Dawn was biting at earth's edges. A translucent ghost, dragging behind a long clinking sword, to wake the death if nothing else, wearing high hessian boots and a general's epaulettes hurried home. Approaching, he glimpsed a black light coming from behind the door. He unlocked it. The grinning ghost of Bănică, Iordache's dandy one and Dinică's charismatic one shared a Napoleon. You, politely asked the ghost with a sword. We, at home, a cognac bottle. Isn't this place 6, figure 41? No, General, this is place 9, figure 14.
Ina Moldoveanu
What are you doing in my grave? Ach, you ghoul, go away, I haven't got any holy water cause I would've thrown it at you. I am Ghergheluș, I've been dead for a long time, but you have invaded my space. That's life, I've got an ebony coffin, silver crucifix, diamonds, silken kerchief, Gucci slippers and clothes stitched with golden thread. And over a hundred pounds to top it all off. Rest easy and assured, ma'am, your kids have stolen all your gold, you have nothing but rags from Temu, bought in batches of five, cause they wouldn't fit you. Besides, we both fraudulently sit in Mr. Cotoi's crypt. Dead. A hero.
Carmen Tot
You stumbled into the village bar as soon as you crossed the bridge. Pepe, my neighbor used to hang around there with Șta, the village grave-digger who played the violin when he came home drunk to his little chamber, where no one waited for him. I wouldn't like to rattle their souls by reminding them of this little vice, for each of them has now gone to their respective grave, but once, when an old lady died in the village, Pepe bet that he wasn't scared of ghouls and went to the graveyard at night, and Șta, hiding in the grave, pulled his leg so hard, we came close to burying him instead of the old lady.
(Translated by Andreea Grințescu / 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.