Monica Bologa
He wanted us to go eat some anchovies, while I wanted to stroll a bit more along the shore. He wanted to drink a bottle of wine, I wanted to get drunk on the sunset. He wanted to watch the game, I wanted to swim naked in the sea. He said we weren't teenagers anymore, I told him I wanted to be. He wanted a good meal, something to drink, and a good sleep, while I wanted to escape routines, scheduled meals, and a lot of sleep. He told me he wanted a divorce, I kept quiet. I undressed and jumped into the sea.
Elia Ghinescu
That sea kept sending its children to the shore, who then scattered across the earth, knocking from heart to heart and asking if anyone wanted them. Silence remained in their way. As if someone had been sweeping, like old people sweep the yard, as if they had separated the silence from the dust with a broom and hidden the silence in the corners. That's how people ended up having children. Fathers tossed and turned in their sleep, punching the air, while mothers bore the bruises of their dreams. One can be punished even through forgiveness, God would joke.
Titela Durnea
For the locals, he was the charming stranger, with linen pants and V-neck shirts that hinted at his masculinity. For her, he was a stranger for just a minute. They started talking immediately after he brought her back the scarf with butterflies that the breeze had snatched away. They spent hours perched on the rock, counting waves in between kisses. Yesterday, when the fishermen pulled up the net and the seagull screamed, the sky opened up. He froze, seeing the finger with the shell ring. And then Icarus flew after the butterflies.
(Translated by Miruna Dumitru / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I / Corrected by prof. dr. Nadina Vișan / Edited by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)
Versiunea în română a acestui text se poate citi aici, în rubrica Ficțiuni Reale.