| General Fiction posted February 19, 2019 |
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Part 1
Into The Mountains
by Heather Knight
In a dystopian future, two sisters, Maria and Gemma, try to hide their mother from the government who wants to 'recycle' all sick individuals.
While Gemma goes to the mountains with their mum, Maria joins a resistance movement who is trying to overthrow the government to save people with disabilities.
Their militancy causes problems in their personals lives: Maria's boyfriend turns out to be a government sympathizer who wants to tell on them and Gemma's husband is tired of being neglected.
Then Gemma gets pregnant and has to reconsider her priorities, while Maria risks her life for the cause.
Maria
I was trying to read, unsuccessfully I must say, when there was a frantic knocking at the door.
My first reaction was fear, as I wasn't expecting anybody.
Silently, I got up from my government-issued chair and took my forbidden novel to its usual hiding place under a loose floor tile. Reading was one of the many pleasures the government had robbed us of, but I refused to comply.
I walked towards the door warily and looked through the peeping hole. I exhaled. It was just Gemma. I wondered why she hadn't called to say she was coming. Besides, wasn't it her turn to look after mum this weekend?
'Hi,' she said chirpily. Her voice always sounded musical and cheerful, no matter how upset she was. Which meant it was not a very helpful way to predict her mood. Her eyes were a different matter. When she was angry, they sparkled and looked a dark shade of blue, but when she was happy, they were almost green and reminded me of the sea.
'Why are you here? Is anything the matter? Where did you leave Mum?'
'Mum is with Isabel.'
Isabel had been mum's neighbour for more than thirty years and was older than her, but still retained all her mental alertness. Unlike our mother...
'Come in,' I said.
I only felt safe at home and not completely. I knew there could be cameras I was unaware of.
'Have you watched the news?' Gemma said.
'Why bother? It's a waste of time. I don't want to see the President's fake smile.'
'Well, you should. They have just passed a law and it's as we feared. All people who cannot take care of themselves unaided are going to be recycled.'
'What?' I screamed. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I couldn't control my anger.
'Do we know when this is going to be put into practice?'
'They haven't said, but we cannot take any chances. Mum is in danger.'
Our mother had Alzheimer's and was like a little girl. She thought her parents were still alive even though she was eighty-six herself.
We stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. I could almost hear Gemma's brain whirring into action.
'I've heard of a place in the mountains. There are people living in caves. I'll have to take Mum there. She cannot stay. I'm sure they'll start searching homes pretty soon.'
'But what about Xavier? Are you going to leave him here?'
'He'll have to stay. Somebody in the family has to work.'
'And you will leave your job just like that?'
'It's the only solution. Unless you want to go yourself...'
I looked at the floor, embarrassed. I wasn't ready to make that sacrifice, even though I loved Mum very much.'
'I thought so,' my sister said. 'I'll come back when I'm ready to leave. Probably tonight.'
Without another word, she walked towards the door and let herself out.
I stood in the middle of my miserable-looking living room feeling sorry for myself. Gemma had always been the proactive sister while I was the gentle coward.
In a dystopian future, two sisters, Maria and Gemma, try to hide their mother from the government who wants to 'recycle' all sick individuals.
While Gemma goes to the mountains with their mum, Maria joins a resistance movement who is trying to overthrow the government to save people with disabilities.
Their militancy causes problems in their personals lives: Maria's boyfriend turns out to be a government sympathizer who wants to tell on them and Gemma's husband is tired of being neglected.
Then Gemma gets pregnant and has to reconsider her priorities, while Maria risks her life for the cause.
Maria
I was trying to read, unsuccessfully I must say, when there was a frantic knocking at the door.
My first reaction was fear, as I wasn't expecting anybody.
Silently, I got up from my government-issued chair and took my forbidden novel to its usual hiding place under a loose floor tile. Reading was one of the many pleasures the government had robbed us of, but I refused to comply.
I walked towards the door warily and looked through the peeping hole. I exhaled. It was just Gemma. I wondered why she hadn't called to say she was coming. Besides, wasn't it her turn to look after mum this weekend?
'Hi,' she said chirpily. Her voice always sounded musical and cheerful, no matter how upset she was. Which meant it was not a very helpful way to predict her mood. Her eyes were a different matter. When she was angry, they sparkled and looked a dark shade of blue, but when she was happy, they were almost green and reminded me of the sea.
'Why are you here? Is anything the matter? Where did you leave Mum?'
'Mum is with Isabel.'
Isabel had been mum's neighbour for more than thirty years and was older than her, but still retained all her mental alertness. Unlike our mother...
'Come in,' I said.
I only felt safe at home and not completely. I knew there could be cameras I was unaware of.
'Have you watched the news?' Gemma said.
'Why bother? It's a waste of time. I don't want to see the President's fake smile.'
'Well, you should. They have just passed a law and it's as we feared. All people who cannot take care of themselves unaided are going to be recycled.'
'What?' I screamed. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I couldn't control my anger.
'Do we know when this is going to be put into practice?'
'They haven't said, but we cannot take any chances. Mum is in danger.'
Our mother had Alzheimer's and was like a little girl. She thought her parents were still alive even though she was eighty-six herself.
We stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. I could almost hear Gemma's brain whirring into action.
'I've heard of a place in the mountains. There are people living in caves. I'll have to take Mum there. She cannot stay. I'm sure they'll start searching homes pretty soon.'
'But what about Xavier? Are you going to leave him here?'
'He'll have to stay. Somebody in the family has to work.'
'And you will leave your job just like that?'
'It's the only solution. Unless you want to go yourself...'
I looked at the floor, embarrassed. I wasn't ready to make that sacrifice, even though I loved Mum very much.'
'I thought so,' my sister said. 'I'll come back when I'm ready to leave. Probably tonight.'
Without another word, she walked towards the door and let herself out.
I stood in the middle of my miserable-looking living room feeling sorry for myself. Gemma had always been the proactive sister while I was the gentle coward.
While Gemma goes to the mountains with their mum, Maria joins a resistance movement who is trying to overthrow the government to save people with disabilities.
Their militancy causes problems in their personals lives: Maria's boyfriend turns out to be a government sympathizer who wants to tell on them and Gemma's husband is tired of being neglected.
Then Gemma gets pregnant and has to reconsider her priorities, while Maria risks her life for the cause.
Maria
I was trying to read, unsuccessfully I must say, when there was a frantic knocking at the door.
My first reaction was fear, as I wasn't expecting anybody.
Silently, I got up from my government-issued chair and took my forbidden novel to its usual hiding place under a loose floor tile. Reading was one of the many pleasures the government had robbed us of, but I refused to comply.
I walked towards the door warily and looked through the peeping hole. I exhaled. It was just Gemma. I wondered why she hadn't called to say she was coming. Besides, wasn't it her turn to look after mum this weekend?
'Hi,' she said chirpily. Her voice always sounded musical and cheerful, no matter how upset she was. Which meant it was not a very helpful way to predict her mood. Her eyes were a different matter. When she was angry, they sparkled and looked a dark shade of blue, but when she was happy, they were almost green and reminded me of the sea.
'Why are you here? Is anything the matter? Where did you leave Mum?'
'Mum is with Isabel.'
Isabel had been mum's neighbour for more than thirty years and was older than her, but still retained all her mental alertness. Unlike our mother...
'Come in,' I said.
I only felt safe at home and not completely. I knew there could be cameras I was unaware of.
'Have you watched the news?' Gemma said.
'Why bother? It's a waste of time. I don't want to see the President's fake smile.'
'Well, you should. They have just passed a law and it's as we feared. All people who cannot take care of themselves unaided are going to be recycled.'
'What?' I screamed. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I couldn't control my anger.
'Do we know when this is going to be put into practice?'
'They haven't said, but we cannot take any chances. Mum is in danger.'
Our mother had Alzheimer's and was like a little girl. She thought her parents were still alive even though she was eighty-six herself.
We stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. I could almost hear Gemma's brain whirring into action.
'I've heard of a place in the mountains. There are people living in caves. I'll have to take Mum there. She cannot stay. I'm sure they'll start searching homes pretty soon.'
'But what about Xavier? Are you going to leave him here?'
'He'll have to stay. Somebody in the family has to work.'
'And you will leave your job just like that?'
'It's the only solution. Unless you want to go yourself...'
I looked at the floor, embarrassed. I wasn't ready to make that sacrifice, even though I loved Mum very much.'
'I thought so,' my sister said. 'I'll come back when I'm ready to leave. Probably tonight.'
Without another word, she walked towards the door and let herself out.
I stood in the middle of my miserable-looking living room feeling sorry for myself. Gemma had always been the proactive sister while I was the gentle coward.
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