Jellia hurried into the dressing room. It had taken her a while to find this room! She so hated not knowing where everything was!
Leah saw her and waved her over. “Just grab a skirt,” she said. “They supply the skirts for us for this class, and the shorts and shirts for the males.”
Jellia gave a quick glance around and was quickly undressed and in the skirt. “What do we do?” she asked.
“Oh, whatever we want as long as we get all of the categories done. You have to do so much with strength and so much with speed. I’ll show you.”
Leah went to the door and started running right away, taking Jellia by surprise. But she soon caught up. Leah was running on a nice sort of path going through the grass, and then, she saw around the school. “Enjoying school?” Leah asked.
“Oh, more than you can believe. There are some strange bits, but I like them. I’m used to having a lot more subjects. I think I am going to really like having just the three subjects.”
“Plus physio,” Leah said. “Although your wrist-comp keeps track of physio all day, or will from now on for you, and so you can get credit if you go running, or swimming, or take a walk at home or whatever. Lots of kesh… well, lots of kesh-u-i anyway… get out of their physio that way and do free study. We have a nice library and as long as a class isn’t being used you can free study there.”
“Not the, umm, kesh-u?” Jellia asked. It was hard to figure out how to use that word to mean just, ‘males’. Of course, she could have just said ‘males’.
“Oh, they have much more physio reqs than we do. Including team. We only have to do team once every seven days or so, they have it every other day. Although some of them are involved in sports, which counts.”
Jellia wanted to ask why the males had more, but didn’t dare.
“We only have a half an hour,” Leah panted out. “So you have to get it all done quick if you want to freshen. Which you will smell really bad for the rest of your classes so, you want to.”
She had kept looking at her comp as they ran, and after only a few minutes said, “There, that should do for me and I’m sure they’ll cut you some slack. Maybe run between classes. Let’s get our strength in.”
So saying she ran over to this wall and started climbing. Jellia, not waniting to fall behind, started up. This was impossible! Leah was ahead of her and gaining, and some kesh started after her and he was already caught up. She hated this!
She finally made it to the top and, trembling, back down, and then raced off to the changing room, where Leah was pulling on her skirt. Jellia raced into the fresher, frantically scrubbing and rincing.
“Physio is not my favorite class,” she yelled at Leah, who grinned.
“It’ll get easier,” she said. “Make sure you do a lot of walking and running outside of class. Did your comp go green?”
Jellia, panicked, looked. Oh, good! “Yes, and well over!”
“Well, that’s good. I’ll see you tomorrow at art class.”
Leah walked out and Jellia hurried and finished and dressed, looked down at her comp, and blanched. Engineering, and she was almost late!
Thank you for reading Von’s Substack. I would love it if you commented! I love hearing from readers, especially critical comments. I would love to start more letter exchanges, so if there’s a subject you’re interested in, get writing and tag me!
Being ‘restacked’ and mentioned in ‘notes’ is very important for lesser-known stacks so… feel free! I’m semi-retired and write as a ministry (and for fun) so you don’t need to feel guilty you aren’t paying for anything, but if you enjoy my writing (even if you dramatically disagree with it), then restack, please! Or mention me in one of your own posts.
If I don’t write you back it is almost certain that I didn’t see it, so please feel free to comment and link to your post. Or if you just think I would be interested in your post!
If you get lost, check out my ‘Table of Contents’ which I try to keep up to date.
Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,
Von
Links
Contract Marriage
Contract marriage is an adult dystopia examining the issues of marriage. Like 1984 and Brave New World, Contract Marriage treats the relations between the sexes as a fundamental aspect of how a society is formed and, thus, how a society can go wrong.
Unlike those dystopias, Contract Marriage isn’t all horrible all of the time. The characters for the most part have a good time and get along in their society. But the issues of sexuality, of marriage or not, monogamy or not, faithfulness or not, and gender roles… keep coming up and causing tension and conflict and joy and pain.
My desire is that my readers would be thinking along with my characters about these issues and perhaps even arrive at the same place (minus the flying cars).
Introduction // Podcast Version
In which I lay out the themes that I intend to explore in this light Dystopia, and ask others to participate.
Trade Master: First Chapter // Podcast Version
In which Fenestra, our heroine’s mother, puts in her application for the job of 'Trade Master’ on the planet Libertas, and finds out that it isn’t that easy.
En-Drek Contract // Podcast Version
In which Fenestra finds out that, on Libertas, everyone must be in an ‘En-drek’ contract… a long-term, live-in, heavy date between a man and a woman for the purpose of producing one child after the other with one date after the other.
Disappointment and Meditation // Podcast Version
In which Jellia, the daughter and our heroine, finds out about her mother’s job opportunity, including its difficulties, and commits herself to meditating on the situation. (And internally commits herself to encouraging her mother to take the job.)
Decision Reached // Podcast Version
Jellia tells her mother that she thinks she should take the job, and so her mother puts in her application… and gets the job!
First School // Podcast Version
Jellia goes to school and gets to tell everyone about her new adventure.
First Work // Podcast Version
Fenestra goes to work, and tells her coworker about her new opportunity.
Writing Class: Podcast Version
Jellia writes a poem (a limerick) and tells her classmates more about her new adventure.
Trader Galloway: Podcast Version
In which a man comes over for a ‘date’ (Ie to sleep over with her mother) and to tell them all about his time as Trade Master for their company on Libertas. And as how he was almost executed for asking a woman out on a date.
Shopping: Podcast Version
In which Jellia and her mother go shopping for the last time, and we explore some of the nature of the planet she is leaving.
Language: Podcast Version
In which Jellia starts using some new words at school, and everyone gathers round to find out what they mean.
Kesh-i Cooking Class: Podcast Version
In which Jellia finds out that children (Kesh-i) on Libertas are expected to cook.
Trade Master Training: Podcast Version
In which Fenestra begins her training for her new role, with an old enemy.
Two Week Date: Podcast Version
In which Fenestra and Alex decide to date for the next two weeks.
The Facts of Life: Podcast Version
In which Fenestra brings Alex home, and Jellia isn’t impressed. Although she is interested in how dating works for boys.
Snips: Podcast Version
In which Jellia spends time snipping with a boy, and brings him home.
Kissing: Podcast Version
In which Jellia and her mother both have a sexual ‘last fling’ before they leave, and Jellia practices the new kisses she will need for her new planet.
Off Ephemera // Podcast Version
In which Jellia and her mother arrive at the shuttle port, go through some annoying formalities, and take off!
And Fly! // Podcast Version
In which Jellia and her mother board their spaceship, and Jellia starts doing her homework.
Abstinate // Podcast Version
In which Jellia gets bored, rejects an older gentleman, and rejects her mother’s idea of dating.
Older Kesh-u // Podcast Version
In which Jellia learns more about what Kesh-u (children) are allowed to do on Libertas.
Fertility // Podcast Version
In which Jellia and her mother are taken off birth control by an odd doctor.
New Girl // Podcast Version
-Added out of order- Jellia meets a new girl on the shuttle, from a strange culture!
Decon // Podcast Version
Jellia and her mother arrive on their new planet, go through an awful decontamination, get sent to a briefing, and receive their first kiss/greeting!
Briefing // Podcast Version
Jellia and her mother are warned that the laws on Libertas can be very serious.
En-drek File
Fenestra reads up on her new ‘en-drek’.
Justicia // Podcast Version
Jellia rejoices in the new planet!
The House // Podcast Version
Jellia explores her new house.
Shopping and Greeting // Podcast Version
Jellia uses her new ‘kesh liberty’ and runs off to do some shopping. And has to kiss everyone all the way home.
Ska Illoh Kiladi // Podcast Version
Jellia meets her new Ska, who has business with her mother.
Ooops // Podcast Version
Jellia makes a mistake, gets chastised, and hates it here!
Neighbours // Podcast Version
In which Jellia goes off the cry, and meets neighbours.
Breakfast // Podcast Version
Jellia wakes up, makes breakfast, and runs off for a new day!
Kesh Liberty // Podcast Version
Jellia takes off for town with two younger kesh in tow, and has a fun time shopping!
Dinner // Podcast Version
Jellia comes home from her day in town, raced to unpack her new noodle machine, and cooks dinner!
Testing // Podcast Version
Jellia shows up at her new school, has to check herself it, gets tested for math, art, engineering… and whether she’s mature enough for a live in date.