At his granddaughter’s funeral, sensing something was amiss, the old man approached the coffin and lifted the lid. What he saw chilled him to the core…
In the close-knit village where everyone knew each other, the funeral of little Alina, Stefan’s beloved granddaughter, had gathered all the villagers. But amidst the grief, Stefan and his loyal dog Milo sensed something unusual—something they couldn’t explain.
Suddenly, Milo began barking and lunging at the coffin. At first, Stefan ignored the dog’s behavior, but soon the distress became impossible to overlook.
With his heart racing, Stefan cautiously moved closer to the coffin. Milo’s barking grew louder, his eyes filled with fierce determination. When Stefan placed his hand on the coffin lid, he heard a faint noise coming from inside.
What he saw made his hair stand on end. His eyes widened in terror…
Alina, just seven years old, was breathing. Her eyelids fluttered, and small beads of sweat dotted her cold forehead. She wasn’t dead.
“She’s alive!” Stefan cried out, his voice thick with emotion. “Alina is alive!”
The village doctor, Matei, hurried over and checked her pulse with trembling hands.
“Catalepsy,” he whispered, pale-faced. “A state that mimics death. I… I even signed the death certificate myself…”
Panic erupted. Someone called an ambulance, others fetched water, while Stefan held Alina tightly, afraid she might slip away again.
At the county hospital, doctors confirmed it was a rare form of catalepsy caused by a viral infection that slowed her vital signs to nearly undetectable levels.
In the days that followed, the village was stunned by the news. Stefan became a local hero, and Milo was showered with treats from every household.
Two weeks later, with Alina home and recovering, Stefan sat on his porch when Milo suddenly ran to the gate, barking excitedly.
An elderly man with white hair and a carved cane entered the yard. It was Vasile, a sorcerer from a neighboring village, known for seeing beyond the ordinary.
“I felt compelled to come,” Vasile said, sitting beside Stefan. “To share what you already feel deep down.”
The old sorcerer explained that some people—and animals—can sense the presence or absence of death’s shadow. Milo had sensed that Alina’s soul had not yet departed, unlike in true death.
“You and your dog share this gift,” Vasile added. “That’s why you could perceive what others missed.”
That night, as Alina slept peacefully, Stefan lay awake reflecting on the sorcerer’s words. He recalled other moments in life when he sensed the unexplainable—like knowing exactly when his wife had passed, even from miles away.
Alina’s miraculous survival soon became legend throughout the region. Visitors came from afar to see “the girl who returned from death” and the brave dog who saved her.
One morning, while playing in the garden with Milo, Alina asked her grandfather:
“Grandpa, what did you see when you opened the coffin? Why did your hair stand on end?”
Stefan smiled warmly, looking at her.
“I saw your future, my dear. And it was too precious to let slip away.”
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