She was the coolest chick in high school: mind, tits, legs, the whole package. The problem was that she was reading and I wasn't. To be observed by her, I borrowed a book and went to the reading room. I sat across from her and read. I was turning the pages with noise. What are you reading? she asked. I looked at the cover: Morometii. Who is the main character? Uh, Bisisica? I had opened the book where was the name of the sheep. She bursted out laughing. I found out that if I make her laugh, I win her over. I started reading. Now, we have a boy who looks just like her. We read to him every night.
Ligia Dumitrescu
Grandma and grandpa lived in a little house with a room and a kitchen, with clay on the floor and a gas lamp, where I went in the summer. Attached to the house, my boppa had a library. That is, a kind of pantry, where his coffer of books was, which he was very fond of. I was fascinated by this. I couldn't wait for him to leave home to research it. When I grew up he started lending me books. He hadn't made me a reader's card, but God forbid I hadn't returned them to him on time and in good condition. I was his only subscriber. And how proud I was.
Iulia Biro
This book is broken. What? asked the woman. Her eyes were bulging through the lenses of her glasses. This book is broken, I said, louder. It won't open, no matter how hard I pull the cover. Everything stopped for a few moments. No one pretended to read anymore. A few had come closer to see me. This is him? I heard the whisper pass from man to man. It's him, the librarian roared and threw the book at me. Save yourself as you can. He broke off an arm of her glasses, stuck it in my hand and disappeared into the book elevator.
(Translated by Ioana Andreea Radu / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)
Versiunea în română a acestui text se poate citi aici, în rubrica Ficțiuni Reale.