The cat… A cat ate and slept. Yes, she also sat for many hours in front of the window watching children play in the garden. The cat owner loved the cat, and the cat knew that. She took care of the cat, but the cat wanted to know what it is like to live in the real world. One day she went out of the house never to come back again. She met other street cats who rejected her. She met dogs barking. She was cold in winter and sometimes left without food. But she never regretted that she left the house. The cat was a searcher just like you and me. The lion… The lion was sad. Someone cut his claws. The lion could not hunt. He was eating grass like cows. But the lion believed his claws would grow again. And they did in fact grow. By the time his new claws had grown, the lion had become accustomed to vegetarian food. He was not a lion anymore. Something had changed. The lion would sit for hours to welcome the sunrise and say goodbye to the sunset. Now he was a dreamer. He did not want to return to the savage life. He was a lion but a different lion. Reflection… Serenity pleased her, but something was missing. She filled the space with cigarettes. What was that? It had no name, yet it was very powerful. It would give content to what was happening. It would fill the empty cup with juice. She did not understand where to look. How to get it. Once upon a time, a guy went out of his house to find he-did-not-know-what in he-did-not-know-where. He searched and searched. He was in many cities and villages. He met many people – rich and poor. He had bad and good days. Sometimes he felt he was so close, but on living a couple of months there he would continue his way. One day he saw a raven on the limb of a tree. “Where are you going?” the raven asked. “I am going to find I-don’t-know-what in I-don’t-know-where.” “You already found it,” the raven declared. “How is that?” the guy asked. “Look in the river, and you will see it.” The guy went to the river and gazed into the water. In the water was his reflection. He saw himself. The road to Lake Sevan wound through snow-covered mountains, climbing steadily upward. Armen drove competently, handling the hairpin turns with ease, while Armenian music played softly through the car speakers. Julie watched the landscape change through the passenger window, village houses giving way to more rugged terrain. The cottage turned out to be more substantial than Julie had imagined – a two-story stone house with a view of the frozen lake. Inside, it was rustic but comfortable, with wooden beams across the ceiling and a large fireplace dominating the main room. “Your friend must be quite successful,” Julie commented, as she explored the space. “Eduard is an oligarch’s son who prefers painting to politics,” Armen explained, bringing in their bags. “He lets me use this place when he’s in Paris, which is most of the time these days. They settled in, and Armen built a fire while Julie unpacked her small suitcase in one of the two bedrooms upstairs. She had brought her laptop, intending to use some of the time to work on her short stories, though she doubted she would actually write anything. That evening, they cooked together, making a simple meal of pasta and salad. Armen opened a bottle of Armenian wine, and they ate by the fireplace, talking easily about books and films. Armen was laid back, but curious about what was going on inside Julie. He tried to nudge her on the topic of her depression, with Julie resisting. She did not need help or support. That annoyed her. Armen felt that and stopped asking questions. Later, as they sat side by side on the couch watching the fire die down, Julie felt Armen’s arm go around her shoulders. She tensed momentarily, then allowed herself to relax against him. “Is this okay?” he asked. Julie nodded, surprised to find that it was. She turned her face up to his, and when he kissed her, it felt like a question rather than a demand. She answered by leaning in closer, allowing herself to be present in the moment without analyzing or catastrophizing for once. (…to be continued…) by Armine Asryan (Nane Sevunts) Transadaptation Volume 7 – Via Ellipsis – Continuation of Uncertainty, Instability and Extremes Transadapted January: An Unexpected Trip Down Memory Lane – Sarah-Leah Pimentel (South Africa) February: Blow-up – Veronika Groke (Austria) March: Futuros Murguistas – Alejandra Baccino Uberti (Uruguay) April: The Nomenclature Man – Paulius Limantas (Lithuania) May: Amanecerá y veremos – Adriana Uribe (Colombia) June: Finding Light in Yerevan – Armine Asryan (Armenia) July: The Last Judgement – Nadia Silva Castro (Brazil) August: Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Worm? – Narantsogt (Natso) Baatarkhuu (Mongolia) September: Second Steps – Jonay Quintero Hernandez (Spain) October: New Normality – Svetlana Molchanova (Russia) November: Pandemic Love – Li Xiakun (China) December: Beyond Comprehension – Rahaf Konbaz (Syria) Background – Context Transadaptation Volume 6: Meaning? – Uncertainty, Instability and Extremes Transadapted, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2025) Transadaptation Volume 5: Of Flowing Vicissitudes – Life Transadapted, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2024) Transadaptation Volume 4: Material Dissent – Adulthood Transadapted, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2023) Transadaptation Volume 3: Evanescent – Young Adulthood Transadapted, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2022) Transadaptation Volume 2: Conceived – Childhood Transadapted, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2021) Transadaptation Volume 1: In the Middle – Prelude to a Contemporary Transadaptation, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2020) Peripatetic Alterity: A Philosophical Treatise on the Spectrum of Being – Romantics and Pragmatists by Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2019) La Syncrétion of Polarization and Extremes Transposée, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2019) The Codex of Uncertainty Transposed, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2018) L’anthologie of Global Instability Transpuesta, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2017) From Wahnsinnig to the Loony Bin: German and Russian Stories Transposed to Modern-day America, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2013) Emblems and stories on the international community Perception by country – Transposing emblems, articles, short stories and reports from around the world Credits Background photo: Kapan, Armenia – The building – KrimKate (Shutterstock) Top row of inserted photos (left to right): 1. Old Khndzoresk, Armenia – Man-made caves – Lovelypeace (Shutterstock); 2. Kapan, Armenia – A spring evening – KrimKate (Shutterstock) Second row of inserted photos (left to right): 1. Goris, Armenia – Hung out to dry – KrimKate (Shutterstock); 2. Kapan, Armenia – The town – KrimKate (Shutterstock) Third row of inserted photos (left to right): 1. Armenia – A village in Syunik province – KrimKate (Shutterstock); 2. Goris, Armenia – On the street – KrimKate (Shutterstock) Fourth row of inserted photos (left to right): 1. Kapan, Armenia – Illuminated – KrimKate (Shutterstock) Fifth row of inserted photos (left to right): 1. Kapan, Armenia – At home – KrimKate (Shutterstock); 2. Halidzor, Armenia – On the edge – KrimKate (Shutterstock); 3. Kapan, Armenia – The embankment – KrimKate (Shutterstock)