Scarecrow

Monica Bologa
It's dark outside, the window is wide open, and I am in bed. A crow has been sitting on the windowsill for a while, staring at me. I don't shoo it away because I like staring at it too. My boyfriend is in the bathroom, taking a shower. I slowly get out of bed and tiptoe to the bathroom. It's dark on the hallway. I crouch near the door, leaning on the wall, and I wait for him to get out. He takes a leak, flushes the toilet, washes his hands. When he opens the door, I jump on him like a hairy beast. Startled, he elbowed me in the face so hard that I lost two teeth. The crow took flight and kept on flying.

Alex Caragian
Mister Berry, your insistence that your mother participate in the spiritism session through hypnosis is not a good omen. Based on my experience, the presence of family members can influence the outcome. Mister Bob, based on my experience with specialists like you, that's exactly what I wish for - a family member to ensure me that once I'm hypnotized, you won't start telling me tales. But your mother is dead. That's exactly why I brought her. You speak to the dead on the daily, but when I bring you a live one you dodge the column. Ah, Maman, you were right. Let's go.
 
 Paul Dârvariu
The first one met his end onour wedding night. He choked on a piece of gristle and off he went. We buried him dressed in his groom suit, without ever having shared our bodies. The second one got me pregnant. I was craving peaches, so I sent him to the orchard and the ladder broke beneath him. The third one was a bit older. He claimed he had stomach issues. He took one blue pill every evening and then he died happy between my legs. What do you advise me to do? Should I remain a widow forever or should I look for one who doesn't know my nickname?

(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)