I Sold My Ferrari

Titela Durnea
She was more than 50 when she sold everything and left. She was craving for a deeply change that was burning inside her. As a real fighter on behalf of authenticity, she was annoyed by the power horses that were every day propelling her into the fairy-like world of power: the dual community, smiling on outside and crying on inside. Metamorphosis was demanding its rights. So changing was the only solution. She returned a year later. Gorgeous. Zen-like. Firm chest splitting the morning air. The baritone voice from the taxi caresses her ear: Miss, can I give you a lift? Smiling crookedly at the silicon-image in the window, she gets in.

Ruxandra Comșa
Jingle Jingle bells, lights galore, let's enjoy His magic. To ease my being I leave the car under the bridge, the beggars warm themselves by the cardboard fire, who's the boss, one says I am, I give him the keys, do what you want, but better sell it and build a country of your own, for you who haven't stolen and haven't been men of no scruples, otherwise you'd be in my place and I in yours. The man takes out a picture of the Saint, I say I'm a big fan, and he, tonight coz is on duty, the Saint is the password, do you get it, you go through custom-house like greased lightning. Now cheers.

Denisse Oana Rădoi
Maria Mercedes gave birth to Ferrari when she was only 14. Soon after, she sold him to an American family for $100. She enjoyed that money as if they it was a small fortune, and bought beads and other gimcracks to make her feel more and more beautiful and high and mighty. Years passed, the child grew up and Maria had forgotten all about him. She had grown old alone in a village forgotten by the world. But one day she wind up to a handsome man at the door who said to her: I'm Willard, mother, but you can call me Will. Will Smith.

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


Real Fiction is a collective project started in 2013 by Florin Piersic Jr. The concept of Real Fiction continued to exist as a Facebook group, after a volume of stories was published at Humanitas Publishing House. (In December 2023, the group has 12,210 members.) The authors write ultra-short stories, with the texts limited to 500 characters (in Romanian, so the length of the English translation might be a little different) - a flash-fiction exercise on a topic that changes every few days. The group's coordinators are Florin Piersic Jr., Gabriel Molnar, Răzvan Penescu, Luchian Abel, and Vlad Mușat. (Drawing by Adrian T. Roman)

Versiunea în română a acestui text se poate citi aici, în rubrica Ficțiuni Reale.