Trafika Europe 8 - Romanian Holiday

Almost Everything Very Fast

guarded treasure: hairpins melted into one another, a stove tile broken in fifths, the spine from the cookbook, two smooth, gleaming candlesticks, a dagger, a handful of nails, arrowheads, teeth, and much more. A dirty black film covered everything, which Anni couldn’t get rid of, no matter how much she scrubbed each object in the cold water of the Moorbach. And whenever a somebody suggested she choose one of them for the Sacrificial Festival, she just shook her head and said, “It’s already been burned.” One of her chores was to go and fetch rolls from the bakery every Sunday. If Reindl’s daughter was at the shop, the two of them would swap Most Beloved Possessions. Sometimes like

Mina would roam through the burned house as well, hunting rats and stuffing her pockets with whatever junk was lying around. In her company it was rare for Anni to shake her head, because, like many Klöbles, Mina treated her no differently than she had before the fire. All the other people of Segendorf had changed. No matter whom she met, even people she didn’t actually know, they would greet her, ask her how she was doing, praise her new home, invite her for a slice of poppy-seed cake, or slip her an apple. One day, while trading Most Beloved Possessions, Mina’s polished boots caught her eye, and she couldn’t resist the temptation to touch them. “Do you like them?” asked Mina.

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