Gabriel Moldovan
Old man Constantin watches the street from the window. The night casts long shadows on the sidewalk. He runs his fingers over the frame of an old photograph. A black-and-white image of a woman with her hair tied back and smiling eyes. There's nothing left, he whispers, but his voice is swallowed by the silence of the room. Outside, a tabby kitten watches something unseen. A boy laughs on the phone. A woman smokes on her balcony. He listens to the silence between honks, the whisper of rain, a lost song. He takes a deep breath. There is always something left to love.
Anca Postescu Stancov
And Firuța told her from her palm, Be careful, don't you dare, and she locked herself away with seven locks. It was fine for a while-until he came. With hazel eyes, a March smile, and a wind-like voice. Yes, he had the cape of a prince, but not much of a heart - she made one up for him, woven from the song of a falling star. His "no" dissolved under his touch, so she gave him all she had: her years, her soul, her breath, and sleepless nights. She even borrowed from other lives. And in the end, when he asked, with cold spite, What, you still love me? She still had the strength to whisper, Always.
Carmen Moldovan
The old man, not used to being alone, had waited all day for the woman to return from the doctor in the city. All the daughters had gone off to their own homes, and the grandchildren had grown up too. But the woman always complained about her heart-it had broken along with the babies born still. She walked in cheerfully, surprising him with a quick kiss on the cheek. Dusk had fallen, and it was time to rest. At the first crow of the rooster, he stirred to get out of bed, but strangely, the woman didn't move. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and saw the smile. His woman had gone to join her angels.
(Translated by Ioana Levîrdă / 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.