DAY 37: Sleeping Child

There’s often a knock on the door, luring a beggar to your doorstep – chanting about their unfortunate situation.  I’m often compelled to reach for that last ‘decent’ coin, hidden within the grooves of my wallet.  As I place the money in the person’s hand, my eyes remain fixated on the tainted appearance of their skin – reassuring me that the deprived individual’s request is genuine.

This ill-fated drama repeats itself on a daily basis in Greece as the economic downturn continues.  Families have fallen victim to this new wave of poverty; distressing images of mothers with infants, sprawled across the corners of every main street and subway.

But what caught my attention this morning was a shocking report revealing another truth to the impoverished icons stapled within my subconscious.  An undercover reporter in Athens confronted a woman (who he had observed continuously for one week), cradling her child at one of the city’s busiest Metro stations.

The woman, who fitted the profile of a destitute victim, concealed her face in sorrow as passers-by showered her with their loose change – relieving themselves from any guilt.  The infant remained still in her hands, as it did every day of the week – sleeping.

The reporter expressed concern for the child, who under normal conditions, would be crying, or even showing some signs of agitation. 

As he approached, the woman attempted to mask the child, placing the tattered blanket over its face.

“Why is your child continuously sleeping?” he asked.

An elderly man, annoyed by the reporter’s ‘inhumane’ conduct, tugged at the reporter, scolding him that he should refrain from questioning the woman.

As he stood there, staring at the ‘tired’ infant, he observed with disbelief that the child in the woman’s hands had mysteriously transformed its hair colour from black to brown.

The reporter’s extensive journalist skills had uncovered (from the previous day), a syndicate from Romania who smuggled stolen babies into Greece, for the purpose of organ trafficking, or in this case, to be used as ‘props’ in their piteous performances.  

The Athens reporter, who for obvious reasons preferred to remain anonymous, revealed that his sources confirmed the devious action of injecting vodka or heroin into the innocent babies – maintaining the infant’s immobility, as they continued to work their sorry cries on oblivious bystanders.

“In most cases, these infants cannot withstand the drug overdose, and end up dying,” he added.

The reporter has created a huge awareness in Athens today, encouraging the public to be on the lookout for similar situations. 

“In most cases, people tend to overlook the ‘sleeping’ child in the arms of its mother, dropping a coin into the charity box, as they continue on with their journey.”

Perhaps we should take the time to look deeper into the matter, before we encourage another dissipated individual to consider drugging an infant for financial gain?

Weight for me tomorrow. Paul

Paul Lambis is the author of “Where is Home?” – A journey of hilarious contrasts.  For more information on Paul Lambis, and to order his book online,
visit www.paul-lambis.com