Her body has been found over there, covered in mud, with her hair tangled in algae. How did all this mud get into an apartment kitchen? She had no idea how to answer their question. She hasn't slept since then. She snaps out of sleep screaming, seeing that image of her, then smokes until the break of dawn. She longs for an answer, a sign. But she doesn't even know where to begin. That apartment had been empty for so long, the owner lived abroad. And nobody knew anything about her in the first place. Besides, it's been years since this forgotten town has last seen rain.
Oana Jindiceanu
All aboard, right? I'm talking about the ship, not the bar[1]. I was the only one who laughed, but that's alright, please, have a seat, we're setting off. On the right side, you can see sunny shores, clear waters, perhaps overly so, but that's how it is, they can't change at this age, quirks, beautiful things. On the left side, a forest. We can really know what lies in there, but every now and then, a clown pops out of it, exactly, there he is. We don't really know what's the deal with him, oh Lord, he's heading towards us. He's quite unpredictable, doesn't seem too friendly either, oh Jesus.
[1] Wordplay -In Romanian, "A lua la bord" means to have a snootful/to have a few drinks. The author attempts to make a joke, associating the idiom and the boarding process.
Lucian Domșa
Around noon, Gheorghe went down to the stream to water his heifer. Further down he heard some rustling and voices. He cautiously stepped towards the noise to see who was there. Milia and his little sister were joyfully bathing in the clear waters. The lad hid behind a locust tree and watched them intently. It was the first time he had seen a girl's naked body -he was truly fascinated. He marked the spot on the tree trunk with his pocket name, just to make sure he would remember it. All of a sudden, he felt his muscle tense and his flesh harden. This is my water, he whispered, filled with joy.
(Translated by Marian-Cătălin Niculăescu / 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.