Spring of 1944.A Romanian military unit in the Ukrainian steppe receives the unexpected visit of a German general and major.The soldiers are hungry and are looking to get a good meal.The young major reveals to the hosts that he owns the famous auroch’s head, the Romanian stamp of which only two copies exist in the world–Tertium non datur (a third is not given). Inexplicably, the stamp disappears.The Romanian general orders a humiliating body search.The only one who refuses the search as dishonorable is captain Tomut. In the end, the stamp is found–it had stuck to the bottom of a bowl. The Germans leave.Tomut explains that he had on him a third auroch’s head, a alisman-gift from his mother.
Based on Vasile Voiculescu's story “Auroch's Head” (Capul de zimbru) |