\u00cen spatele meu, la marginea drumului, se z\u0103rea o siluet\u0103. La \u00eenceput p\u0103rea doar o umbr\u0103, o mi\u0219care abia perceptibil\u0103 \u00eentre trunchiurile copacilor. Dar Rex nu se \u00een\u0219ela niciodat\u0103: m\u00e2r\u00e2itul lui ad\u00e2nc \u0219i privirea fix\u0103 \u00eemi spuneau c\u0103 acolo era cineva.<\/p>\n
Am f\u0103cut un pas \u00een fa\u021b\u0103, \u00eencerc\u00e2nd s\u0103 protejez feti\u021ba. Ea, \u00eens\u0103, nu p\u0103rea s\u0103 fie speriat\u0103 de prezen\u021ba aceea. Dimpotriv\u0103, privirea i se luminase, ca \u0219i cum a\u0219teptase tocmai acest moment.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Cine este acolo? \u2014 am strigat, cu voce ferm\u0103.<\/p>\n
Niciun r\u0103spuns. Doar frunzele fo\u0219neau u\u0219or \u00een adierea dimine\u021bii.<\/p>\n
Atunci am sim\u021bit c\u0103 feti\u021ba \u00ee\u0219i str\u00e2nge m\u00e2inile la spate \u0219i, \u00eentr-o lini\u0219te ap\u0103s\u0103toare, a rostit \u00eencet:
\u2014 A venit\u2026<\/p>\n
Inima mi-a tres\u0103rit. M-am \u00eentors din nou, iar de data aceasta am v\u0103zut mai clar. Din umbra copacilor a ie\u0219it un b\u0103rbat \u00een v\u00e2rst\u0103, \u00eembr\u0103cat \u00eentr-un cojoc vechi, de parc\u0103 ie\u0219ise din alt timp. P\u0103\u0219ea \u00eencet, sprijinindu-se \u00eentr-un baston cioplit, iar ochii lui str\u0103luceau ciudat, ca ni\u0219te jaruri aprinse.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Bunicule! \u2014 a strigat feti\u021ba, \u0219i vocea i s-a schimbat brusc, redevenind vesel\u0103.<\/p>\n
Am r\u0103mas uluit. Nu era nicio urm\u0103 de triste\u021be \u00een ea acum. M-am relaxat pentru o clip\u0103, crez\u00e2nd c\u0103 situa\u021bia era doar o ne\u00een\u021belegere. Dar expresia de pe chipul b\u0103rbatului mi-a alungat imediat orice siguran\u021b\u0103. Nu era privirea cald\u0103 a unui bunic care \u00ee\u0219i reg\u0103se\u0219te nepoata. Era o privire rece, p\u0103trunz\u0103toare, de parc\u0103 vedea prin mine.<\/p>\n
Rex l\u0103tra nervos, \u00eenv\u00e2rtindu-se \u00een cercuri, gata de atac.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Mul\u021bumim, domnule jandarm, c\u0103 ai avut grij\u0103 de ea, \u2014 spuse b\u0103rbatul, cu o voce joas\u0103, aproape \u0219optit\u0103. \u2014 Dar acum nu mai e nevoie.<\/p>\n
Vorbele lui sunau mai mult a porunc\u0103 dec\u00e2t a recuno\u0219tin\u021b\u0103. \u00cen acel moment, feti\u021ba s-a prins de m\u00e2na lui \u0219i a z\u00e2mbit larg. Dar z\u00e2mbetul acela nu era al unui copil, ci al cuiva care \u0219tie mai mult dec\u00e2t ar trebui la v\u00e2rsta ei.<\/p>\n
O senza\u021bie rece m-a cuprins. \u00cen acel z\u00e2mbet \u0219i \u00een acea privire era ceva neomenesc. Am f\u0103cut un pas \u00eenapoi, iar Rex a \u00eenceput s\u0103 latre furios.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Cine sunte\u021bi? \u2014 am \u00eentrebat, sim\u021bind cum palma mi se duce instinctiv spre arma de la br\u00e2u.<\/p>\n
B\u0103tr\u00e2nul s-a oprit, m-a privit direct \u00een ochi \u0219i a spus:
\u2014 Suntem aici de mult timp. Mai mult dec\u00e2t \u00ee\u021bi po\u021bi imagina.<\/p>\n
Apoi, f\u0103r\u0103 s\u0103 mai adauge nimic, s-a \u00eentors \u0219i a pornit spre p\u0103dure, \u021bin\u00e2nd feti\u021ba de m\u00e2n\u0103. Ea s-a uitat peste um\u0103r la mine, cu aceea\u0219i privire calm\u0103 \u0219i rece.<\/p>\n
Am r\u0103mas nemi\u0219cat, incapabil s\u0103 reac\u021bionez. \u00cei urm\u0103ream cum se \u00eendep\u0103rteaz\u0103, iar lumina dimine\u021bii p\u0103rea s\u0103 se sting\u0103 odat\u0103 cu fiecare pas al lor. C\u00e2nd au disp\u0103rut dup\u0103 copaci, p\u0103rea ca \u0219i cum nici nu ar fi existat vreodat\u0103.<\/p>\n
Am r\u0103mas doar eu \u0219i Rex. C\u00e2inele \u00eenc\u0103 m\u00e2r\u00e2ia, dar \u00eencet-\u00eencet s-a lini\u0219tit. M-am apropiat de copac, locul unde feti\u021ba pl\u00e2nsese. Pe iarb\u0103 am g\u0103sit o p\u0103pu\u0219\u0103 veche, cu fa\u021ba scorojit\u0103 \u0219i hainele rupte. Am ridicat-o \u0219i m-a trecut un fior: juc\u0103ria era identic\u0103 cu una pe care o v\u0103zusem cu ani \u00een urm\u0103, \u00eentr-un dosar pr\u0103fuit de la sec\u021bie.<\/p>\n
Era cazul unei feti\u021be disp\u0103rute dintr-un sat din Ardeal, acum mai bine de treizeci de ani. Dosarul nu fusese niciodat\u0103 rezolvat.<\/p>\n
Am str\u00e2ns p\u0103pu\u0219a la piept \u0219i am privit spre p\u0103dure. Soarele r\u0103s\u0103rise de-a binelea, dar pentru mine diminea\u021ba nu mai avea lini\u0219tea de la \u00eenceput. Sim\u021beam c\u0103 asistase la ceva ce oamenii nu ar trebui s\u0103 vad\u0103.<\/p>\n
Am pornit motorul, iar Rex s-a a\u0219ezat cuminte l\u00e2ng\u0103 mine. \u00cen oglinda retrovizoare, pentru o clip\u0103, am avut impresia c\u0103 v\u0103d din nou silueta feti\u021bei, z\u00e2mbind.<\/p>\n
Dar c\u00e2nd am clipit, nu mai era nimeni.<\/p>\n
\u0218i atunci am \u00een\u021beles: unele pove\u0219ti r\u0103m\u00e2n vii, chiar dac\u0103 anii trec. Iar uneori, umbrele trecutului revin nu pentru a fi uitate, ci pentru a ne aminti c\u0103 nu suntem niciodat\u0103 singuri pe aceste drumuri.<\/p>\n
Acel drum lini\u0219tit, acel copac \u0219i acea p\u0103pu\u0219\u0103 veche aveau s\u0103 m\u0103 urm\u0103reasc\u0103 pentru tot restul vie\u021bii mele.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00cen spatele meu, la marginea drumului, se z\u0103rea o siluet\u0103. La \u00eenceput p\u0103rea doar o umbr\u0103, o mi\u0219care abia perceptibil\u0103 \u00eentre trunchiurile copacilor. Dar Rex nu se \u00een\u0219ela niciodat\u0103: m\u00e2r\u00e2itul lui ad\u00e2nc \u0219i privirea fix\u0103 \u00eemi spuneau c\u0103 acolo era cineva. Am f\u0103cut un pas \u00een fa\u021b\u0103, \u00eencerc\u00e2nd s\u0103 protejez feti\u021ba. Ea, \u00eens\u0103, nu p\u0103rea […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4207","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\/4207","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=4207"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4209,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4207\/revisions\/4209"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}