I suspended my own driver's license. Yes, you heard that right. I broke a couple of rules today, and this feels like the right thing to do. No, I wasn't caught by any police officers, but it's unacceptable. I'll walk from now on. And look at all the fallen leaves. I lift my eyes and ask for forgiveness. A ray of light slips through the branches. The park is an unreal painting, the sky a deep blue. Where have I been all this time? I don't even know when autumn arrived. Yesterday, the trees were full of flowers. The only thing that matters is that the woman I almost killed is alive.
Ana-Maria Butuza
Guys, all that matters is not to interrupt the game, do you understand? Milu touched Geo with his finger, and Geo pinched Toni, who gave Mona a slap that made her grimace in pain, and she passed it on with a slap to Vlad, it stuck so well to his cheek that his head hurt. Vlad kicked Cocuța in the butt, and she started whining, but everyone yelled not to stop, and that's exactly what she did-grabbed a stick and hit Milu, who started crying, but it had been his idea, so he passed it on. They didn't stop, they were crying and hitting.
Răzvan Dițescu
As the waves rise and crash around her, panic takes hold. Maybe she shouldn't have done this; yet, the loneliness overwhelms her. The bitter taste of the sea mixes with her longing. Indeed, she yearns for a breath of air now. She struggles, but each additional movement sinks her deeper into the abyss. Fatigue takes over. She surrenders to it. One last memory: his big smile. One final thought: she will see him again. The waves hover above. The sea swallows her. Now, they are together again.
(Translated by Alexandra-Ecaterina Radu / 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.