The girl was sitting on a bench, her heart beating hectically. She was breathing heavily. She didn't even know what had caused her state. Maybe a stray thought, appearing out of nowhere. She thought about calling her mother, but her hands were trembling too much. Then, her gaze fell on the yellow leaves, gently dancing in the wind. One by one, they detached, floating softly. Each fall was a whisper, each spin a calm breath. As the leaves touched the ground, her breathing gradually slowed, returning to a gentle rhythm, just like that autumn.
Sonia Ungureanu
The cold bit into the dawns with teeth ever colder. Tania woke up just as early, drinking her coffee at the stone table, wrapped in the shawl from Kiev, with bare feet in the fur-lined slippers. Sometimes, Caterina would curl up in her lap, and for a few minutes, the entire peace of the world would envelop her, her eyes following the shy play of the first rays. Paris, with its bohemian terraces and perfect September light, was left behind. So was Igor. She gazed at the frost-covered garden and slowly sipped, surrendering to the bitterness in her cup. Fuck this bloody war.
Adina Colțea
She reached the ninth heaven in the blink of an eye and thought she would live there forever, but it wasn't quite like that, for some old stars began whispering in the corners, and the moon, almost intentionally, stopped showing her full face. She shone and scattered light with grace, but she began to sense more and more clearly that gifts can be infinite, but not eternal. One autumn night, after the equinox, a deep disappointment broke her heart, and she began to fall. On Earth, the world waits for her and speaks of her as of a miracle.
(Translated by Miruna Baicu / 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.