So. The man hiccuped and instantly, 3 flies and the kitchen table mat got drunk. Me. My mom. He slaped himself and started crying. The woman, with a baby in her arms, possibly his, stared at him. Okay. I'm waiting. The man roughly and noisily wiped his nose. So. Little Mary[1]. He lifted a finger and hiccuped again. Morning fog. He laughed. Can't help it. Yo. Who. Has. No. What? The possible baby started crying. So. You bastard. Tell me where your paycheck went, and who Mary is and what we're gonna eat the whole month. Water?
[1] The writer makes a play on the name Maricica.
Laura Stanciu
She climbed onto the chair to reach the makeup. The lipstick passed her lips and went all over her face too, but it didn't matter, she liked its deep red color. She found some beads and two wooden bracelets. With a clip in her hair, she looked at herself with satisfaction. Pretty Sonia. She rummaged in the dresser for a shoe box. She slipped her small sole into the left shoe, wobbled a little, but supported herself with her right hand on the large mirror. She looked at herself again. She looked so good in heels. All she needed now was a purse and a belt. I'm mommy.
Florentina Ghițescu
I was 7 years old, I lived in an apartment building, and I really liked it because I had many friends there. Just outside of town, dad had a placewhere he raised otters, chickens and a pig. This yard made up for the holidays in the country: here I ate acacia flowers and the best apricots in the world, here I was chased by a huge rooster until it pinched my bottom. My dad, a cheerful man, was so sad one day because all the newborn pigletshad died. That's when I wished I could do a magic spell that would revive everyone so that dad wouldn't be so sad anymore.
(Translated by Bianca Ioana Prisecaru / 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.