Attic for Rent. Serious Inquires Only

Monica Ciurea
Seeing the daylight in the basement is one way of describing it. It doesn't feel cramped to you. It just feels safe. You can imagine as much as you like. You rise yourself a little more to the semi-basement as to catch a glimpse of the passers-by's feet. So many people in their shoes. You then move up to the ground floor, that's when you reach the shelf of fundamental books. But you are not staying with your feet on the ground for too long, time passes quickly. Because it's time to live on the upper levels, where boldness is held in attempts, failures and other projects. When you encounter illnesses and weakness, you're already in the loft. You linger a bit, rent, and then leave.

Titela Durnea
When I offered it to them, everything seemed fine. They were surprised at first. They couldn't believe that they found such a convenient little place. Besides, they were kind-hearted, too. He was chivalrous and thoughtful, surrounding her with love. I can almost see him now, bringing her food every morning. She would peck at it just a little. She was gentle, delicate. She hardly ever went outside. Sir, I don't know what happened. This morning, the skylight was open. On the bed, these two feathers. Definitely one of them is hers, I recognized the colour pattern. I still hope they come back. They owe me a trill.

Florina Hegedüs
Her heart had become so heavy that she could no longer bear it. She would wake up in the middle of the night and whisper: Talk to me. Only the memory of his scent lingered among her intrusive sobs. No one was waiting for her to wake up. She had written about sufferings, struggles, oppression and humiliation of women in society and within the family. Now they were pointing fingers at her. The flicker of a matchstick, the smell of burnt books, the ad that had brought her here, pinned with a thumbtack to the window frame - they all helped her fall asleep. It couldn't get any more serious than that.
 
(Translated by Alina-Lorena Dulamă / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)