New folder

Florentina Ghițescu
Even if it's called new, I'm just going to collect old stuff in it. I've made a habit of thoroughly cleaning my laptop. I don't just throw them in the trash, I transfer them to a new folder first. I can't bring myself to delete these photos, I've worked a lot on these book presentations too, what if I will need something from that conference? I can't seem to throw anything away, at least when it comes to my clothes and shoes I can trick myself into thinking that some poor guy will use them, who are my memories of use for? I'll buy an external hard drive.

Andra Toropoc
The fireworks and Nina's serious voice were part of his tradition. As was preparing the champagne and the glasses, many once, only two for some time. He sighed, paying attention to the music and the tip of the pencil he was sharpening, it had to be as good as new when he was writing the figures of the new year on a white sheet. He took a sip from his glass, toasting his beloved vision, I love you always, I know you're waiting for me. He smiled gratefully at the pain in his chest that was completely taking over him. Just the old record twitching, stuck on the turntable, it's a new dawn, it's a new day.

Carmen-Ecaterina Ciobâcă
She, at the desk, smiling from ear to ear. Andrei wraps his knees around her ankles under the seat. A detail Mihai didn't catch. In Vama[1], with sand in hair and underwear. In the arms of the most beautiful boy in the world. Mihai is taking photos. At the cross on the Caraiman Mountain. Flushed. She just said yes. Mihai captured the moment. She is wearing a white dress that's squeezing the hell out of her. Next to her, Andrei. Mihai is the photographer. Ctrl+A. Move to New folder. Right click. Rename? No. Delete. Andrei has moved in with Mihai, and she will learn to live again.

(Translated by Raluca Ioana Crucerescu / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year II / 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 February 2024, the group has 12,700 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.