Florentina Ghițescu
When the alarm rang, he wanted to just go back to sleep. He had chosen to become a doctor because he loved people. But after all these years of suffering, illness and death, he was exhausted. When he heard the desperation in that voice and saw the fear from that gaze, he would tremble. He didn't want it anymore. He had no energy left. He didn't know if it was depression or burnout. He felt like he was in a purgatory. When the alarm rang, he wished it were the final hour. When he woke up, his grandfather was waiting for him. Don't be afraid. It's going to be all right. On either side of the path stood his patients, smiling.
Octavia Buhociu
I lived a normal like until the age of 80 years old, but what is normal these days? For some time now, I've been immobilized in this white building, with white hallways, in this room where everything is white: walls, curtains, floors, bed, pillows, pajamas, towels, bandages, IV drips, and the equipment keeping me alive for as long as I can endure this excruciating pain. Palliative care no longer works for me. I'm suffering and so my loved ones, especially them. I feel sorry for them. Luckily, I signed at Exit after my wife passed away. I made my decision, I signed: tomorrow will be the release.
Andra Toropoc
At the death spiral, he had dropped her on the ice, she fell into a coma and he gave up on skating to take care of her. Then came the dreadful nightmares that were triggered by anything that reminded him of the accident, and so they left for Tuscany where they lived happily under the red sky, among the cypress trees. It was there they planned their wedding, it was supposed to be a rainbow-themed ceremony, carefully avoiding the one taboo colour. The crisis struck as they exited the church when a torrential rain of rice showered down on their cheeks. The locals' blessing turned her into stone forever.
(Translated by Maria-Ilinca Darie / 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.