watched her fall to her death.

Somewhat heartbroken, she looked for a safe way up. She saw a tree limb and slowly climbed her way back to safety. The niece was distressed at seeing her aunt fall to her death. After the deadly incident, the authorities called it an accident. The niece had nightmares thinking about her aunt falling. Losing her mother a few years earlier and now this made her realize how precious life was.

As the years passed, the aunt took advantage of her niece and worked her from sunrise to sunset. She would have her do all the chores and work the fields, even tending the livestock. The girl never complained; she just did her chores. On her sixteenth birthday, she hoped that her life would change.

One warm afternoon, while she was working in the fields, a man stopped to ask her for directions. She told him she did not know many of the families in the area. He told her he was a seaman and was visiting friends. Being as she had not met many men, she became very fascinated with this individual. He realized he was much older and had taken a liking to her. For the next few days, he would stop and they would converse. One thing led to another, and they became very much involved. He told her he was shipping out and wanted to see her again. Being mesmerized by him, she also wanted to see him again.

When the aunt got wind of this, she became very annoyed and would do anything to stop it. She would make up tales and go as far as to say he was a spy. This would not discourage her niece; it just made her more determined to see him again.

They would sneak out to see each other when he got furlough. One evening, he came over to see her; not to draw attention, after supper, she made an excuse and met him by the barn. He loved his ouzo and would always carry a flask filled with it.

While her aunt was getting some eggs, she heard voices coming from behind the barn. Curious to know what was happening, she walked closer to listen. She could smell the aroma of the ouzo, which infuriated her. She came out shouting, Child molester, I will call the authorities!

Her niece shouted back, I love him, and he also said, I love her.

The aunt shouted, Shame on you! You’re almost twice her age.

She told her aunt, There is nothing anyone can say to discourage me.

Not wanting to start an argument, he said, I have to leave now, but I will return.

As he was leaving, she placed a curse on him that he was never to return.

For almost a year, he did not return, and the aunt considered him out of the picture.

The niece took one day at a time, and deep down, she believed her love would return. She prayed that he would come back into her life.

Then, mysteriously, one day, while she was working the fields, she saw a man and realized her love had returned. She ran to the fence where he was waiting, and they embraced. She was so overwhelmed that he was back in her life; nothing was going to come between them. As much as the aunt tried to stop them from seeing each other, they continued.

On her eighteenth birthday, they secretly got married, and when they told her aunt, she screamed out with resentment and even tried to annul the marriage. In time, she eventually calmed down. With him now in the picture, she hoped that the marriage would fail.

The niece started feeling sick only to discover she was expecting. Her aunt went into a rage, breaking dishes and throwing anything she could grab. Knowing she could not change their plans, she quieted down. He was planning on being there for the birth, but the baby came a few weeks early. She gave birth to a son and named him Spiro after her father.

Her husband wanted a better life for his new family and told her he was going to America. He would get established and send for them. When the aunt heard the news, she planned a stronger hex on him to ensure that he never returned.

Even though she was married and had a child, the aunt did not let up on her and continued to treat her terribly. She would tend to her duties and raise her son with no complaints. When the son was able, he helped his mother with some of the chores. Spiro was constantly inquiring about his father. To keep him satisfied, she told him he was getting things organized and would be there soon.

When Spiro turned seven, he asked his mother in a very sorrowful manner, All my friends have fathers. Does Father not love us?

His great aunt would say it was a bad marriage and should never have happened. She poisoned his mind against his father every chance she could. His mother defended him and said he would be back in their lives again one day. Her aunt looked into the sky and said, He will never return.

She told her aunt she had had a dream that they were leaving for America.

If he has not sent for you by now, why would you think he would do it now after all these years?

For years, she kept trying to discourage her from going to America. Finally, after ten long years, she received a letter with all the documents and steamship tickets for her and their son.

Without wasting another minute, she started packing and told her son the day had arrived. She felt bad leaving her aunt to handle all the chores, even with all the terrible times and memories she had experienced over the years. Up to the final day, her aunt tried to change her mind.

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Chapter 2

Going to America

CROSSING THE ATLANTIC OCEAN was an experience Spiro had always dreamed of. When they entered New York Harbor, they saw the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline. It was a sight to behold. They first had to stop at Ellis Island for processing, before they were able to enter legally into the United States.

When they disembarked, her husband was there to greet them; he embraced his wife and tried to hug his son, but little Spiro was not as thrilled. As happy and excited as he was about being in America, he still held a grudge against his father for leaving them alone all those years.

He apologized for taking so long and told them that all he had encountered was bad luck. It was like someone had put a curse on him. Now that we are all together, we can start a new beginning, he said. Life was tough with the country coming out of the Depression. Europe was on the brink of war, and jobs were hard to come by. He had landed a job working as a painter on bridges and other outside projects. She had wanted to work, but he said a flat, No. Not my wife. You will be too busy raising a family and being a housewife.

He found an apartment on the west side of Manhattan, close to his brother’s family. For young Spiro, going from a small town to a big city like New York was a big change. Being separated from his wife and son all those years, the father wanted to try to make it up.

Christmas was in a few months, and he wanted to at least try to bring some Christmas joy into their lives. The holidays came, and they went to the Christmas services. They joined his brother’s family and exchanged gifts. This became a yearly tradition over the years, and they took turns hosting it.

Spiro made friends easily, but since he had very limited English, some of them would tease him. He was a quick learner and would tolerate most of it. Spiro’s friends hung out in the streets. Because of that, he and his father constantly had disagreements. His mother was always drawn in when they argued. His father was stubborn and would never give an inch. Whenever he felt Spiro was out of line, he would ground him. When his father was working late, Spiro would take advantage of it; his mother told him not to go against his father’s wishes. Being as Spiro was very close to his mother, he respected her wishes.

When war broke out in Europe, there was concern about the outcome. Many of his family and friends were in the middle of the confrontation; all they heard was bad news. On the bright side, I was born, and they named me Maria after my grandmother. Spiro would help Mom with some of the chores.

One Saturday afternoon, Spiro was hanging out with a few of the older guys. This old Cadillac pulled up, and someone told him to get in. Spiro, in his broken English, asked, Where we’re going?

The driver said, To have a little fun. They pulled up in front of this jewelry store. Two of them got out. So now, it was just Spiro and the driver. They were chatting.

All of a sudden, the passenger door swung open, and this hand reached in and pulled Spiro out by his ear. It was our uncle coming home from work. As he was pulling him out, he yelled, What are you doing with this hoodlum? They are nothing but the scum of the earth. As they were walking toward their neighborhood, gunshots rang out, and they could hear tires squealing and then the sound of metal crunching. When the smoke cleared, there were two dead and one seriously injured.

He never told us the story, because he knew how Father would have reacted. Our uncle was much younger than our father and his total opposite. Our uncle had lectured Spiro about the type of friends he was hanging out with. He also told him we would keep