One King, One Queen

Cristina Daniela Dumitru-Pascal
They walked through the hallways. Only their eyes met. Everyone avoided them. They knew they were the outcasts of the high school. And when that truth hurt the most, they would turn their heads, searching for each other one more time. Now, they were at the graduation reunion. Each in a different corner of the room. The prom king and queen were being announced. They heard their names. Unexpected. They had to dance together. By the time they reached each other, their gazes were already at the centre of the stage. They took each other's right hand. With their left, they turned the wheels of their wheelchairs, waltzing to the rhythm of their souls.
 
 Carmen Ecaterina Ciobâcă
She was born under a lucky star. She ran after butterflies and caressed roses. In her chamber, she spun stories with dolls. The grimaces of the harlequin with the painted smile filled her with endless sorrow. She rejoiced when the toothless merchant arrived-velvets, strings of pearls, brocades, and jewels brought a sparkle to her eyes. On the day the old man passed away, she put on her most beautiful dress and ascended the throne. She couldn't hide the scar on her cheek. The departed had left it there, shouting at her in bitter anger: Sissy.
 
 Eduard Baranovski
They gaze upon the crowd gathered beneath the balcony. The coronation ceremony has sealed their cosmic destiny, they are the divine embodiment on Earth. The nation will reclaim its place among the world's powers, a place stolen for millennia by the enmity of impostors. The queen smiles with satisfaction at her cheering subjects. The king stares intently from beneath furrowed brows, probably pondering the future of those in the square. On the palace cornice, two birds flutter their wings. Come, dear, let's lay our eggs in a new nest, she says. He promptly replies, Cuckoo-cuckoo.

 
(Translated by Larisa Marta Mreană / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I / Corrected by prof. dr. Nadina Vișan / Edited by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)