I was in a play. It was the Romanian teacher's idea. First, she brought us Bobi the director. He was an actor at the town theatre. Then they chose the play: a little drama about two teenagers, Vova and Natașa, who fall in love after a prank played by their classmates. The lady wanted to cast me as Vova, but Bobi objected. I was Grișa, the one pulling the strings of the plot. Unfortunately, I only did one performance. On opening night, Bobi's wife caught him in bed with poor Natașa.
Carmen-Ecaterina Ciobâcă
My relationship with them was a complicated one. They shamed me since I was just a kid. I ignored them as much as I could, but they were always following me in secret. They never stopped faithfully mirroring my joys, my moods, my blackness. Until one day my body exploded hedonically in myriads of suns. I thought I had found their purpose, I began to praise them, to love them. Light years away, I hold in my arms the golden baby. Blood and milk. Thousands of knives. I hate them. The baby cries. I put it on my shoulder and sing. Star-star, star-star, please sway my little girl.
Cecilia Fofiu
She looks at the bright dripping sky through the skylight and she asks thoughtfully, mommy, do stars have names? Some have, some don't. Look, that one on the left is twinkling, name it, the mother encourages her, tucking her in. Overnight, in her white nightdress, the little girl climbs on a corner of a heavenly body up to her daddy who hugs her and tells her until she's falling asleep about how wonderful she is and will be. Then, he puts her slowly in her little bed and kisses her on the forehead. Mommy, we will name that little star daddy, says joyfully the little girl in the morning. The mother smiles swallowing painfully bitter tears.
(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.