He had grown bored of circling around the Sun. Back and forth for all eternity, him and the other guys in the system. One side was getting scorched, the other was ice cold, until he learned to rotate: front, right, back, left, aaah, with all of them warmed up and sunlit in turn, life was much better. Did he say life? Hehe, one day he felt something moving. He checked his belly and saw some things in the water, then on land and in the air. They were tickling him and he didn't know what to do. It's no use quaking, Mars told him, it won't get rid of them. Burn them or freeze them.
Daniela Rusu
Disgusted, I slammed the door in your face and decided to mangle the photos in the wedding album. I got rid of you with scissors, with a candle, with a porno movie, with another body. Some nights, I felt better than when I was with you, other nights I cried. One morning, as I was drinking coffee, I found myself filling your cup too. Some other night, I felt around with my hand, searching for your arm, for your sweat. I got angry and did something detestable; I tattooed your name on my left thigh, so that I can control when I want to touch you and when I want to hide you.
Gabriel Rusu
My nam iz Andrei but my freinds callme Morunu. Lookin four higenic womn who nows how to cook cabage rollz in vine leafs like my ma used to meik wehn I was at shcool in mrs Pop the teachrs class. I wants her to be seerious becoz I dont hav time for stupid joks and scrooing around and takin the piss. I work at a construction sight I haev moeny I have a aparment on the third floor and a sick sedan. I need to get merried at the courthaus so my enemies see I hav my own famly. If ur a skank or a bimbo dont contackt me. Im to good four yuo.
(Translated by Bogdan Nicola / 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.