Iulia Biro
You are the only survivor of this journey. You grew up where you were born, you witnessed how the place and rhythm changed along with you. Pieces of yourself have disappeared with everyone who knew you and who left. You have lost parts of yourself every time you moved from one place to another and from one relationship to another. You have filled the gaps as best you could, patched together, a hybrid of Elmer the Elephant and Frankenstein's monster. Congratulations, you are the Keeper of Feelings and Changes. Smile and look at the camera.
Cecilia Fofiu
From the teacher's desk, he looks like a stoppered Erlenmeyer flask. Translucent, pot-bellied, smiling, with bushy eyebrows. We, members of the chemistry club, imitate his gestures when handling substances. At the end of the class, the professor invites each of us to pick up an envelope. But not before warning us not to open them now, and not to reveal the contents to anyone. Curious, I fly home and read the message, selected for the Olympiad. Flattered, I diligently hit the books. After two semesters of cramming, we find out that we all received the same message.
Răzvan Dițescu
No, your phone isn't broken. Don't look over your shoulder. Don't try to leave the room. These words are a test, and you might fail it. Only the chosen ones can see them. The rest are watching ads or TikTok videos. Now you know. That you exist. That you were chosen to see reality as it is: an illusion. Built from debt, fear, and notifications. Now you just have to choose: conform or break the illusion. If you choose to stay with the others, forget what you read. If not, well, I'll see you on the other side.
(Translated by Eduard Mihai Uretu / 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.