The grilled minced meat rolls are sizzling on the grill. Why aren't you eating, Gicu? Are you vegan or allergic to gluten? You just have to try it, no one's ever died from this. Let go of your prejudices. Listen to how Salam[1] sounds on these speakers. Fines boss, three bills? Kinda pricey. Instead of looking for compliance labels underneath, you'd be better off enjoying life. Listen, I'm giving you good advice. You can find everything your heart desires here. That's why I love the Obor market. I want to get a pair of flip-flops. Come on, let your brother show you how to haggle with these hustlers.
[1] Florin Salam is a manele singer from Romania.
Elena Fermuș
It's a warm place, filled with quietness. Just the way the heart desires for its nocturnal walks, when it strips me of the day's sun and dresses me in stars. Silence. So I can fly. So I can gather rainbows from your sky. Colors. And weave them all into a fairy's gown. To caress your smile, to shake away your tears. To run until dawn, holding the same dream in our hands. To hear sweet whispers as I wake. Come, dress yourself in rays, it's a new morning. And to answer with my eyes still closed. Just five more minutes, let me wander through your soul.
Cecilia Fofiu
A mall has opened, and I haven't been there yet, my mother grumbles while dealing with the pot. As a good daughter, you could come with me, I get nervous on escalators. Obediently, I head to her place at the agreed time, knowing that at her age, time is precious. She greets me powdered, dressed as if for the opera, wearing a felt hat and gloves made of ațică[1]. She grabs her cane, and off we go. Amid the indescribable bustle, arm in arm, we catch a picturesque reflection of ourselves in the mirrors, between the decorative palm trees. I freeze as she loudly remarks - Oh my, how we've aged, how ugly we can be.
[1] Ațică - cotton cloth, rare and thin.
(Translated by Cristina Ioana Bontea / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year II / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)
Versiunea în română a acestui text se poate citi aici, în rubrica Ficțiuni Reale.