I Did Something Illegal
How dare you, a reporter, ask me about my PhD thesis? You think I gave myself the title? That’s how you feed the audience false information. Let me remind you that my thesis was assessed by a prestigious committee. Oh, you can’t find the thesis. Irrelevant. Was I supposed to guard it? This is the hand of those Anonymous hackers and you know what, find other topics. Can’t you tell you’re ridiculous? Check the committees, too. How many years would you need? Put away that voice recorder before I call my lawyer.
(Translated by Diana Mîndruță-Tănăsescu / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)
Corporatist
Together with my department colleagues, I escaped in a bonus short holiday, when our fuses got short. I packed my comfy clothes, shut my phone off and erased it from my memory. The location? Isolated and excellent. Simplicity is incredible. We saw sunset through sunrise and even heard the wolves howling at the moon. The rest is insignificant details. While on the way back, in the bus, we just reset, opening our phones: we checked the stock market and the crypto currencies. The inbox was on fire. From tomorrow on I will keep on going fully automatic.
(Translated by Elena-Diana Cocîr / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year II / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)
Gift
Don’t come in, ma’am. We’re preparing a surprise, whispers the thin, sharp voice. I stumble to the door. Strangely, I don’t hear giggling or noise in the classroom. In the schoolyard only the sunbeams and a few sparrows come to get their share of attention and crumbs. I wrap myself in patience. Finally, the door creaks open with a plaintive creak. Dozens of beady eyes stick to me, as little hands wave at the board coloured with the most beautiful gift wish: We love you, ma’am.
(Translated by Carla-Marina Ștefănescu / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year II / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)
What a Beautiful Parting
I had constant pains. I got used to them. They became natural, and they were a part of my being. They clung to my body like vines. I began to hear the rustle of my soul raven’s wings flying in disarray and singing my requiem, until one day when I fought back by spitting dark and heavy words, biting and tearing at that agony to break free. The controlled state of unconsciousness calmed me. The thread broke, and time rested at its zero point. Where is the beginning? How is the end? Welcome back, the surgeon said.
(Translated by Cristina Stan / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year II / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)