Her low waist jeans were shamelessly revealing a fragment of her olive skin. She was wiggling her arms in the air, veiled by the dense fog birthed by the dozens of lit cigarettes. She hypnotised me without any eye contact, only with five French style nails hovering over her breasts highlighted by a tight t-shirt. I couldn't resist in front of her mystical dance. What's the mother of the Iele[1] called? Kaoma. Isn't that the name of...? Yes, it is, she cut me off with indifference. I haven't seen you around Jessy Pub before. You won't see me again. I'm not from around here. And she faded into the night.
[1] The iele are feminine mythical creatures in the Romanian mythology. They are described as fairies, capable of seducing men through magic, similar to nymphs and dryads of the Greek mythology.
I can't remember much from the wedding in Pipirig aside from that pair of dancers. Have you seen La Strada? No? What a shame. They looked exactly like Zampano and Gelsomina: him - a sturdy man standing at two metres tall, sort of a chainsaw worker, her - a blonde and frail midget. They really put on a show, lad. I'll only tell you the final act: he spun her in the air like a crêpe, then he threw her on his scruff, pulled her between his legs and then brought her to his chest. You're saying this isn't related to the theme? It is. The Sârba[1]was a thousand times more intriguing than your Lambada.
[1] Romanian folk dance.
Vlad Mușat
1994. I had just healed from chickenpox. I took advantage of my parents leaving for the market and left through the window. My friends greeted me with joy. Immediately after that, I made my spot in Brazil's lot. On the other side, Italy, the boys who lived 10 minutes away from our neighbourhood. The stakes were huge, a fully completed World Cup Panini album put into battle by ol' Aurel, the man who took care of the pitch. 14-14 and suddenly I hear ol' Aurel shouting. One last attack. I, Romario, dribbled past two kids and shot with fierce. Dança da vitória.
(Translated by Laurențiu-Gabriel Niculae / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)
Versiunea în română a acestui text se poate citi aici, în rubrica Ficțiuni Reale.