Since he moved into our yard, I've felt him watching me with longing, his nostrils flaring when he catches a whiff of my perfume, captivated by me. He hasn't said a word yet, but his attitude betrays him. The whole neighbourhood admires me. I am a stunning, refined, and elegant person, and I dedicate a lot of time and resources to my personal care. How did I end up here? I don't remember any details at all. Maybe on my way to the gate he tried to grab me? Probably out of instinct for self-preservation, I desperately climbed up the poplar? What's certain is that I don't know how to get down.
Yuka Brevi
How did I end up here? Let me tell you. She looked at me. I looked at her. An invisible force pulled me into the tunnel of her iris at a fantastic speed. I left the city behind, the forests on my right, a herd of bison on my left, dodging the Eiffel Tower so I wouldn't get pricked, avoiding a couple of satellites and some debris from others. Then, I landed onto the Moon. In slow motion, I picked a flower and, when I turned back, I asked for her hand. I was sweaty, tired, with torn clothes after such an experience. Out of pity, I think, she said yes. Period.
Sanda Burță
I see him through the window. He's sitting on the porch, peeling a rotten apple with that knife he put around my neck when I told him I was leaving. Everything goes bad, he says, so gather it up for the plum brandy. I grab a bucket and try to pass by him, but he stands up and grabs me by the hair. Bite into this, you idiot, bite. I take a bite of the rotten apple, and my eyes open as if for the first time. I see the emptiness of my soul, and I'm not ashamed. I stab his throat with the knife, and his laughter turns into a snort. I leave the garden behind and walk out.
(Translated by Marian-Cătălin Niculăescu / 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.