I Am Writing

Oana Jindiceanu
Out of desperation. When the words tighten around my throat from the inside: enough, Oana, it's time you let us out. We can't take it anymore, we're crammed together, and you've gathered us from all corners of the world. You've brought these destitute lasses too, I have no idea where you've found them, from the neighbourhood, from adolescence, they don't seem to be your type and you've thrown them over us. As for these French girls, I won't even bother talking about them. You haven't used them in an eternity. When their time comes they'll still be old girls in wedding dress. Ventilate the room a bit, it smells. Write some poetry.

Camelia-Monica Pătru
the ending of the story, asking myself if you've ever existed, although you've always been there, from the moment I blinked to the last whisper. I had drawn a zebra crossing between us so you could safely cross towards me, because the jungle we're living in hides traps but, without taking one step, you told me I could do anything by myself. You taught me to fall asleep listening to fairy tales, and today's nights are desolate. Do you remember when you dressed me in a white gown and told me to be quiet? It is still in my luggage, beside your sweet words. The burden is a heavy one, but I can't carry it either.

Laura Stanciu
Ana had moved, early in the year, to the best school in Arad. In the English class, the teacher calls to the board who had no grades so far. What is the 3rd person form of to write? We write. What about the 2nd person singular? You write. Is it spelt with an r or a w? An R. Good, Ana. Tell your parents that you conjugated the verbs splendidly. It's an A for today. Coming next, Dan Roșu. Miss, when we write on our phone, is it still called writing? Do you have your phone with you? Oh yes, of course. Tell your parents the school rules. It's just a warning for today.

(Translated by Bogdan Macarie / 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 January 2024, the group has 12,500 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.