I filled my pocket with coins. One for every wish. I tried to stick to just one, but the hardest part was choosing which one I wanted the most. I approached the Fontana di Trevi one night, when the square was empty and the silence profound. I sat on the edge, with my back to the fountain, thought intensely about my first wish, took out a lucky coin, and tossed it over my shoulder. Signorina, I heard, turn around when you throw, otherwise you'll waste your dreams, the beer in my glass doesn't work miracles.
Nelson Ciotoi
She stood in that empty intersection, water dripping down her face. She knew she was having frequent contractions and that the time had come, but she couldn't see any way out of the situation. The thief had run off with her bag, leaving her without money, documents, or a phone. The phone booth across the street was the solution, but she didn't have any penny left for a call. She decided to try her luck. She picked up the receiver, but all she heard was a sharp beep. Desperate, she slammed the receiver back down so hard that she startled herself. From the machine, a coin fell. Just one.
Alina Ilie
Tiny skiny trembling hands, clasped in prayer, had cradled a silver secret. The old woman looked at her with a glimmer of hopeless luck, caressing her gentle face with just her gaze. She resembled her son with those coal-black eyes, the most kissed little eyes. Her teeth too - when the girl laughed, she could see him in her smile and laughed too. Whether they had something or not, they had each other, and it was enough for them to choose to wake up one more morning. She had heard of a well where you toss a coin and the wish is as good as done, so she opened her palms.
(Translated by Miruna Dumitru / 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.