He would get upset when they were laughing at him: mate, don't even think about going to the circus, you'll run too close to Siminică. Others would make fun of him: tell me, aren't you tired of playing Rudolf without even being dressed up as him? What upset him the most were the idiots who haven't ever heard of rosacea but were calling him a drunkard. However, he was joyous whenever his nephew would ask him to play firefighters. They would run around the house mimicking the sirens, allowing to be manoeuvred by those plump, tiny hands, pressing on the red button in the middle of his face. Each wee-woo brought a smile on his face, making him forget all the bad things.
Mirela A. Nica
She got home, exhausted after a day's work. She shut all the windows. She didn't want to hear any noise from outside. She had half an hour left, so she lied down. She heard her as if through a dream: You're very pretty, but something's missing, the little girl told the doll she got as a gift. You don't have a heart. I could sew a red button here. Mhm. What a great idea! But there would still be something missing. You aren't breathing. How can I make a button pump like a heart? The alarm woke her up. She took a deep breath. She didn't have any children, only a job to get to.
Dorin Vasile
She is lying on the bed, naked and beautiful. I'm slowly and patiently caressing her. I feel her smooth, impeccable skin. Something from under my fingers stops me. A small but steady, arcane protuberance. My father had once told me, warm beer in hand and a lost look: Every woman has that something. Find that and you'll conquer the world. I call it the red button of life. I stop for a moment, hesitating. I wonder if all of this search will pay off. I pull slowly. I can feel her trembling. She's softening up. Hissing, she falls to my feet.
(Translated by Cristina-Paula Grosu / 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.