He was a star, keeping his shiny aura. He had designed generations of androids. Everyone called him uncle, but he was really my uncle. He and mother were part of the same series of robots, the first sent on the planet. They built everything around here, including dad and me. Some suspect he caused the short circuit to end his life on his terms. Since they couldn't prove anything, cause uncle was damn smart, he will be sent with honours to the other world. From his molten body they will make our first star on the sky arch.
Arthur Ianoși
My uncle works at the Morgue. You can say he gets along both with the dead persons and the living ones. With the dead ones cause they give him peace and with the living ones cause they give him money to make the dead ones look alive. Like yesterday, a widow asked him desperately to dress up her former husband in a blue suit. No matter the price I'll pay, even though he looks good in black too. I'll be back in two hours. When she was back, the job was done. How much does it cost? Nothing. Another dead person came, all dressed in blue. You switched the suits. Smart move. Not really, I switched the heads.
Denisse Oana Rădoi
I'm chewing gum and my senses travel back in time to my father's twin brother who was shaving with a shaving cream that smelled the same like my gum. He used to spread it all over his beard and then make grimaces. His mouth took on various ridiculous shapes, much like an animated caricature. The only unchanged expression remained in his eyes: careful not to cut himself. It's as if I dreamt about him last night in a vague posture and the mind is trying to fill in the gaps with meanings from a supposedly premonitory dream. One thing is clear, good people have a mint fragrance.
(Translated by Constantin Grigorescu / 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.