\u2014 Dac\u0103 e\u0219ti om cu minte, \u00eentoarce-te din drum, fiule \u2014 i-a spus b\u0103tr\u00e2nul cu glas stins, dar ap\u0103sat. \u2014 P\u0103m\u00e2ntul \u0103la nu d\u0103 rod \u0219i nici somn lin celui ce-l st\u0103p\u00e2ne\u0219te.<\/p>\n
Mihai a z\u00e2mbit for\u021bat. Auzise destule pove\u0219ti despre locuri \u201eb\u00e2ntuite\u201d sau blestemate. \u00cei p\u0103reau doar vorbe de oameni speria\u021bi de singur\u0103tate. A dat din cap \u00een semn de mul\u021bumire \u0219i a pornit mai departe.<\/p>\n
Pe m\u0103sur\u0103 ce se apropia, aerul p\u0103rea mai greu. V\u00e2ntul nu mai adia, iar c\u00e2mpul din fa\u021b\u0103 era pres\u0103rat cu ciulini \u0219i pietre mari, ca \u0219i cum p\u0103m\u00e2ntul \u00eensu\u0219i ar fi respins orice via\u021b\u0103. Poarta de lemn, putrezit\u0103 de vreme, at\u00e2rna \u00eentr-o parte. Pe st\u00e2lpul ei se mai vedea vopsit, abia lizibil, numele \u201eLa Cruce\u201d.<\/p>\n
C\u0103lin forn\u0103i nelini\u0219tit, dar Mihai \u00eel m\u00e2ng\u00e2ie pe g\u00e2t.
\u2014 Hai, b\u0103iete, de-acum e casa noastr\u0103.<\/p>\n
A intrat \u00een curte. F\u00e2nt\u00e2na era secat\u0103, iar grajdul abia se mai \u021binea \u00een picioare. Casa principal\u0103, o construc\u021bie din piatr\u0103 \u0219i lut, p\u0103rea c\u0103 \u00eel a\u0219teapt\u0103, t\u0103cut\u0103. A \u00eempins u\u0219a sc\u00e2r\u021b\u00e2itoare \u0219i a p\u0103\u0219it \u00een\u0103untru.<\/p>\n
Aerul era rece, de parc\u0103 ar fi p\u0103truns \u00eentr-o pivni\u021b\u0103. Pe pere\u021bi, pete negre urcau p\u00e2n\u0103 \u00een tavan, iar \u00een col\u021b, o icoan\u0103 veche st\u0103tea r\u0103sturnat\u0103. Mihai a ridicat-o instinctiv \u0219i a a\u0219ezat-o la loc. \u00cen clipa aceea, un curent de aer rece i-a suflat pe la ceaf\u0103, de\u0219i toate ferestrele erau \u00eenchise.<\/p>\n
Noaptea a venit repede. S-a culcat pe o saltea veche, ascult\u00e2nd v\u00e2ntul care urla prin cr\u0103p\u0103turile pere\u021bilor. C\u00e2nd a\u021bipise, a auzit un tropot slab, ca de pa\u0219i pe podea. A deschis ochii \u0219i, pentru o clip\u0103, i s-a p\u0103rut c\u0103 vede o umbr\u0103 l\u00e2ng\u0103 u\u0219\u0103. A tras aer ad\u00e2nc \u0219i s-a ridicat, dar nu era nimic. Doar icoana, c\u0103zut\u0103 din nou.<\/p>\n
Diminea\u021ba, a ie\u0219it afar\u0103 hot\u0103r\u00e2t s\u0103 nu se lase dobor\u00e2t. A reparat poarta, a cur\u0103\u021bat grajdul \u0219i a \u00eenceput s\u0103 taie iarba crescut\u0103 printre pietre. Cu fiecare zi, p\u0103m\u00e2ntul p\u0103rea mai pu\u021bin ostil. A sim\u021bit c\u0103 locul se \u00eenmoaie sub r\u0103bdarea lui, ca \u0219i cum ar fi recunoscut un nou st\u0103p\u00e2n.<\/p>\n
Dar \u00eentr-o sear\u0103, \u00een timp ce ducea ap\u0103 \u00een g\u0103le\u021bi, a v\u0103zut un copil la marginea terenului. St\u0103tea nemi\u0219cat, privindu-l.
\u2014 Hei, tu! \u2014 a strigat Mihai. \u2014 Ce cau\u021bi acolo?<\/p>\n
Copilul a disp\u0103rut printre tufi\u0219uri f\u0103r\u0103 s\u0103 lase urm\u0103. Mihai a alergat p\u00e2n\u0103 acolo, dar nu era nimeni. Doar urme mici, ca de picioare descul\u021be, \u00een praful uscat.<\/p>\n
C\u00e2teva zile mai t\u00e2rziu, un vecin din satul apropiat a venit cu o c\u0103ru\u021b\u0103.
\u2014 Ai de g\u00e2nd s\u0103 stai aici, omule? \u2014 l-a \u00eentrebat. \u2014 Pe locul \u0103sta s-a pr\u0103p\u0103dit familia Munteanu. A ars totul \u00eentr-o noapte, \u0219i de-atunci nimeni n-a mai avut lini\u0219te.<\/p>\n
Mihai a ascultat f\u0103r\u0103 s\u0103 r\u0103spund\u0103. \u00cen ochii lui se citea \u0219i frica, \u0219i hot\u0103r\u00e2rea. Nu fugise niciodat\u0103 din fa\u021ba greut\u0103\u021bilor \u0219i nu avea de g\u00e2nd s\u0103 o fac\u0103 acum.<\/p>\n
\u00cen urm\u0103toarele luni, a muncit ca niciodat\u0103. A adus ap\u0103 din r\u00e2u, a s\u0103dit pomi \u0219i a ridicat din nou casa. \u00centr-o duminic\u0103, c\u00e2nd a terminat de vopsit gardul, s-a oprit \u0219i a privit \u00een jur. Pentru prima dat\u0103, totul p\u0103rea viu.<\/p>\n
\u00cen noaptea aceea, v\u00e2ntul a b\u0103tut bl\u00e2nd, iar icoana nu s-a mai mi\u0219cat din loc. Mihai a \u00een\u021beles c\u0103 locul nu fusese blestemat, ci doar p\u0103r\u0103sit de oameni care \u00ee\u0219i pierduser\u0103 credin\u021ba.<\/p>\n
A aprins o lum\u00e2nare \u0219i a spus \u00eencet, ca pentru sine:
\u2014 Nu exist\u0103 p\u0103m\u00e2nt r\u0103u, doar suflete care nu mai \u0219tiu s\u0103-l iubeasc\u0103.<\/p>\n
De atunci, ranchul \u201eLa Cruce\u201d a \u00eenceput s\u0103 rodeasc\u0103. Iar oamenii din sat, c\u00e2nd treceau pe acolo, se opreau, se uitau \u0219i spuneau:
\u2014 Uite, s-a \u00eentors via\u021ba pe locul unde moartea f\u0103cuse popas.<\/p>\n
\u0218i Mihai z\u00e2mbea. Pentru c\u0103 \u0219tia c\u0103 uneori, cele mai grele locuri sunt tocmai cele care te \u00eenva\u021b\u0103 cum s\u0103 tr\u0103ie\u0219ti cu adev\u0103rat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2014 Dac\u0103 e\u0219ti om cu minte, \u00eentoarce-te din drum, fiule \u2014 i-a spus b\u0103tr\u00e2nul cu glas stins, dar ap\u0103sat. \u2014 P\u0103m\u00e2ntul \u0103la nu d\u0103 rod \u0219i nici somn lin celui ce-l st\u0103p\u00e2ne\u0219te. Mihai a z\u00e2mbit for\u021bat. Auzise destule pove\u0219ti despre locuri \u201eb\u00e2ntuite\u201d sau blestemate. \u00cei p\u0103reau doar vorbe de oameni speria\u021bi de singur\u0103tate. A dat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10295,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-povesti"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10294"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10296,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10294\/revisions\/10296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}