Daddy, what are these? Up there? They're stars. What are they doing? Shining. Are there lots of them? Yes, there are many. How many? Infinity. Not two? Just one. Who counted them? Time. When it stood still. By day, why no stars? Because they're only at night. By day they light the sun. And they're not needed then? Just like that. Is the big one still a star? It's a comet. A shooting star. The most beautiful star. Where does it fall? Does it hit? Does it hurt and cry? What's her name? It has no name. What's her name? Her name is Ana. And she's waiting for you to fall asleep.
Julia Sandu
So they decided, when it was born, if it was a girl, to name it after a star. But time passed and no sign showed, they didn't even know if they loved each other or if they were working to have a baby, it all seemed pointless. Fertility treatments cost money, he was always stressed and frustrated. Cryptocurrency engineering brought enough money but also five years behind bars. Finally, after months of treatments and nine months of pregnancy, she gave birth to a brilliant baby girl like no other. By the time her husband got out, she called her the Nameless Star.
Cristina Daniela Dumitru-Pascal
The red velvet dress fit her perfectly. The shoes were the same shade, and around her slender neck, like a lily necklace, glittered a heart necklace. She closed her eyes. She began to sing. And the Earth, for a moment, seemed to stand still. People stared at her absently or threw change into a cardboard box. The parchment hung on her, her shoes, stumpy, two sizes too big, had wounded her. She lived like a thorn bird before she died. And there, in the world behind her eyes, was a star. Even without a name.
(Translated by Victor Albei / 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.