Progenitor's Day
“Well, Daughter, I hope you are prepared for tommorrow?”
Jellia looked up from the homework she was doing on her wristcomm, startled. Her new ska-drek was standing in her doorway.
“Tommorrow, Ska-drek?”
“Progenitor’s Day. Your former ska-drek Iloh Kiladi registered as your progenitor, all proper by code, so he will be coming by tommorrow as part of the Progenitor’s day celebration. He has several houses to visit, but you will need to be prepared for him at any time in the afternoon, and your ska-drek-a will need to have Bobbin ready as well… as much as a kesh his age can be made ready.
“Oh. I knew that Garden Party was closed for Progenitor’s day, and thought that Iloh might come by to see Bobbin, but I didn’t realize that I would be involved.”
“Yes. Your ska-drek-a approved the registration sometime during his time with her. I trust you will have everything ready?”
“Dinner or snacks?”
“Snacks, by all means. In a larger family there might be former en-drek-u coming by all afternoon. Oh, and he might well bring some of his other kesh. That is a tradition… pick up kesh at each stop and bring them along, often in order. So you… well, I don’t know what he will do with you. Perhaps he will come by here first and take you with him to see the others. That would be an excellent idea, actually. Why don’t you snip him and suggest it?”
“So… he would come by, get snacks, and then take Bobbin and I to his other houses?”
“Not Bobbin, I would think. The trip would be long for him. But you, definitely.”
Illoh, ska-drek just talked to me and apparently it is allowed custom for former sons and daughters to skim around with their prev ska-drek from house to house. He’s having me get snacks all ready, but has released me from any responsibility afterwards, and suggests that you might want to take me with you on your tour.
I think it would be dizzy! I would love to meet all of your other kesh. You didn’t talk about them much (all good per code and custom) and I would love to meet them. But whatever you think best, obviously,
Love,
Jellia
His reply, when it came, made her dance around her room.
Beloved Jellia. Your plan has merit and accords with my desires. Inform your ska-drek and ska-drek-a I will be by punctually at two o’clock and, after visiting with them and seeing your room and your studies, I will take you and Bobbin with me for the rest of my tour. I will endeavour to have you both back by the stroke of midnight.
Jellia copied this snip to ska-drek and Ska-drek-a and waited a bit anxiously for his reply.
Daughter, he is brave to be willing to take Bobbin, but there will be plenty of women at each stop to help take care of him, and other kesh-u to keep him occcupied, so I am sure all will be well. I give you no command as to when you need to return home and be in bed, and relieve you from breakfast duty. Honor your Ska-drek well, Daughter.
A few minutes later Ska-drek-a snipped,
That’s nice, Daughter. I know how much you loved him, and I’m sure it will be nice for you to see his other kesh-u. I hope Bobbin won’t be too tired, but as Ska-drek says, there will be women along the way. And plenty of food, I’m sure, which is typically all he wants, the greedy pig. Love, Mother.
She thought for a few minutes and then snipped,
Beloved Illoh. Your plan meets with the favor of both Ska-drek and Ska-drek-a, and I am clear of any responsibilities that afternoon, evening, and even the next morning. I am looking forward to meeting all of your kesh-u. Kiss from beloved daughter to beloved former Ska-drek.
He sent nothing back but hand-to-cheek, and she was finally able to get herself back to work.
She had Bobbin all ready, with his best clothes on, three times before Illoh finally arrived… the little stinker managing to get all of the others dirty, or wet. And she had a bag packed for him.
Illoh ended up coming in when she was in the kitchen just after the third change for Bobbin and she caught his footsteps and turned and saw him.
“Hello, Daughter,” he said, but she had thrown herself across the room and was hugging him. She had read the custom and this was allowed!
“Well,” he said. “One is glad not to have been forgotten.”
“Of course we haven’t forgotten you,” Mother said, coming over and giving him a ‘former lover’ kiss. Jellia was surprised code and custom allowed that kiss!
“I set lots of stuff out, Illoh,” Jellia said. “And Bobbin and I are ready to go.”
“Very well. And your ska-drek?”
“Umm, he’s out back doing something with the yard, I think. I’ll get him.”
“Ska-drek!” she said, when she got near. “Illoh is here and wishes to greet you.”
“All proper of him, I’m sure. I will be in in a minute.”
She went back in and found Illoh and Gregory talking casually. Of course, they worked together.
“Sir,” Ben’nin said, “I am pleased to meet you. I have found your reports very helpful.” He came forward and the two men grasped hands, each looking at the other warily.
“I am glad to have been of service,” Illoh said. “And I must thank you for your care of the coming one.”
“Glad to be of service. You are taking my Daughter and Son out for a ride?”
“As per custom, if not code,” Illoh said.
“Well, I have given them wide liberty. I hope that they will enjoy themselves.”
“As do I. Indeed we should take our leave now,” Illoh said, and Jellia picked up Bobbin and the bag she had packed and followed Illoh out.
“Do you not like Ska-drek, Illoh?” she asked, once the skimmer was well away.
“It is the most awkward relationship on the planet,” Illoh said. “Second only with the former en-drek-a. You will see, Daughter.”
“It is odd with both of you calling me Daughter,” she said.
“And both of us having the right of it,” he said. “And yet it is not a word that shares well. Come, now, let us turn from this subject. The first house we are going to is my first en-drek-a and first son. He is your age, actually… although he is not yet li-kesh. Which frustrates him greatly, or so his ska-drek-a assures me.”
She laughed. “Poor Kesh-u.”
“Yes. Poor Kesh-u. And yet we survive.”
The house was a half an hour away, and not in a great part of town. The houses were wall to wall, with only a brief yard in front of them. Several yards had kesh-u in them, and a couple had tables in front with people sitting or standing at them, and food on them, and all the kesh-u were playing busily except for the ones that were looking down the road.
She spotted the kesh before Illoh had a chance to say anything. He was a perfect miniature copy of Illoh. Minus the height, the beard, and the gravitas. The kesh spotted them at the same time and leapt up and ran yelling into the house, with several kesh-u coming right back out with him, and one ska-i. No ska, thank the stars. Ska-drek really should have gone out visiting his own kesh-u earlier, and not made it so awkward.
The ska-i came forward and exchanged ‘former lover’ very casually, and the kesh came up to her.
They both kind of hesitated and Illoh laughed. “Indeed, a difficult read of custom. Jellia, you act as the older sister.”
“Ska Jellia Korvau,” she said, and gave him the sister-to-brother kiss.
“Kesh Jeffery Smith,” he said, giving his own kiss with a bit more feeling than she had done. Oh, well, he understood this relationship better than she did.
After that the two finished their brother to sister kisses quickly enough and she exchanged ska to kesh with all of the others. Oh, this was fun.
“It is nice to meet you,” the ska-i said, coming up for her own kiss… which she performed as ska-drek-a-t- daughter although Jellia hadn’t read that in the code. Oh, well, everyone at work kissed brother to sister. Custom wasn’t everything.
This family had some small but spicy sausages on a grill, and Jellia and Illoh ate theirs with gusto… Bobbin complaining about the spice.
“Shall we go, Son?” Illoh asked.
“Yes, Ska-drek,” the kesh said and they all got into the skimmer… Jellia suprised to find herself holding Bobbin with one hand and Jeffrey with the other.
“I’m so glad to meet you!” he yelled over the breeze of the skimmer. “Isn’t Illoh wonderful?”
“Yes!” she said. “Did you know my ska-drek-a is growing his next?”
“No, really? He left one behind? How careless of you Ska-drek!”
Illoh laughed. “I left it in good hands, anyway. That makes it three at one house, which is surely good.”
“Three… oh, yes. Three! Wow! I will tell all of my friends. That doesn’t happen often!”
“No, it doesn’t. Are you ready to see your sister?”
“Oh, well, I’m glad she will have Jellia to talk to.”
Illoh laughed. “We will see if Jellia is glad.”
The next house was just a few minutes away. (“I often get to see her even between Progenitor’s Days” Jeffrey confessed.) And everyone was inside this modest house but they had just gotten down from the skimmer when a kesh raced out of the house and into Illoh’s arms.
“Oh, Ska-drek!” she yelled, “I am glad to see you again.”
“Come now, make your kiss to your brothers and sister,” Illoh said, putting her down. This time there wasn’t any confusion about who was older and everyone was duly kissed.
“Come, I made mousse!” the kesh said, grabbing Jellia’s hand. She saw Jeffrey grinning at her and guessed that it was his hand that was usually grabbed and pulled.
“Really? I want to learn to make mousse,” she said.
It turned out that Illoh has seven Keshu besides Jellia, Bobbin, and the baby. And his en-drek-a was pregant already, so that made eleven! And he wasn’t even that old. She wondered if Mother knew.
They all fit into the skimmer and Illoh drove around for a while before he dropped Jeffrey off, and then each of the kesh-u in the order they had been picked up. They ate again at every house, except Bobbin fell asleep at Jeffrey’s house and stayed in the skimmer the rest of the time.
“Did you have a good time, Daughter?” Illoh asked, as the skimmer flew slowly back to their house.
“Oh, yes. I wish it could last forever.”
“I doubt Gregory would appreciate that,” he said, and she laughed.
“I hear he has gotten you with child,” Iloh said, glancing down at her stomach. “Much congratulations. Is he being good to you?”
“Oh, ever so good, only you keep him gone too often.”
He gave her a serious look. “Truly?”
“What, oh, no, I was kidding. We make up for the times he is gone. And I got to go with him last weekend.”
“I heard that. Well, many blessings, My Daughter,” he said, and she saw that they were home.
“Many blessings, Ska-drek,” she said, and the two exchanged kisses.
“I think I will let you take him in,” Illoh said. “I do not wish to overstay my welcome.”
Jellia hefted Bobbin up and, with a final wave, went inside. Gregory met her at the door.
“Ska-drek isn’t back yet,” he said. “Put the kesh down… I hear the couch calling us.”
Jellia grinned and eased Bobbin into a chair, where he moaned, rolled, and went back to sleep. “The couch awaits, My Love,” she said. “And hopefully we will not get walked in on.”
“It will still be worth it,” he said.
—
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).
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.
Von also writes as ‘Arthur Yeomans’. Under that name he writes children’s, YA, and adult fiction from a Christian perspective. His books are published by Wise Path Books and include the children’s/YA books:
The Bobtails meet the Preacher’s Kid
and
As well as GK Chesterton’s wonderful book, “What’s Wrong with the World”, for which ‘Arthur’ wrote most of the annotations.
Arthur also has a substack, and a website. On the substack you can listen to some of his published books. Free.
Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,
Von
Other Stories
Island People’s is not my only story on Substack. I have two light dystopias, or cultural sci-fi, or one of them is military sci-fi with aliens… Science Fiction can be difficult to categorise :)
Article 17: Intro
·
8 JANUARY 2024
And a fantasy-esque series of morality tales:
The Oracle at Toko-Ri
·
1 MAY 2023
Prologue IP0
·
11 AUGUST 2023
