Sakura

Dan Banu
Old woman Tsuki had bewitched Prince Hanami into falling in love with Ume, but he only loved us, Princess Sakura cried through her tears, but he couldn't decide which of the six sisters should be his wife. Tomorrow, he would tell Tsuki before spending another night on the porch of one of us. Enraged, Tsuki threw us into the underworld, letting us go back only one month a year under the shape of flowers, but she multiplied us into billions of copies so that Hanami would never find us.

Alina Ilie
With the gathered strength of 101 years, he skittishly pressed the pestle into the golden grinding bowl. The pink sakura blood was now visible. She carefully dripped it over the fine powder, previously obtained from a particular tree bark, and prepared a cream which she delicately spread over her face. Immediately, her skin resurfaced in the areas it was supposed to. Her cheekbones lifted into a warm smile. No wrinkles. She did the same for the rest of her body. Finally, she took the last pink flower from the table and hungrily swallowed it. That was for the heart.
 
 Ana-Maria Butuza
In the valley of Hoshi no Tani, there lived Sensei Yamato and the Enlightened Snail Hiro. The days passed slowly, as they were writing and reciting haikus of profound wisdom. When the sakura opened its delicate pink petals, Sensei would sit under the most venerable tree. With his eyes closed, he listened to the whispering leaves and petals. Then, with its horns dipped in ink, the Snail painted sublime verses onto the immaculate white scroll. The words flowed like a mountain spring: Beneath the blossoming sakura, the melancholic snail would recite about the lively spring.

(Translated by Andreea Cuprian / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year II / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)