Ep.1Staring From Behind
Ep.2 The Hidden Name
Ep.3 Grandma’s Farao
Ep.5 Money-strapped Student
Ep.6 1994:The Day His Dreams Were Shattered
Mommyyyy’
He felt the shock as if he had been hit severely, and his body stiffened. Eight-year-old Vitalie had a premonition of death.
Tobacco cultivation used to be very popular in Vitalei’s village.
Seeds are sown in the winter and are carefully grown in greenhouses until the warmth of the spring. That day, Vitalie had brought his companion Florica out to the pasture, as he always did.
Florica
It means “flower child”.
She was Vitalie’s best friend until he was 14 years old.
When Vitalie would go off and not come back, his parents were worried and bought him a cow, thinking that if he watched over the cows, Vitali would not run away.
Vitalie’s favorite thing to do on cold mornings is to pour Florica’s warm milk all over the mamaliga that has stuck to his bowl after eating and drink it all up. It was a moment when he felt happiness all over his body.
In the summer sunshine, Vitalie watches Florica munching on grass. But he gradually becomes bored.
There is no one nearby.
He stands, plucks grass, lies down… And gradually,
a sense of loneliness gradually rises over him. All he can see is the blue sky, the green grass, and Florica…
As Vitalie looks around, he sees something white in the corner of his eye…
It’s the greenhouse he’s been curious about for a while. He wonders what’s inside…
The man who usually stands guard there is nowhere to be seen today.
This is his chance! !
Ever the curious, Vitalie leaves Florica and sneaks into the greenhouse. It’s September, so the tobacco has already been cut and shipped. Only the roots remain.
He quickly looks around.
Oh?
It looks like a metal box.
Vitalie approaches. The cover of the box is still open.
Inside he can see what looks like many complicated mazes.
Vitalie’s eyes lit up!
He found a bicycle part.
A nut on his bicycle had broken, so he was looking for a replacement part.
At the time, Moldova was still in the Soviet era. Parts were hard to come by.
However, right in front of him were several nuts of just the right size lined up.
Delighted, Vitalie reached out to take just one, but at that moment!!
Bam!
His body stiffened with a shock as if someone had hit him hard!
Mommyyyy!’
He had been electrocuted!
The owner had forgotten to close the cover after checking the heating, leaving the power on and the wires exposed. His body went numb. He couldn’t move. It was like He was made of concrete.
But at that moment, a command came from his brain!!
Get away!
Vitalie came to his senses and ran!
He left Florica behind and ran as fast as he could.
He would like to say that he ran away from the scary place as fast as he could, but for some reason his feet wouldn’t move smoothly.
They just clattered along.
Just forward, forward!
Vitalie robot continued to run away from the fear of death.
His heart pounded loudly as it hurried him!
To his kind grandma’s house!
Grandma was in the kitchen.
Vitalie robot climbed the stairs with a clatter and finally entered the house.
Looking over, she saw the usually lively and mischievous Vitalie sitting there, small and modest.
Thinking that something was strange, she looked into Vitalie’s motionless face, and…
He was completely white!
There was no trace of blood in him!
“Vitalie, what’s wrong?!”
“◇☆○△☆★…”
In a daze, his mouth was trembling and he couldn’t speak…
“What on earth happened?! What happened?”
His beloved grandmother’s wide-open, warm eyes stared straight into his heart.
Something hot surged into his body, and Vitalie began to cry as if he had let up on a cough!
After crying for a while, the grandson slowly began to tell us what had happened.
Then, his kind grandmother reached out her warm hands and gave him a tight hug…? ? !!☆◇☆”
You’re such a stupid child!
Touch everything! You’ll die!!
,Seriously you Pharaoh!”
Pharaoh is an Egyptian king who appears in the Bible. He stubbornly refused to follow God’s orders, pursued the Israelites led by Moses, and was destroyed by God’s hand in the Red Sea.
There used to be a Jewish (Israelite) community near the village, and Alexandra’s favorite phrase was to scold rebellious or misbehaving children by calling them “Pharaoh!”
Vitalie had no idea what was going on, imagining a scenario in which he felt safe being hugged gently!
It was a loving warning to his precious grandson who had put his life at risk.
Afterwards, Vitali ate his fill of his grandmother’s delicious freshly cooked mamaliga.
His body, which had been stiff from the electric shock, recovered and he regained his strength, and went to pick up Florica, whom he had left behind, that very same day.
Thus ended the summer vacation of Vitali, a boy with a habit of touching everything, at the age of eight.
How to make mămăliga, a traditional Moldovan dish
Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup cornmeal
There are many different ways to make mamariga depending on the household. It truly tastes like home cooking. The secret to making mamariga is to make it slowly and with love. It’s full of nutrients, so be sure to give it a try!
① Bring water to a boil in a pot, add salt and butter (or olive oil).
② Sprinkle about 1/3 cup of cornmeal into the center of the pot while stirring the water in one direction. When it boils again, pour in the remaining cornmeal and keep stirring well to prevent lumps. Use a whisk to make it work.
③ Reduce the heat, and when the cornmeal thickens and hardens, cover the pot and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. When you taste it, it is done when the small grains go from a crunch to a chewy texture.
If possible, you can do the next step. You can also scoop it out and put it on a plate.
④ (Insert the handle of a wet wooden spoon into the center of the mamaligas in the finished pot and rotate it several times as if peeling the mamaligas off.) Turn the pot over on a cutting board and carefully lift it up to remove the mamaligas. Pour the beef over the mamaligas stuck to the pot, heat it up to make mamaligas milk. Very delicious. It is best served sliced and topped with butter and sour cream, or leftover mamaliga is delicious served cold.
*You can scoop mamaliga onto a plate with a spoon, or cut it into pieces like a cake. It can be served with omelettes, cheese, or meat dishes as a substitute for rice or bread. It should be served hot, as it will harden if cooled. It is recommended to serve it with curry instead of rice! It is so delicious!!
