George Dometi
The child went out into the narrow street. He was wearing a flowery ie[1]. The hen jumped the fence and pulled the child into the ditch. The father saw this, caught the hen, and threw it over the fence. The rooster fluffed up and charged at him. They fought on the road, raising a cloud of dust. The father sent it flying with a kick, all the way up to the top of a mulberry tree, but the turkey and the goose, coming over, started hissing at the father. Mother, arriving with a knife, made a feast of the fowls. Lăbuch had the tastiest bony feast on the first day of spring.
[1]Women's blouse characteristic of the Romanian national costume, made of white cotton, linen or borangic cloth and decorated at the neck, chest and sleeves with selected stitching, usually in geometric motifs.
The deadline has arrived. I spent the whole night with the building plans in front of me. Something didn't add up. The month was shorter. Panic. I wandered through the streets. Anything. The debt must be paid. I entered a local shop. All your cash, now, I yell. The saleswoman didn't even blink. We don't have cash. Only mărțișoare[1]. I understood I had no choice. I filled up the bags. At the corner of the street, the police stopped me. One officer picked up a bag and examined it closely. Nice. Who's it for? I stared back. For all the women in my life. A nice gesture, sir. Safe travels.
[1]Small ornamental object tied with a braided thread - red and white - which is given as a gift, as a sign of the arrival of spring, to women on March 1st.
Ngu and Nga had never warmed themselves by the sun's rays. They were born in the midst of snow, and all they knew was a fragile light, flesh, and blood. One morning, Ngu came out of the cave lined with mammoth fur and was amazed to see the icicles melting around him. A warmth like nothing he had ever felt was descending toward him from the star shining brilliantly and powerfully in the sky. At his feet, a small plant was poking its head out of the snow. He gently picked it and took it to Nga. The Great Ice Age was coming to an end.
(Translated by Briana Guriță / 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. w