Teodora Vamvu
Mommy and Daddy were once newlyweds. Back in those days, they were actually Not-Yet-Mommy and Not-Yet-Daddy. They had friends over constantly, with whom they'd eat prawn crackers and play cards. One evening, Not-Yet-Mommy was relaxing in the tub when Not-Yet-Daddy walked into the bathroom and said: let's have a baby. Not-Yet-Mommy asked, rightfully so: and what would we do with it?, to which Not-Yet-Daddy, the system engineer, answered after a brief calculation: we can have two and play cards.
Varinia Mitrea
Do you know what brain surgery is all about? You poke a hole in the cranial cavity, eliminate the tumour, and cover the hole back up with a metal plate. Yes, my childhood dream was operating the thinking organ. My parents have always believed in me, supported me in everything I did, gave me wings, and I knew that one day I would become a famous doctor, admired all around the world. Today's triage in the emergency room? The cabbage rolls guys on the left, the drunks on the right. I was on the right. My even deeper passion for Mary brought me here. Bloody Mary.
Titela Durnea
She's beautiful. She's got long arms, with fair skin and translucent veins. When she holds me in her arms, she can fit the whole world between them. Do you ever see her cry? Only when I look in a different direction. Tell me, does she ever leave you by yourself? Yes, when she sinks in the world behind her blue eyes. And what's this world like? I don't know, I only see my own face in them, with wild braids. Do you love her? A lot. I always share my communion wafer with her. And daddy? Iris blows absently in her bubble wand.
(Translated by Andreea-Nicoleta Ban / 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.