“From Ineu, the country road winds through forests and over
hills, leaving villages on either side tucked away in the valleys.
For an house and a half, the road is good; then comes a steep hill, which you climb, and after descending back into the valley, you must stop to rest, water your horse or oxen, and let them catch their breath because the road has been rough and the terrain ahead is even worse. Here in the valley is the Mill with the good fortune. No matter from within the direction the traveler comes, he is glad to catch sight of it from the bald hilltop, for if he is coming from difficult places, it tells him he has been lucky, and if he is going towards them, he can find other travelers to wait for or travel with at the mill, so as not to venture alone. And because all travelers stop here, over time an inn was established in front of the mill, and somehow without anyone noticing,the mill stopped grinding and turned into a tavern and a place of shelter for all weary travelers, especially those caught on the road at night. Eventually, the tavern keeper built a more suitable tavern some hundred paces away from the little stream, and the mill was left deserted, with its paddles broken and its roof weathered by the passage of time. Five crosses stand in front of the mill, two made of stone and three of oak, adorned with charms and painted with holy icons; all of these are signs that tell the traveler that the place is blessed, for wherever you see one of these crosses, someone has either found joy or escaped danger. But the place was especially blessed since the arrival of the new innkeeper with his young wife and elderly mother-in- law, for they did not treat travelers as strangers but as long- awaited friends. It had only been a few months since St. George’s Day, and the seasoned travelers no longer said they would stop at the Mill with the good fortune but at Ghita’s, and everyone knew who Ghita was and where he was, and there, in the valley, between the steep hill and the difficult terrain, the Mill with the good fortune was no more, but Ghita’s tavern. And for Ghita, the tavern was lucky. Four days a week, from Tuesday evening until Saturday morning, it was always full, and everyone stopped at Ghita’s tavern, and everyone had something to eat and drink, and everyone paid honestly. On Saturday evening, the place emptied out, and Ghita, finally able to catch his breath, counted the money with Ana and the elderly mother-in-law, and then he looked at Ana. Ana looked at him, both looked at the two children, from there were now two, and the elderly mother-in-law looked at all four and felt taken care of, for she had a hardworking son-in-law, a lucky daughter, two lovely grandchildren, and the blessing was from God, from a well-earned profit.”