Ma had a remedy for all of childhood's troubles: kind and softly sung words to dry the tears, bread with butter and rosehip jam for losing at the board game Nu te supăra, frate, but most of all, sulphanilamide powder for wounds. Ma, she pushed me and cracked my head! I would yell. I would speak to her in her manner. Who pushed you? She did. And I'd point accusingly at my sister. Come to Momma to hush it up. Then, she would generously apply sulphanilamide to any injury. And she'd take the pain away as if by hand. Ma wasn't our relative; she was simply Ma. Stardust in my heart.
Alex Caragian
The crow on the shoulder of the pirate RozaBeard cawed of misfortune. He shook it to rid it of dust and powder, for he hadn't indulged in this luxury since spending a night with the taxidermist. Let it all turn to powder and dust, roared the thundering mouth bearded mouth. The shipwreck advanced toward danger through the deserted dunes. The ghostly sailor handed him the pipe with powder and dust. The bearded man gave him an ugly look with the eye beneath the patch. The sailor spat into the pipe. Bring me the bring-\'em-closer.
Bogdan Ivanovici
Adam dreamt of electronic sheep. They dreamt of Eve. Thus, from this strange and almost causal chain, the future temptress materialized, and it followed that cumbersome process of re-entering the garden of paradise. In essence, the dream of ascension was born through that peculiar fall into sin. The dream dissipated when the Lord spoke. Adam, be wary what you dream, for you risk it comings true. Just saying. Adam, silent, moved through the stardust, drew the cosmic dust deep into his lungs, and started project Humanity.
(Translated by Alin-Marian Mărgescu / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year II / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)
Versiunea în română a acestui text se poate citi aici, în rubrica Ficțiuni Reale.