Savo took a bottle and fills rakia[2] into glasses of people when saying:
“I can see that she feels better about herself!”
He offered Gatso to drink brandy too, but that man refused. He said that he may not to drink rakia while helping people. In front of the house all people are talking and discussing what happened to me. The talks lasted maybe for about 15 minutes after which I appeared on the threshold disguised in fresh clothes.
Such quit and silence is there only in the afterlife. No one can move. Their eyes full of mistrust stared at in surprise at me. I look at them and I can’t understand anything. Dear me, can I sleep? I wanted to touch my cheek where a swollen blister should be. No pain, no blister. At that moment, as if all people have awakened at once and begun to ask their questions. And what Gatso was doing? He overturned the cup with the last sips of coffee, came up to me, took away his ointment, which I still automatically clenched in my hand, and walked to his horse.
Savo first came to his senses. He held Gatso’s arm and began to thank him asking how much he has to pay for saving my life.
“Savo, brother!” – We have heard again the soft and soothing words from his mouth. “Who am I that you thank me, who am I to save someone’s life?! It’s all God’s will and God’s Providence. He sent me to glorify his name through me again.”
Hush fell over the room again. It gently came and gently went.
That’s, my son, it is the story out of my life. It is hard to believe, but word to big bird. I swear down. So was my first meeting with this man of God, who was called later under different names.”
Pero began to tell another story. It is no less interesting than the first one.
So, it was his story:
“Look, son. I know that availability of medicine as well as technology expanded to perfection, but at the same time a highly – developed technology and the most modern medicine can’t help to anyone even he has all the treasures of the world. It was my example. The temperature rose to 40ºC. I went to Berane. I was examined and taken to Podgorica. But also, there nobody knows what happens with me. I was sent to Military Medical Academy in Belgrade. People, I had had a high temperature for days. I melt as ice dissolves in the sun. I got my weight down up to 20 kilos. The parents go crazy. Doctors say I’ve to prepare for the worst. My wife cries without a break. One relative visited us to ask me about my health. I was invited to visit Gatso to ask him for help. Without thinking the parents went me to him. They wanted to claim his help and were ready to give everything they have. Everyone knows that in the village my parents were the poorest people. He met them as relatives and hosted adopted as the dearest guests. He said that he would go with them directly to Belgrade. He took herbs, roots and came to me. I was barely conscious. I didn’t know whether he had come. Later my father said that he visited me, put his hands on me, gave me some broth, which he cooked in the kitchen of the hospital. According to my father I took that remedy. He asked my father to wait for him near me. And then he went to contact Zoran, the son of Vaso. In the meantime, I came around after one – half hour. The fever subsided as if I haven’t it. A doctor’s concilium was quite surprised that I could throw off an illness in a blink of an eye and they couldn’t treat me within 20 days. Reanalysis illustrated excellent results. After morning analysis, I left the hospital. As soon as we wanted to go, Gatso came up to us.
“So why do you go without seeing me? Hey, it is impossible!” – He joked and we went away together. In front of the hospital Zoran was waiting for us. He gave us a lift to bus station.
“Heh, my uncle Djuro! – Says Zoran to my father. – Do not believe me, if I swear on my children that only our President Tito called uncle Fatso to visit him last night.”
I was transfixed to the spot when hearing it. This is no joke, my son, to get to Tito at the time.
Long after my grandfather told me that he influenced Tito through his own strength in order that Tito called him to talk. He said me that he often could achieve success through adversely impact the human conscience, that’s why he decided to try it on one of the most influential personalities of that time. Tito heard him and everything went well, but when my grandfather was gone Tito shook his head, as if he has awakened from a dream.
We returned home and people in the village have talked for a long time how Tito called to speak with the wisest man in Montenegro. There has been talk that they took photographs and there were people who saw this picture with my father Djuro when he came home to Gatso. Elders said: “There is no denying the truth. So is the story from my life, son. I had an opportunity to find out that his energy and herbs as well as roots are much more effectively and efficiently than all the pills and injections in this land.”
Tomo started to tell the third story:
“Listen to me, son, my case is a little bit different. I’ve only to say that I met that man not once and he helped me at all times.
One time I paid a visit to him. You know, he had needed that sort of thing too. Some men and women were guests by him. God knows where they came from. I welcomed all and said:
I do not want to sit longer than a hen, but I have come to thank you and I’d like to say, that I relieved feeling of heaviness and pain in the legs. Look, I stand as a rock! “ – I extended the hands and showed to everyone. – No power in earth could move me.”
“Now for sure do you think so?” – asked Gatso with his quit voice.
“I don’t think so, I know it,” – I said.
“Well, Tomo, then do not be angry, but I’d like to show something to you.
“I can’t be angry, Gatso. If you even cut my hand I’ll never get angry with you.”
Then he extended his hands towards me. For a moment, I felt that some power was passing through my body. Holy cripes! I was standing straight, but suddenly the body itself begins to move back and forth. My hands were along the body and I bend almost to the ground. I thought that I’m going to prostrate myself, but some power lifts me again. And he didn’t even touch me… When he corrected me, slapped with his hands and I felt as if I have awakened from a dream. I was awoken and conscious, I saw everything but I felt as if I was asleep. My God, it is a perfect darling and miraculous power dwells in him.
So is my story, son. It’s short, but very wonderful and real truth.
And then Marco says:
“Director and all of you will put a face to this story. It’s the most interesting. And whoever considers so it is the most acceptable story.
“Listen to me now, I’ll tell something. I know that it’s impossible to believe in that, but there are people from the whole village and they can confirm that”, – the neighbor Ljuba started to tell his story. My husband Mikan was apoplectic. He lost the use of his arm and leg. He couldn’t tell a word. He was getting medical care by all doctors of Montenegro. My son is a doctor. But everything is still the same. Neither he nor the others were unable to help. He was unmoving. He did not move a muscle. He said nothing. All possible procedures and therapies have been unable to achieve any progress. When we found out about new treatment methods we immediately took him there. Nothing helped. And he looks at us as if he wants to say something but he couldn’t do it. So, six months passed. We lost all hope that he will recover. Relatives and neighbors come to visit him. Panto, Stoyan’s son has come. He lives on the edge of the village. In the conversation he mentioned Gatso. At that very moment, my Mika seemed to have gained some strength. He began to nod his head, trying to say something.
“What’s Mikan, what’s distressing you so deeply? Are you all right?” – We ask, but he just shakes his head.
Then Panto says: “It seems to me that he was worried when I remembered.”
Then Mikan nodded his head again and then I asked: “Mikan, should we go you to Gatso?”
He nods his approval again. Uh, son, it became clear to me why he looked at me that time. He wanted to tell that we had to take