​Alexandra Sisilică 
Economic College VIILOR, Bucharest




India, January 2014

Dear Alexandra,

    Here in Zunka, there is a terrible mist, the other villagers say, but you know well that such a mysterious landscape relaxes and cheers your dear granny up. When you are smaller, we used to send letters one to the other. Therefore, i am going to start writing to you because i miss you a lot. I want to tell you something important from my past, something that would amaze you, to be sure. 
    I was 19 and i was happy because I had planned a small trip with your poppy, who at the time was my new lover. We had arrived in Italy, in San Marco. I remember well that it was a day of May, and the sun was shining over the Basilia church. Everything was beautiful, extremely beautiful! The paintings and the icons were touching us, it was like they were looking over us and blessing us. When we went out of the church, a nun came in front of me. At that time, there were no priests, and monks and nuns were unheard of! She took my hand, squeezed it friendly and nodded. Her black eyes showed hope. In one second, she let go of my hand, and left without saying one word. Then, I fell on the red cold marble. I could hear my lover calling for me and then, suddenly, everything became dark. 
    I was lying on the grass, refusing to open my eyes as I was afraid. I didn’t know what to do! Bravely, I lifted my eyelashes but the sunrays made me closed them again. When I could look closely, I realised I was in a forest, and certainly not a usual one. The wind was blowing calmly, and the blue and yellow flowers were rustling. The forest attracted me because of the emerald colour and the rustle of the leaves and the movement of the bird pushed me to go deeper in the forest. I started running towards the live world of the forest. I felt like I belonged there. I forgot about my family and especially about your grandfather. Then, it was only I and the strong and mesmerising nature. Maybe even terrifying. 
    Strangely, a fog surrounded me and an old woman with snowy black hair, long to her hips came before me. Her green eyes with yellow lights showed the warmth in her soul. I have a feeling you won’t believe me, my dear granddaughter, but it is true. Now, I think it was always I as the same age as the forest. Then, I was rendered speechless! I wanted more answers but the woman disappeared. Once she left, the forest started getting old. The sea of greenery was getting yellow, or better said black. The sunrays became more coppery. The flowers were bending sad, kissing the ground goodbye. Tension and fear overwhelmed my body. 
    Sweetie, all I know after that dream is that I woke up in the arms of my lover, crying. He became my husband, your grandfather... We two have never had enough time to talk, because I have been away almost all the time, all over the world, together with him. You know the nature of his job! That’s why I wrote to you about that May in Italy now, because you are old enough. The scarf I am sending to you has the shine of the sun as it was then and the smell of the plain here, in Zunka. And the gift shows that I have been missing you deeply. I am waiting for your visit in spring. We will make bracelets together, as we used to do in your childhood. We will drink tea and tell stories.
    I love you, my little ladybug!

With all my love, 
Your dear Mina

Cornelia-Elena Dima 
Economic College VIILOR, Bucharest
A TRIP IN A BOOK

                                                                                                    Himalaya, page 182

Hello, my little Dolly,
    

      Right now, I got to the middle of the trip, I am on page 182! Mother was right, this is a thrilling book. At about page 32, a carnivore plan was ready to eat me. It resembled to the Cobra plant, the one we have in the hall and which you don’t like as a rule. There, in the jungle where I was, the plan was gigantic. Bravely, a skipped to page 33 and escaped with my life. I made friends with a very puffy little monkey, named Cikita, which drags me into trouble all the time and disappears when you expect less. 
    I got into a dark and sinister cave, somewhere on page 48. I don’t know how, at its end there was a strong light and rocks had turned into crystals. I should not forget to tell you about the adventure in Sahara. Little Cikita disappeared like charm and I found myself with a very lazy camel in her place. It didn’t want to move at all, so we couldn’t look for any oasis. I a-ban-donned it! After a few steps, the sand moved and I fell in a tunnel! I have never been so scared in my entire life!
    On page 61, I got to Atlantis city, where Cikita, the little monkey that now had earrings, was riding a seahorse. I was riding a stingray. How bizarre! There, all beings were speaking like people; they were even doing everything like them. The horseshoe crab was gathering metals in something like a pile, maybe it was rusty iron or maybe a sculpture? The stripped murine was dancing with each centimeter of its body (and it had about 80!). The snail fish was pushing its glasses on its nose and was reading the gossips in the local papers to comment them with its friend, the Portuguese dreadnought in their evening show on TV. One moment, though! How do I know their name and who they are? I don’t have time to find out because I am on page 84, near a castle. The ground shook because a volcano was about to erupt. I turned into a small robot that looked well like Mario, my brother’s favorite toy. Like from nowhere, Cikita appeared. We jumped from a rock to another till we got to the top. The castle was very small now; I turned my back to it – I don’t think I’d see it again. I descended on the other side of the mountain with a surfboard, made of rocks, to the foot of the volcano. There, we found a small tunnel which we walked. Then, Cikita and I had to swim. We had just taken our heads out of the water to breathe, when a coconut fell from the sky, hit me and I swooned. 
    I woke up and I saw that my feet were on page 182. I am in Himalaya, in a yeti’s house. His wife cooks quite well. In the morning we ate yak lard on a slice of bread, some strange bread, sandy but tasty in a way. We drank some yellow milk. I miss my mother’s hot chocolate and her cocoa and peanut biscuits that I would give you under the table when she wasn’t paying attention.
    I am waiting new adventures, and I will write to you about them as soon as possible, my dear. I hug you with love and I hope to see you soon, my sweet Dolly! Do some tricks and show mother that I’m missing her!
         With love, 
            Your friend, Nelly