Lodge Climbing, 1979

Summer 1979. End of High School. During vacation before college (actually before the mandatory nine month military stage before college) i was working at the local furniture factory across the street from where i was living in Câmpulung, Suceava. 7 November St, now they changed it to Calea Transilvaniei, don't know why.

I was spending all my evenings at the Mancaş family, half mile down the street. Mother and three daughters. Mrs.Mancaş (born Gătej) was from Câmpulung and owned that piece of property with a cottage, across the street from where Liviu Strugariu, my ex grade school class mate lived. In fact, he introduced me to them. Daughters, Elena, Tatiana and Gabi. Tatiana, the cutest, "had to give up ballet because of a heart murmur". Tatiana and Elena "just got admitted to college", as myself.
(Years later Gabi told me Tatiana became a physics teacher and married in Piatra Neamţ).

One day my three Tehnoton HS ex class mates, Mareş Mirel of Buhuşi, now Montreal, Canada, Valentin Gheorghiţă of Focşani, Romania, Gabriel Ringhiliescu of Iaşi, Ştefăneşti - Botoşani, France, came with Gabi's brand new car, (Dacia) for a trip to Ardeal. My father didn't want me to leave the job so they went alone. In a couple of weeks they came back and we went on a Saturday on a trip to Rarău, a blessed place on the face of the Earth. (No i don't believe anymore he is the guy on the right).

Mareş Mirel, left, Valentin Gheorghiţă, right, Gabi Ringhilescu, next to him. Click to enlarge.

I went to Mancaş sisters which i visited all summer and they agreed to come with us. We bought some food and a bottle of 1 litre of brandy. Mirel, V.Gheorghiţă and myself went by foot, some 9 miles, and the rest with Gabi in the car.

We raised a tent and rain came. We used the pump from the mat to blow in a fire. Made a trip around the lodge. Weather and angle of view of the lodge from where we had the tent was similar to this one.

Click to enlarge

Night came. The six of them slept in the tent. There was not enough room in the tent and i was left to sleep in the parked car but couldn't sleep and played with car's radio's dial on the short waves. I think i drank, alone, most of the brandy. I caught some music at Free Europe. I remember they were playing ABBA's song Give me Give me Give Me a Man at the Midnight. (Now i know that song was officially released months later, don't know). And i was singing along replacing the word man with girl. And then something really weird happened. I saw through the windshield a guy coming down the lodge from the roof using a climbing rope. Dressed in a completely black suite, tight on the body, like for divers. He went inside on a window.

I was too drunk to think. I thought maybe he was playing a prank to somebody. I don't know.

The next day i think i told them the story but nobody paid attention. We went back to Câmpulung the same way we came. Sun came up. Beautiful day. I had a hangover. Monday went back to work.

From time to time i remember the episode. Don't know what to think anymore. Could it have been...a ninja?