Rack and Ruin

Daniela Rusu
From the tiny sack he shook from above, the dust fell like drenching rain. The village darkened and the houses began to wander and slide, bumping into one another. The people, horrified by the sound of the foreboding drums, saw their souls rising from the gates, all of them coiling towards the rubbish dump, where a reddish fire lit up the eager sky. The flesh of many barely lingered on the neglected bodies. The wind washed away sins, and in its blast, pictures danced chaotically. Only longing wept and kissed them all.

Siranuș Hakobian
In my foolishness I thought I had won the war, when in fact I had only won a poor battle. We stared into each other's eyes like two formidable opponents and, with the winner's grace, I let her go. Out of nowhere, she pulled out a pair of tattered wings and, like an exophthalmic fairy, took flight. Injured in self-love, she soon returned with well-trained hosts, starving jaws and obsessive discipline. They turned a wall into dust and powder, as I, in desperate defence, pulled out the insecticide.
 
 Gabriel Rusu
Crowds of people and children had gathered on the hill behind the block eagerly awaiting the event. The youngsters asked excitedly how long it would last, teens were sharing their opinions about the exact places where the dynamite should be placed, and the elderly looked on dejectedly. Suddenly, a series of bangs echoed, and the south shaft collapsed, leaving behind a dry cloud. Into this mire lies your future and our past, a neighbor said. I didn't comprehend until I was home alone. The others ran as fast as their legs could carry them.

(Translated by Andreea Georgiana Bogdan / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)