I’d like to practice asking you to appreciate something I am still uncertain about. Arseny once told me how a grandson might reach through time to influence a grandfather. Not only does the grandfather choose actions for the sake of his grandson, but also the grandson narrates his grandfather’s story.
Two summers ago, I visited an oak tree on the Lithuanian farm of Vabalickiai that my grandfather called home. It was an incredibly striking tree, trunk split in half and charred by lightning, with an abundant canopy of leaves. Had the thought of me visiting made him focus on the lightning-imprinted tree when he wrote down his memories? What a beautiful communication through time!
But I misremembered what he wrote. Looking back at my aunt’s translation, there are several mentions of the oak tree as a landmark near the entrance of Vabalickiai, but no lightning. Did he actually remember the oak tree intact? My aunt thinks so, and will check pictures from her first visit. Since we’re practicing uncertainty, I also want to ask you: who is influencing whom?