Dacă da, atunci valurile de distopie s-ar retrage. Ce a mai rămas dintr-o distopie? Poate avem un gust amar. Sau poate a mai rămas o frică. O frică. Oroarea de a nu se întâmpla cu adevărat. Dar valurile distopiilor apar și dispar tot timpul. Sunt fie evenimente locale, regionale sau globale. Distopiile vin ca valurile când oamenii, sau mai degrabă unii oameni, sunt îngroziți de ideea de libertate. De ce ar trebui să ne fie frică de libertate? Distopia este, desigur, frica de libertate. Poate că infinitul universului distruge libertatea. Ce idee ciudată! Oceanul care este universul ne sperie. Și de aceea suntem păcăliți de ideea unei distopie. Dar natura umană este definită de libertate. Nu poate fi altfel, ființa umană este libertate pură. Asta ar trebui să înțelegem. Distopiile sunt ca valurile. Aceste valuri vin să acopere libertatea. Dar libertatea este un joc dinamic. Este o provocare pentru oameni. Este un test. Navigand în marele ocean al universului, oamenii sunt tentați de distopie. Și se degradează în distopie. Dar dorința de libertate distruge distopia. Libertatea este semnul nostru ca navigatori prin marele ocean al universului. Suntem adevărați navigatori. Trebuie să mergem înainte în experiența noastră de viață. Distopia nu este un obiect al nostru. Este o provocare groaznică. Poate că trebuie să facem față. Valurile de distopie sunt ca furtunile pe ocean. Distopia este o furtună de suflete. Unii vor naufragia. Alți oameni vor fi salvați. Ideea de libertate strălucește prin încercările noastre. De aceea trebuie să fim curajoși. Ori de câte ori vin valuri de distopie, trebuie să ne manifestăm libertatea. Libertatea este cel mai frumos moment istoric al nostru. Și pentru că sensul vieții este bucurie, atunci bucuria libertății trebuie să fie ca un far pe țărmul oceanului pentru noi.

The heart. Novel by  Ovidiu Bufnilă 

I don't know exactly. How did it happen? Maybe it had to happen. At first it was like that, a move. When I met several people on the subway, I found out it was the same. That move brought us there. Yes, the morning was a strange movement in my body. Something moved there. I didn't think about what. It was a sunny morning. That's what I remember. An ordinary day was announced. There were all kinds of events all over the world. Nothing unusual. The news flowed like waves. From everywhere. Social networks were shaking. 

People expressed their fears, joys, victories, upsets. The movement occurred at 10 o'clock. I checked. It happened all over the world at the same time. That was incomprehensible to me. 

I went to the supermarket to buy cigarettes. Everyone there was talking about that strange movement. Everyone had felt it. Very strong. That's how I understood that we were all the same. I sat on the curb on the sidewalk. I smoked a cigarette. I thought. Something was happening in the world and I couldn't explain myself. I watched a TV across the street. The TV was on the terrace of the restaurant there. People laughed, talked loudly, felt well. I thought I'd go and ask them too. I crossed the street. I'm glad I can be sprinting. Hello. Hello to you, too, they said. Did you feel the movement? Wow! Sure you do. It was beautiful. It was a beautiful move. I didn't think like them. But they were right. It was a beautiful move. Something moved nicely in my body. And in their body was the same beautiful movement. We were the same now even though we didn't know each other. They told me the same thing. 

Something had moved in our body and that made us feel the same. It rained the next day. It rained lightly, without lightning and thunder. I saw many shadows on the street. Then I felt other movements in my body. Very strange. I talked to my neighbors. And they found the same thing as me. I watched TV but no one was talking about that phenomenon. Maybe it wasn't time to talk about him yet. There were only two or three testimonies on social networks. I would have liked to find more testimonies. I looked for them. I have not found.

On the third day I had a strange impression. I began to have thoughts that were not mine. They were not exactly. I'm sure of this. I began to inventory my thoughts. I tried to distinguish them from new thoughts. Those thoughts were either happy or sad. They were like my thoughts. I understand this. It could be anyone's thoughts. It was as if someone was giving me his thoughts.

On the fourth day, there was an avalanche of new thoughts. 

There were a lot of them. Lots of thoughts. It was an impressive moment. But I started to have other sensations than usual. I felt the temperature in my room differently. I felt like it was two temperatures. It was the same temperature, but I actually felt it in two different ways. I talked on the phone with a friend from overseas. He told me the same thing. In his city, there were more and more people who felt the same way. I laughed a lot during the conversation. 

My friend knew all sorts of jokes. He tried to reassure me. He told me that it must be a planetary phenomenon and that I must not be afraid. More and more people felt the phenomenon. And that was beautiful. It was as if something mysterious united all the people of the earth. I hung up and kept laughing. My friend collected good jokes. He had been doing this since he was a student. He told us all his jokes and we all laughed. I went out on the street. I talked to many passers-by. Each had its own story. Each began to feel in many ways. They had thoughts that were not their own. I asked them if they were feeling well. They said it was a new and very interesting experience. They liked this new experience. Some of them had started talking about this experience on social networks. It was a topic increasingly sought after by people around the world. That's how I found out that journalists also started writing about this phenomenon. 

I talked to a few women. I talked to a cop. I talked to a saleswoman. 

They all said the same thing I knew. I thought about driving. But I had to fill the tank with gas. I went to the gas station. There were a lot of people there. Everyone was talking about the phenomenon. They said they were reading each other's thoughts. It was a new thing. I didn't think. But it was real. People read their thoughts and laughed. They weren't upset.

 

They were laughing. I also read the thoughts of a gentleman who was a university professor. Then someone read my thoughts. It was a very interesting moment. I drove several kilometers. I'm out of town. From there stretched the desert. In the distance were mountains. The mountains were full of snow. Something drew me to those mountains. I arrived quickly. They were high mountains.

And then I felt someone's thoughts. He was a man in need of help. I got out of the car. 

I found him quickly. The man had fallen into a pit. 

He couldn't get out. He had hit his hand. 

I helped him out of the pit. He told me he realized I was coming to help him. 

Some of my thoughts were already on his mind. I helped him out of the pit. He asked me for a cigarette. He was walking there and slipped into the pit. He thanked me. We both then smoked in silence. My thoughts were his now. His thoughts were mine now. I asked him what he thought of the phenomenon. It's a beautiful phenomenon. It's weird and beautiful. 

Will it be all over the world? I think it will be all over the world. It's a beautiful phenomenon. All people feel the same heart. That was the explanation. In a way, all of a sudden, a single heart was born all over the world. It's a beautiful truth. Regardless of each person's ideas, all people now had the same heart.

When I got home, I met a woman who worked at the town hall. She was scared. He told me he couldn't read anyone's thoughts. She was very upset. I tried to calm her down. 

Let's talk about this. How is it? I do not feel anything. Then you have to open your heart. Maybe you were too upset. Maybe you're scared. She smiled. I was too upset. I had some problems. But now I can look at things differently. Give me your hand, I told him. Do you feel it now? She began to laugh happily. Now he felt that he was like all of us, that he was with us all in one heart. 

In the following days I met other people who did not feel the heart. I talked to them and they understood. Not raining. It was sunny. It was very sunny. Now I don't know if it was spring or autumn. I know it was very sunny. Astronomers have told the public on television that they are cosmic phenomena. But I knew it was the heart that changed people's thoughts. 

Her heart was moving. Doctors have tried to clarify the phenomenon around the world. Many officials have tried to take security measures. But people everywhere told them it wasn't necessary. We all felt with one heart now. It was a unique phenomenon in world history. We didn't even care if it was related to cosmic phenomena. Maybe it wasn't related to that. Her heart was evolving. The heart evolved in the universe independent of the movements of the sun or stellar explosions in other galaxies. 

I went to the cafe to meet other people. It was as if we were one man. We now knew our worries, our desires, our joys. We were all convinced that something extraordinary would happen. Probably a new phenomenon was coming. We talked about it. I drank coffee. I laughed, I joked. Across the river, there were other people like us. Ships crossed the river. On their deck were people like us. And we were all one heart. But one morning, something unusual happened. A neighbor stopped me and told me he didn't know his name anymore. He was very worried. I tried to calm him down. I reminded him of his name. He thanked me for ten minutes. Then he left happily. I thought it was a singular event but it was not so. There were more and more people who had problems. There were all kinds of problems. Doctors have prepared a treatment suitable for memory loss. But that wasn't it. It couldn't be that. It was no ordinary memory loss. Events rushed. People began to fear. I talked to some people at the cafe and told them my opinion. I also wrote on social networks. 

But one morning, something unusual happened. A neighbor stopped me and told me he didn't know his name anymore. He was very worried. I tried to calm him down. I reminded him of his name. He thanked me for ten minutes. Then he left happily. I thought it was a singular event but it was not so. There were more and more people who had problems. 

There were all kinds of problems. Doctors have prepared a treatment suitable for memory loss. But that wasn't it. It couldn't be that. It was no ordinary memory loss. Events rushed. People began to fear. I talked to some people at the cafe and told them my opinion. I also wrote on social networks. 

A few days later, the phenomenon stopped as it appeared. I didn't get any more thoughts in my mind. And all I had was my sensations. I don't know what happened. The phenomenon was quickly forgotten around the world. People continued to live their lives. I went to the cafe. I tried to talk to the people there. But no one wanted to listen to me. It's sad. It's incomprehensible. It must be a mess. Maybe I don't understand what's going on. All mankind had the same heart and the same thoughts. I lived this. It's true. But no one remembered. They looked at me amused. I stopped talking about it. 

I've been driving often since then. I travel to many places. I know new people. I try to read their thoughts but I can't. I try to feel their heart but I can't. I think it was a very strange phenomenon. Really, very strange. Maybe we humans around the world have received a sign. 

Maybe we should have learned something from that phenomenon. Last night I walked through the park not far from my house. It is a beautiful, bright park, full of beautifully colored flowers. It has wide alleys and very comfortable benches. I sit on a bench and watch the boats floating on the lake. The park has a very beautiful, clear, sparkling lake. Swans often come to this lake. He flutters his wings, elegantly, and sits on the water, making waves. Swans impress me. I look at him and try to understand what's on their minds. Swans probably have an elegant mind. They have supple movements. And it flies so beautiful and strong. 

There are also squirrels in the park. Squirrels are cute. Hops everywhere. I jump from branch to branch. I come to you if you call them nuts and peanuts. Squirrels are very agile. So must their minds. I think about the thoughts that squirrels have. I sometimes think that squirrels think only of nuts and peanuts in their minds. But it certainly isn't. I think what I'm thinking about squirrels' a mind is wrong. And untrue. 

Something extraordinary happened to me yesterday. I sat on a bench in the park. A childhood friend of mine passed down an alley. I invited him to sit with me on the bench. We remembered all kinds of beautiful childhood events. We played together many times. I saw many movies. I ate cotton candy. Every child in the world wants to eat cotton candy. What could be better than cotton candy? But chocolate is also great. I was opening the chocolate with emotion. We filled our mouths with chocolate. We were soaked in chocolate to the ears. 

I also ate ice cream. What beautiful memories. My friend is working at Central Station now. Direct the trains. Trains came and went at the station and people ran either to get on or to meet them. I think it's a beautiful job. And very important. 

After being left alone, I felt something strange. I don't know how to explain it properly. It was amazing. I didn't expect that. I never even thought it could happen to me. As a student, I had a few premonitions, but I didn't pay attention to them. But now I understand their importance. Maybe I should have taken them into account. Maybe I should have been more careful. The truth is, I'm kind of amused. Or maybe careless. Sorry about that. I hope one day I won't be like that again. I could tell jokes too, or I could get hired at Central Station to run the trains. I could do other important things. Why not? Many people do important things. Many people think important things. I should do that too. I could think seriously about these things. 

I was sitting on the bench thinking about it. People were walking in the alleys of the park. They laughed, held hands, told all kinds of stories. I looked at them with joy. They walked down the alleys and laughed. How pretty. Swans descended on the lake. The squirrels were hopping through the bushes. A puppy was running after them. A child was riding a bicycle. Someone had launched a colorful balloon that flew quickly over the park. I looked for the balloon. As a child, I used to throw balloons on my street. The balloons rose quickly after the currents of hot air. It was beautifully colored. I remembered them. I was glad to remember them. The truth is, there, on the bench, I felt good. Once, I remembered, I had a bicycle. I really enjoyed riding my bike. It was a multi-speed orange bicycle. Those were beautiful moments. I was passing people at high speed. Some stepped aside amused. Nobody was upset. I was riding my bike and no one was shouting at me. The truth is, I'd love to ride a bike. Why not? I could go to the nearby store to buy a bicycle. 

Of course, if I buy a bike and come for a walk in the alleys of the park, I have to be careful not to hit the squirrels. I'll be careful with the squirrels. They are so cute! And of course they have all kinds of beautiful thoughts! I liked to think that I would buy a bicycle. I got up from the bench because I was numb. I set off. The alleys were sunny. Scented flowers flooded the alleys with their fragrance. I headed out of the park. There are lilac bushes. They have a strong scent. I saw all kinds of beautifully colored butterflies. They were yellow butterflies. They were red butterflies. They were blue butterflies. 

And then something extraordinary happened. I didn't think it would happen. I felt something strange in my mind. It was very strange. It was like a song. 

Yes, of course, it was a very beautiful song. I'm sure I've never heard that song before. 

Where did she come from? What was that song? I looked around. It was nobody. The alley was deserted. But someone was singing a song that I was now hearing in my mind. How pretty! 

I had to look around. I looked around very carefully. The song seemed to come from all directions. That was it. It came from all directions. I wasn't scared. I was upset. Maybe someone was making a joke. But there was no one around. The sun was preparing for sunset. 

Maybe it had something to do with it. I have often seen a sunset that was like a song. I was in the mountains and I saw that. I heard the song of the sun. But it wasn't like the song I was hearing now. 

I felt good. I was fine. It wasn't a mirage. It was a beautiful song I could hear in my mind. I took a deep breath. The song did not come from the people on the sidewalk in front of the park. The song did not come from a radio. The song had something strange. He didn't have anything human. It was not sung by an instrument or a human voice. I wanted to go back to the bench I was sitting on. Maybe there was something there. 

I had to look there. I decided. I returned. Swans flew across the lake. The squirrels were looking at me curiously. No, it wasn't their song. Now, I wonder, do swans sing? Now, I wonder, do squirrels sing? I cannot know. But I felt it wasn't their song. Then, suddenly, I felt a thought that was not my thought. 

Yes, I felt that. I felt very clearly. It was a pure and soft thought. It was a happy thought. It was a very happy thought. And my heart started beating in a strange way. I looked around again. Where did all this come from? There had to be an answer. I was looking for the answer. There must be an immediate answer. I couldn't wait. I didn't want to wait for the answer. I wanted an answer then, there. I needed that answer, whatever it was. I thought I was ready to receive the answer. 

And, just then, I heard the heart of the butterfly in my heart. And the butterfly came out of the air and sat on my hand. 

All good and beautiful. Only this happened. One day, I found a heart. I don't know who lost her. That's what I told myself. Now see what problems I'm going to have. But it wasn't really like that.

Cornelia Páun Heinzel : Curba destinelor  -  Partea a doua  din ciclul “Vivat academia ! Vivant professores !”  “Moara lui Călifar versus Liceul lui Chiverniseală”

Cornelia Păun Heinzel : Curba destinelor - Partea întâi  

 Radu răsuci volanul, schimbă viteza și intră furtunos în curbă, în “Triunghiul Bermudelor” terestru, spațiul unde toți cei vii, supraviețuitorii accidentului și cei care și-au dat acolo ultima suflare, conviețuiau împreună pentru totdeauna. Era locul care a adus un destin tragic, familiei sale și multor altora. Radu simți cum lacrimi de sudoare i se revarsă pe față,cum fiori reci îi străbat întreg corpul...

Mai întâi mi-am zis că poate voi fi adormit și că visez. Eram în Marienplatz, în inima urbei, era soare și mi-era cald, deși eram desculț și doar cu pijamaua pe mine; putea fi ora amiezii, dar piața era totuși pustie, adică aproape pustie, lucru destul de ciudat pentru un perimetru pe care, nu numai în sezonul turistic, îl știam asaltat fără curmare de sute și sute de pietoni, fie ei localnici sau veniți de te miri unde. Senzația de stranietate era întărită de faptul că vitrinele magazinelor (Hugendubel, Beck, Rischart, Kaufhof etc.) erau protejate rudimentar cu scânduri, iar fațadele clădirilor, inclusiv cele ale primăriei neogotice, împestrițate cu graffiti, purtau și alte semne vizibile ale unei suspecte delăsări. Din fântâni debordau gunoaiele, răspândite de altminteri pe tot pavajul, faimoasa Coloană a Mariei, văduvită de statuia celei al cărei nume îl purta și piața, fusese retezată pe la jumătate, iar orologiul fără arătătoare din turnul Primăriei îmi sugera nu știu de ce o analogie cu ceasurile lichefiate ale lui Salvador Dali.

Am numit traducerea Cununia dragilor, deoarece românii numesc căsătoria – cununie, din cauza cununilor pe care le poartă mirii (afară de Copca rădvanului, a lui Galaction, unde Satana înlocuiește cununile cu găleți sparte, bătute în cuie); dar în ebraică povestirea se numește Baldachinul dragilor, căci nunta evreiască are loc sub un baldachin (în prima versiune, povestirea se numea Baldachinul negru, ca o prevestire a caracterului ei macabru). Baldachinul va apărea, foarte proeminent, spre sfârșit. Fără îndoială, această povestire are afintăți spirituale cu Strigoii lui Eminescu, deși nu poate fi vorba de o influență directă. Interesantă e figura personajului feminin, Țila (Cartea Facerii IV), una dintre soțiile lu Lemech (Lameh). Țila aceasta din povestire, îndrăgostită de paznicul cimitirului, moare, și, moartă fiind, vrea să se întoarcă acasă ca să‑și ia bijuteriile și astfel să se căsătorească cu iubitul ei (povestirea se folosește evident de precedente necrofile); dar nu reușește! Avuțiile lumești nu pot fi luate pe lumea cealaltă. Agnon e caracterizat de limba lui reconstituită, din toate straturile istorice (ca a lui Sadoveanu, dar pe o perioadă de peste trei mii de ani). În general scrierile sale sunt bazate mai ales pe limba rabinică; această povestire face parte dintre excepții, limba biblică având în ea o prezență vizibilă. Numele Iohanan înseamnă – Dumnezeu a miluit. În această povestire, eroul romantic care moare din dragoste liebestod nu e, ca în Strigoii lui Eminescu, rege, sau, ca în Copca rădvanului, artist, ci un sărman paznic de cimitir, care, cât trăiește,  se hrănește cu pâine, și cu ceva cartofi, ceapă, usturoi și scrumbie, gura lui pute și e plin de bube.