You don't really know how to make advances on someone. You move to the next level rather quickly, she replied to the pigeon circling her. Let's get to know each other first. Look, I live on the first floor, in a building of four. I rented the windowsills and grates of 3 rooms, it's a big apartment. The grates are wrought iron. Mrs. Anton, the owner, is in charge of cleaning. If you're serious about it, I'd rather we didn't live on the second floor or above. The neighbourhood, the place and the neighbours matter. Downspout is one thing, concrete is another. What do you bring to this relationship?
Mihaela Popescu
He grabs the file from the desk and flips through it. Evidence number one: the apple core next to the trash can. Granny Smith. They will confirm the DNA in the laboratory. Sample number two: the Gryffindor scarf on the hanger. You go in to steal a collection of books but forget the scarf, a true fan would never do this. Evidence number three: the unopened Lego. He puts the file back on the desk. He gets up from his chair and looks out the window. How did they get in if there was a grate? Ana, I know who the culprit is. Ok Sherlock, let's go to bed now, it's late.
Radu Gramatovici
I almost died last night. I don't believe you. You have to. How? Choked by the hands of a monster protruding through the bars of a drain. What were you looking for there? I stopped there to throw up on the path I usually walked on with Iulia, after I had been drinking all evening waiting for her at the bar and all I could see was her image on the television screens of the hospitals I had run through all after-noon to look for dad. And how did you escape? From whom? The monster. Didn't I tell you I drowned him in vomit?
(Translated by Bianca-Andreea Rîmboacă / 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.