Skating Along

Von

Feb 03, 2025

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Illoia was just relaxing when she heard a huge door slam open a shuttle flair to a stop, and the door slam shut again.

“Well, that’s it, I guess,” Tomirosh said. “I guess we had better be going.”

Illoia followed him out the door, a different door than they had come in. “Choose a pair of skates,” he said. “Your comp should help you find your size.”

Illoia looked blankly at her comp. Her size? She looked at the walls. Rows and rows of some kind of shoe. Or boot. But shoes were made for specfic feet. She couldn’t wear…

“Here, let me show you,” Tom said, abruptly, taking her wrist and typing in a series of commands. Suddenly her comp began blinking and, on a shelf a few meters down, a shelf began blinking in the same pattern.

Illoia went wonderingly over and picked off a pair of boots, the blinking on both sides stopping.

“Hurry up, put them on!” Tom said, from a nearby bench were he was pulling his feet into his own set of boots, and strapping them up.

“But what are they?” Illoia asked, sitting down and putting her own feet into the boots. “How can I wear boots that haven’t been made per measurement?”

“They won’t fit as well as normal shoes,” Tom admitted. “But they’ll get us where we’re going.”

“How will these boots get us anywere?” She asked, standing up and trying a few steps in the very awkward boots.

“Haven’t you ever heard of electro-gravitic skating?” Tom asked, sounding very surprised.

“What? But that was outlawed.”

“Under the old government, yes, at least for civilian use. And companies are still reluctant to make them for civilians, due to the bad publicity they got before with the number of deaths and serious injuries.” Tom said. “But the military uses them all the time. We’d be lost without them. I guess this means you’ve never used them?”

“No,” Illoia said.

“Well, this will be an interesting trip, then,” Tom said. “I guess I’ll control yours. We really need to get started. Hold my hand.”

Illoia reached out and gripped Tom’s hand, and then gasped as her feet rose several inches off the ground. Just then a soldier, a toddler in his arms, slid past them on the ground and she watched, amazed, as he sped down the dark hallway.

“Come my Love,” he said, and, leaning forward and moving his feet, he pulled her forward.

“Ah!” she screamed, as her feet slipped out from under her and she flailed her arms this way and that. But Tomirosh just laughed and hauled her along, screaming.

“Hold your feet still,” he laughed.

Illioia tried, but nothing she could do seemed to hold her feet still.

“Now you see why they were banned for civilian use,”Tom said. “But you’ll get the hang of it. Everyone does. You there, lass?!” he called to an adolescent lass skating by.

“Sir?” the lass asked, spinning in mid air and facing Tom and Ill as she skated.

“Come and hold her other hand, will you?” Tom asked. “She’s still unsteady on her skates.”

The lass laughed and, twirling and skating backwards to Illoia, where she took her hand. “I loooove skating,” she said and, with both of her hands firmly held, Illoia managed to hold her legs up straight for at least three seconds.

“Point them backwards just a bit, your feet,” the lass said.

“What?”

“You know, dip your toes just a bit so your heels are just slightly… no! That’s too much,” she said, as Illoia pitched foward. “Just a little!”

Illoia tried ‘just a little’ and, “There! That’s right, just hold them there.”

‘Holding them there,’ took everything Illoia had, and even then she only succeeded for about five seconds at a time before she had to clutch at the hands of those holding her up.

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 Bobtails meet the Preacher’s Kid

The Bobtails and the Cousins

The Bobtails go to France

and

No Ordinary School

Soon to be coming out is 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.

Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,

Von

Links

Article 17 is a military science fiction story with aliens and romance. It is set in a future reminiscent of Napoleon era Britain. The war was going very poorly until the military installed a dictator. This story follows one of the dictator’s great men: Cladin Tomirosh, Leader, and thrice decorated hero.

Intro // Podcast Version

She was pretty, popular, snobby, and a planetary governor’s daughter. He was the son of shopkeepers, a social misfit, and a decorated hero. She thought she was there to dance. He had other ideas.

A Dance // Podcast Version

As a governor’s daughter, Illoia usually avoided such events, but when the captain made the announcement that there was to be an Article 17 dance, she, too, was forced to attend. If only the scum hadn’t been there too.