We sat at a table on the edge of the terrace overlooking the sea. We seemed to be the only people there. The owner had gone to town and left a local girl to take care of us that evening. She was probably sixteen, slim with dark hair and wonderful olive skin. She was obviously trying to break out of the traditional mold, because she wore a tight thin purple leotard, cut low at the back, and a brief miniskirt which barely c...

I stopped the rental car at the top of the hill overlooking the wide curve of the sandy beach on the west coast of Crete. Despite the fact that it was late September, the sand still shimmered in the late morning heat, and the lines of waves breaking in the blue water looked inviting. A few things had changed - there was now a new hotel block at the far end of the beach next to the taverna. But at this time of year, there...