Diana Cornea
The emperor is naked, shouted a boy in the small square where a donkey was slowly dragging along a chewed rope, left behind by Blue, the mouse who angrily blew into his saxophone. Then he stuck out his tongue, long as a mile, and ran over to the old chess players. The emperor sat on the curb. He let the last drop from the bottle slowly trickle down his greenish throat. It reddened the asphalt. Today, he proclaimed, today I am free. He ripped his heart out of his chest and stuffed it into his phone. In the evening's silence, snowdrops stealthily emerged from the eyes of a girl.
Laura Stanciu
The Thai girl isn't relevant anymore. Three times and that's it. At least she was skinny. I'm getting a bit tired of Tinder. You know what the problem is? They use old pictures. I see a hottie, we exchange a few words, we agree to meet up, and she looks completely different, man. She's older, at least ten or twenty kilos heavier, and with a different hair color. I went after a chick in Câmpina and another one in Giurgiu. Miss, I don't have for provincial situation ships. I've gotten to the point where I ask directly, How many kilos are you now? and What sector do you live in?
Costică Tihan
Her parents kept pushing her, but she wasn't in a rush. It's not my fault I'm single, she said, smiling mischievously. The fortune teller told her that the stars weren't in harmony, but in two weeks, Venus would take action, and everything would come together. Whether by chance or not, she found a very creative bachelor on Tinder who loved cooking. On their first date, he served her a refreshing drink with basil and thyme, followed by amuse-bouche and dragon breath, and finally, miso paneer on a flaming tray. Spring had blossomed in her soul.
(Translated by Oana Ionescu / 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.