Trafika Europe 8 - Romanian Holiday

Almost Everything Very Fast [Excerpt] Translated from German by Aaron Kerner

Anni and the Somebodies

Later, my sister told me that she’d stared at the plumes of smoke and sweated in the heat of the fire that was devouring our house, until somebody covered her eyes and threw her over a shoulder and carried her away. The next morning she was woken by a gentle voice; she opened her eyes to tell Papa or Mama or me about her nightmare—but the light falling through the window was unusually bright, and the air smelled different, like cow dung, and someone, somebody, passed her a cup of milk. Later a different somebody gave her a violet dress. Yet another somebody ranhotwater for her tobathe

in, water boiled especially for her. The same somebody who’d given her the violet dress suggested they milk the cows together, bake a cake, play with the cat. But Anni shook her head. The somebody with the gentle voice explained that she couldn’t go back home, that from now on she’d live here, with her new family. But Anni didn’t see any family. There was only a somebody, another somebody, and yet another somebody. She shook her head again and shoutedfor Julius. Somebody said, “Your brother’s in heaven now.” And then Anni shook her head so long that she got dizzy, and nobody said anything more.

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