The bell rings. For all of them, but not for her. Senior year begins, for all of them, but not for her. They make their plans, curse teachers under their breath or aloud, choose the universities they want to apply to, plan their coming of age celebrations and parties, all of them, but not her. They skip the last class to buy flowers, all of them, but not her. They meet at the cemetery, sharing stories about the first day of school, while she listens silently from the place where she came to rest far too soon. Now they're all together, no one is missing anymore.
Florentina Ghițescu
Did someone knock? I must've imagined it. It's been ages since anyone's knocked at my door. That's what happens when even God forgets you on earth. Isn't that right, Felix? I'll get you food in just a second, stop meowing. It's just the two of us now. You're the third Felix, but I love you just as much as the first one. But when did you get so vocal? Wait a minute, someone is actually knocking. Ugh, when you're in a hurry, you can never find the walker. Coming! Yes, what do you need? For me? Who? The teacher. I'm the teacher? You've made my day.
Ligia Dumitrescu
The scariest stories were always told behind the church, next to the old wooden crosses in the cemetery, on the night of Easter Vigil. Back in the day, people tied a string with a bell on it to the deceased's finger, which hung from the cross. Sometimes people would accidentally bury someone alive, and when they woke up, they'd pull the string. If they were lucky, someone would hear and dig them out, or so they say. Oh, come on, quit it with the nonsense, scoffed one of us, unconvinced. He barely got the words out before a bell started to ring from nowhere. We scattered like startled birds.
(Translated by Maria Loredana Constantin / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)
Versiunea în română a acestui text se poate citi aici, în rubrica Ficțiuni Reale.